June 23, 2022…

Politics don’t do much for me.  I’m not cut from that cloth and am not active in any way at any level.  No rallies, no door knocking, no phone canvassing, no volunteering.  My opinions are largely my own (which is probably a good thing).  I’ve only written one letter to the editor(http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/01/1658443/parents-should-cut-the-string.html) and it had no political overtones at all.

But I’m about to write one that does.

The only thing is, the Charlotte Observer (if it’s still around) will need to wait a few years to publish it because the paper would be cc’d on the note below.

North Carolina has one-upped itself in terms of being a state of short-sighted nitwits.  Granted, the economy continues to struggle, yet our legislature has turned back the clock by shoving North Carolina into the upper 40s in terms of per-student education spending.  The budget has largely done away with early childhood education plus other deep cuts that deny public education’s role in forming kids into ready-to-go workers and an educated populace.  The problem is, the extent of the damage really won’t be known for a decade or more.

Fast forward to the year 2022.  Let’s say I ran a successful business that would move to or expand its sizeable operations in North Carolina.  My due diligence would weigh North Carolina’s business environment in a number of ways, including the size and extent of an educated workforce.  Assume, too, that the governor and other business-types were cozying up to my firm in the days leading up to my decision.  This year’s actions – or non-actions – would kick in right about then.

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June 26, 2022

Dear Governor and President of the North Carolina Senate:

I greatly appreciate the time and attention you gave our company as we explored our options to grow our business.  There is much to like about North Carolina; a favorable business climate, ready access to transportation, a physically attractive state, and yes, your moderate weather.  All of those factors, and some others too, weighed in your favor.

As you know, we asked about (and explored on our own) the scope and availability of the qualified work force we will need to help our business succeed.  Your assurances aside, we are not convinced that such a work force exists today in North Carolina.  We disagree that your unemployment rate signals sufficient numbers of a ready-to-be-tapped labor pool.  On the contrary, it is a labor pool that from our perspective lacks the prerequisite skills we need in quantity, particularly entry-level positions.  Not that we do not train our workers – indeed, we take great efforts to do so – but we expect any candidates to come to us with the fundamentals already in place so we can mold them into the productive work force we need.   We are troubled by your state’s low rank in per-pupil education funding.  My business takes the long term view that whomever we hire must come to us with sets of skills they have already been taught that we cannot be expected to teach.  At any of our locations, we depend on a steady flow of qualified workers year after year after year.

We have decided to pursue other options for our business operations.  We appreciate your attentiveness to our questions about incentives and favorable business climate, but in the absence of what we perceive to be a readily available, skilled and educated work force, we cannot stake the future of our enterprise on a state that cannot assure us of a continuous supply of qualified workers we need.

Sincerely,

David Bradley

The education gene…

Ellen is a teacher and my dad finished his career as an educational administrator,  so the education gene runs in the family, or at least those two.  Even Reid has his moments about graduate school.  The chance of the gene skipping me is a foregone conclusion.

I try to be supportive of Ellen in her efforts but it’s a struggle these days for teachers.  A preoccupation with testing, lack of materials and a lack of parental involvement (an old story) make teaching tiresome.  Even in education supportive Minnesota, there’s an assault on schools but largely for budget reasons.  Yet the attack is nowhere near as overt as it is here in North Carolina.  It not only stems from our woeful budget situation, but it is a philosophy of politicians that teaching kids is not the highest priority.  For some reason, they don’t tie the three R’s to job creation/growth, an educated citizenry and a better society.  But Ellen knows I’m in her corner and that of teachers.  And kids, too.

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June 13, 2011

Ellen/Reid: If you want to know how stinky hot it is down here, re-read the first paragraph of last week’s letter.  Nothing has changed.  It is still oppressively hot.

Reid, you had to get slammed with the same weather when you were in Tennessee for Bonaroo (sp?).  Better you than me.  I can’t even imagine it, plus I can’t imagine the clean up either.  How you slog through days on end of camping in the muck with 80,000 other concert goers is quite a tale, and I’m sure there are tales.  You’ll have to tell me about it.  How many years of this has it been for you?  At least three or four that I’m aware of.

Ellen, glad you’re footloose for the rest of the summer.  Unwind, unwind, unwind.  Although the kitchen project is going to be a joint test of patience and resolve; i.e. ‘I resolve to not let it get under my skin’.  Nothing ever goes easy/smooth/on time with that kind of massive gutting an re-assembly of a kitchen.  Just get up in the morning, trundle over to the coffee shop with Henry in tow (or him towing you) and get a good mocha-latte-lite roast-non-fat maci-something or other that you get.  That’s the best plan.  I hope you will make the jaunt to the Bridger to join us.  That would be fabulous.  You, too, Reid.  The ticket is on me.  Into the back country on July 28 and a retreat to the cushy world on July 28.  I bought a new MSR stove (I will pay handsomely if either of you know where the old MSR stove is) and other gadgets for the trip.  My goal is to pack as light as I can.

Ellen, at one time I had the dream that maybe one day you’d come down this way to shown ‘em how teaching ought to be done but now I’m glad you didn’t pull up stakes from Minnesota.  CLT just lost the superintendent that people were very split on; he was a big “tester” and some folks thought that drove teachers to teach for scores rather than for teaching.  I tend to agree with that.  He got out when the getting was good.  Our legislature, in its GOP wisdom and under the guise of a sour economy, has essentially gutted public education and cut out a raft of things that were simply good for kids, notably early childhood education.  In these parts they just don’t value a good public education which is ironic because that is what brought the South up.  Here, only the “haves” have the means of sending their kids to tony private schools where the tuition is more than most state universities.  Our legislature doesn’t view education as a way to create good people, give the potential labor force good work skills, keep them off the streets, or foster job growth.  None of that.  I’m not sure how they look at it.  They are very anti-teacher, probably in part because teachers have their state version of the NEA.  Your grandfather is probably rolling in his grave at the thought of yahoos disassembling the engine of forward movement for people.  It’s a travesty.  You can bet your bottom dollar if it involved guns or other redneck priorities, they’d embrace it.  But they don’t.  It’s really the one thing that galls me about both Carolinas; they just don’t want to educate people beyond this inane desire to test kids as the one barometer of showing progress.  No Child Left Behind is a misnomer because they’re all going to be left behind.

Well, I’d best sign off and get back to it.  I am always available by phone (Reid) so don’t be strangers.  Stay cool, relax, and get on with things.

Singe the bridge, don’t burn it…

A stand-alone letter was sent today to Reid.  He has been offered a new job after another digital agency pursued him.  He’s on cloud 9 but the offer, along with a nice boost in pay, means he would start at his new employer precisely the same week he should hear about his graduate school application.  He can’t really go wrong either way (although his parents strongly encourage him to take the bird in the hand).  But he’s his own man now and the choices are up to him.  I’m just trying to put a little context into his possible new job environment vis a vis graduate school.

Don’t worry that he will see today’s letter in advance.  Reid is a rare visitor to this space.

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March 3, 2011

Reid: Here’s your $25 for guessing the tab for my hospital stay.  Don’t spend this all in one place.  What’s it good for in Chicago, a couple of hot dogs and a cold beer?

Good things come to those who wait, and that apparently applies in your case.  This is thrilling news for you.  It’s nice to feel wanted (and to get a nice bump in the wallet), and I will be all ears to hear the reaction from your current shop.  This will catch them a bit off guard, don’t you think?  By the time you get this we will both have our answers.

You’ve got a few weeks before you start your new situation.  That will be a nice lull in the action.  Things have really gone pretty well at ________, your frustrations aside.  Although you’re breathing a sigh of relief, I just want you to be ready for the next round at your new place.  Without question you will work with those ready climb over and around you, who won’t get the gist of some of your ideas (or don’t want to listen), or will be just all-around oafs.   None of that will change with your new job.  It will just be a change of address.  That’s just the way it is in business, and I suppose the onus on you is to continue to work hard and look for ways you can adapt to all the variances of the new employer and bring value to your equation.  Nothing much in that equation changes from job to job.  Be able to navigate the waters which will sometimes be turbulent.  You’ve picked up bits and pieces of that as you’ve gone along.  It’s hard to imagine you’re only 25 and have had the experiences you’ve already had.  Just keep playing your cards right and unlike those who don’t want to listen, you should do precisely that.

I don’t know what to think about the New School.  Talk about two golden opportunities occurring at exactly the same time.  Wow.  __________ was the bird in the hand and you couldn’t go wrong with that.  To say “no” to a new work opportunity might seem tempting but what if the New School turned you down?  Then you’d be up a creek although you wouldn’t be out of a job.  No doubt ___________ has some sort of tuition reimbursement program so your dream of grad school might not be totally kaput if your application doesn’t get off the ground in New York.  In fact, if you opt for classes elsewhere in Chicago your new handlers might take a liking to that since they want a highly educated, and motivated, work force.  It’s not like you’re a codger like me.  You’ve still got a long way ahead of you and that’s good.  Burnishing your resume a little more won’t hurt your cause either.  It could be, too, that _________ will open your eyes even further toward digital possibilities. 

But if the New School does give you the green light, then you have a tough decision.  If that is your dream, then go after it.  You would need to go to _________ with your tail between your legs but it’s not like you’re jumping ship to another agency.  You’d be going to school, and that will make it somewhat more tolerable for them.  You will find more doors open after graduate school, and who knows, you could always try their waters again.  They will always want that highly educated, and motivated work force.  Maybe you can just singe the bridge and not burn it.  But we’re proud of you kid; better to have strong options than none at all.