Let's get clear about charter school funding. Despite frequent assertions to the contrary, the fact is that charter schools in North Carolina operate on significantly lower funding than other public schools:
n Charter schools, by law, receive zero funding for facilities. That means, in essence, that every charter school operates on 15-20 percent less funding than traditional public schools. And many do so while serving populations that have deeper needs than traditional public school populations.
n The recent court case cited in your Dec. 15 article ruled that local school systems have consistently underfunded charter schools -- this means that charter school students have been receiving an unequal amount of local funding since the first charter schools opened in 1997. Local officials should not be shocked at the notion of paying back funds that were mandated by state law since that time.
It's time to put away the myth that charter schools are taking away funding from traditional public schools.
In this season of hope, let me wish that our elected officials remember that every public school child in Durham is one of theirs. Every Durham child deserves exceptional educational resources. It does take the whole village to raise our children.
BONNIE WRIGHT
Durham
Help Main Street
Times are tough for everyone. Nationally, unemployment is at 10 percent. And for a record 38 percent of the unemployed, being out of work isn't just a bump in the road -- they've been without a job 27 weeks or more.
But some are shouldering more than their fair share of the burden. The unemployment rate for African-Americans sits at 15.6 percent -- 5.6 percentage points higher than the national average. For Latinos, it's 12.7 percent.
This is unacceptable. The AFL-CIO is calling on Congress to take urgent action to extend the lifeline for people who have lost their jobs and to put people back to work. Fixing America's crumbling schools, bridges and roads and increasing aid to state and local governments not only will save jobs but will strengthen our communities. Hiring community banks to lend leftover bank bailout funds directly to small businesses will help them create jobs. Investing in new energy systems and green technology will help rescue our economy and our environment.
We bailed out Wall Street. It's time to help Main Street. We need Congress to act now so everyone has a fair shot at the American dream.
JAMES ANDREWS
Raleigh
The writer is president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO
Carp a threat
I'm referring to the article, "Locks may shut to keep carp from Great Lakes (The Herald-Sun, Page A3, Dec. 3) ."
This is a huge problem because carp are an extremely invasive species. They will wipe out most all species of fish smaller than themselves from the Great Lakes.
Also, if the government decides to close the waterway that connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes the shipment of iron ore, coal, grain and other things would be disrupted.
DAVID BURNS
Durham
