Carolina Journal Radio No. 745: Double standard exists involving profit and public schools

Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced a statewide drive to collect classroom supplies for public schools. Terry Stoops, the John Locke Foundation’s vice president for research, examines Cooper’s proposal and discusses a curious double standard about private companies profiting from public education. North Carolina state government has been dealing with budget surpluses in recent years. But State Treasurer Dale Folwell is highlighting a long-term budget challenge. Folwell says unfunded liabilities for state retiree pension and health benefits will consume billions of dollars from the budget in the coming years. Folwell wants to see structural changes that will help North Carolina deal with those costs. The UNC system’s Board of Governors recently heard advice from the head of the group that offers accreditation to the system’s campuses. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, explained what her group expects from an oversight board. Wheelan urged board members to avoid micromanagement. You’ll hear her comments and BOG reaction. A group called NC MedAssist has provided free medication and health care advocacy to low-income and uninsured North Carolinians since 1997. Board chairman Sidney Bernstein explains NC MedAssist’s goals and explains how the group offers an alternative to programs funded entirely by taxpayers. North Carolina has scrapped more than 1,400 state government rules since adopting a process that requires those rules to face a periodic review. That’s about one out of every eight rules subjected to the review process. Jon Sanders, John Locke Foundation director of regulatory studies, analyzes the latest numbers. Sanders also explains how a proposed legislative change could subject even more rules to extensive scrutiny.