Town of Boone Standing in the Way of Solving North Carolina’s Teacher Shortage  by Jon Parks - Appalachian Advocates

North Carolina has a proud history of public education. Schools of every shape and size dot the landscape of the state from the mountains to the coast. And when you look inside those schools, you’ll find proud Appalachian State University graduates standing front and center educating our state’s children.

But North Carolina has a problem. By some estimates, it needs to fill about 9,000 teaching jobs each year just to keep up with the increase in the number of students. And the task of filling those jobs is getting more and more difficult as each year goes by. The primary problem? Our state’s universities are not able to turn out enough teachers to lead those classrooms.

ASU has a plan to attack the problem. Through its widely acclaimed Reich College of Education, ASU is committed to preparing 20% of the UNC system’s education graduates by 2010.

ASU is actively working to secure space for a new Reich College of Education facility. A site along Howard Street, just across from FirstBaptistChurch, has been identified and plans are being made that will allow ASU to play a critical role in solving North Carolina’s teacher shortage crisis.

But a problem looms on the horizon. The Town of Boone is standing in the way of this new facility because it wants to force the University to build elsewhere on campus. If you have been to campus recently, you quickly realize that there are no available places left to build unless the university takes down an existing building.

Why is the Town of Boone standing in the way? No one knows for sure, but what we do know for sure is that Town officials are preventing ASU from solving North Carolina’s teacher shortage. What are the Town’s officials going to tell the rural communities in North Carolina when their children have to sit 30+ students to a classroom because there are not enough teachers to go around? Is it fair that a few men and women have the ability to keep our state from educating its children and preparing them to succeed in a global economy?

We think the answer to that last question is an emphatic “NO!” and we need YOU to get involved. Here are three simple things you can do to stand up for ASU and help North Carolina’s children:

1. Write a letter to the editor of the Watauga Democrat. Express your curiosity at why the Town of Boone is standing in the way of helping ASU solve the state’s teacher shortage. Ask the Town to modify its zoning regulations to allow for this new facility to be built.
2. Call the elected officials in the Town of Boone and ask them to support rezoning of the land to allow ASU to build a new facility for the Reich College of Education. If you are a Boone resident, make sure these individuals know you live in Boone and you will use your vote to support officials who support ASU.
3. Write or e-mail elected officials in the Town of Boone and ask them to support rezoning of the land for the new Reich College of Education. Again, if you live in the Town of Boone, make sure these individuals know that about you.

The state’s teacher shortage is a problem that we must solve for every North Carolinian and it is too important to let a few individuals stand in the way. As an alumnus, as a friend, as someone who cares about Appalachian State University, we need your help in speaking out and letting the Town of Boone know how you feel.