9/20 Letters: ‘Irony’ in General Assembly proposal to pay principals based on student performance

Regarding “Change in principal pay spurs fear of salary cuts” (Sept. 16): I couldn’t help but see the irony in the efforts of Republican members in our General Assembly to change the way North Carolina compensates its school principals. As I understand it, these folks would set the salary of each principal based on the student performance at his or her school.

If that same system were to be used to determine the pay for Republican members in our General Assembly, and in Congress, there would be an increase in those receiving food stamps. This assumes that the corporate money that pours into their “campaign funds” in order to affect their votes could not be transferred to their personal accounts.

I don’t know what the current salary is for the Democratic Party members in our General Assembly, but I expect it’s too much. As for the current crop of GOP members, they shouldn’t be getting paid at all; they should be paying the people for the damage they have done and the damage they are doing to this state. And not just for the damage they have done to North Carolina’s image, but more importantly the damage to the way of life of its people.

Stop sports focus

Regarding “Revamped UNC board signals change coming” (Sept. 17): The UNC Board of Governors wants the UNC System to focus on academics and cut tuition and fees. I strongly agree.

Start by getting rid of the sports teams and the sports booster clubs. Stop spending a quarter of a billion a year on sports and paying for it with tuition and fees. Stop rejecting academically qualified students in favor of ballplayers. Stop spending millions to cover up academic fraud. Stop requiring students to pay $700 a year in athletic fees.

Vote BOG out

Regarding “UNC board bans legal action at civil rights center” (Sept. 8): In a distressing move, the UNC Board of Governors overturned the UNC Center for Civil Rights’ ability to do legal work for low-income and minority groups. This is an attack on the center, pure and simple. In a time when funds for legal aid centers everywhere are being drastically cut, low-income and minority groups have a hard enough time getting proper representation. This move amounts to absolutely no support for civil rights, no matter what lip service BOG members give to them.

The center’s goal is educating law students while giving legal representation across the state. For a board comprised primarily of wealthy white Republicans to pass a ban on litigation by UNC’s Center for Civil Rights represents white privilege at its height. This exclusionary act brings back institutional barriers North Carolinians fought against and thought they’d conquered. Those opposed to this ban should vote in 2018 to remove Republicans from state office, as the legislature is responsible for appointing members to the UNC Board of Governors.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "9/20 Letters: ‘Irony’ in General Assembly proposal to pay principals based on student performance."