money for everybody

[Jennifer Took Harrod]

The last paragraph of DeAnne's e-mail is the only one anyone should be
concerned about.  Like all grants that are given by the state, the question
should not be whether the grantee is uniquely deserving, but whether it
serves the needs of the state.  Did Dell "need" $240 million in tax breaks
to locate its plant in Forsyth County?  No, the good legislators and county
commissioners and whomever else hands out the cash thought it would be good
for NC.   

As a former gifted student and current parent of a gifted student, I'm
beyond fed up having to justify why smart kids are "deserving" of
educational resources to allow them to develop their talent.  The head of my
child's school actually SAID to us that it was all very well to say that
there should be services geared towards the eagles if your child was an
eagle, but if your child was a buzzard or a sparrow, it was a lot less
popular.  

As the (possibly apocryphal?) cheer goes "That's all right, that's ok,
you're going to work for us someday."  

The tuition grant should be justified on the same grounds as the school
itself--it nurtures talent the state thinks is important and keeps that
talent at home to create jobs and improve the economy of our great state.
Same reason there was in my day a $500 grant for any NC student who went to
a private school inside NC.  

So don't feel guilty about your good fortune, people, get out there and
start a dot com already!

--Jennifer
c/o '86
-----Original Message-----
From: alumni-bounces at ncssm.net [mailto:alumni-bounces at ncssm.net] On Behalf
Of DeAnne Dotson
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:29 PM
To: Nick Gorton; alumni at ncssm.net
Subject: money for everybody

While I don't claim to know the stats, I whole-heartedly DISAGREE with you
about who can afford what.  I knew very little about the finances of the
other students while I was there.  And even what you think you know, you
probably don't.  People who come from money don't usually hide that.  People
who don't often do.  

Plus, you'd have to take the averages from all the different areas,
districts or however they decide who gets in from where.  I think the
average income of the parents in the Charlotte area is going to be higher
than the rural areas (and you'll have more students from the more highly
populated (and higher income) areas.  Why screw the students whom this can
REALLY help just to keep those that don't need it from getting a freebie.

Not sure if I'm explaining my point very well, but we discussed all of this
when the tuition grant first came about.  Check the archives.

There are just too many factors to take into account, so start with S&M and
if it works (looks like it has... S&M apps are up, more students are staying
in-state for college which increases the likelihood of them staying after
college) expand it to the rest of North Carolina.  And NOT JUST the
smarty-pants who perform well in the very structured, worker be assembly
line that is our public school system. 

Goodnight all.

DeAnne Dotson '86


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