Stephen Jenks: Good intention, no impact

Regarding the Aug. 25 Point of View “Why N.C. businesses must find ways to support schools”: I applaud the good intentions of Joydeep Ganguly at Biogen to develop cooperative programs with local schools. But let’s be honest: These efforts do nothing to address the problems cited by the writer. North Carolina is ranked 42nd in teacher salaries and 47th in per-pupil spending. These rankings are due solely to insufficient funding by the state legislature.

I will believe state businesses truly recognize the source of the problem when they acknowledge that it is state tax dollars that will make the difference and then take their case forcefully to the Republicans in the General Assembly to return spending to adequate levels. Until that happens, it is simply good intentions and virtually no impact on improving the business environment in the state.

The next Biogen will choose a state that actually supports education in deeds and dollars as well as words.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Stephen Jenks: Good intention, no impact."