When the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics was launched in 1980, it was a completely new experiment. No state had ever created a public boarding school centered on advanced science and mathematics.
A quarter-century later, the school is an international model. Other states and countries have copied the idea, and North Carolina policymakers are ready to double down on a winning innovation.
If approved by voters on March 15, the Connect NC bond proposal would invest $58 million to create a new campus in Burke County focused on technology and engineering,1 ensuring that more talented North Carolina high-schoolers get a world-class education.
“As the state has grown in the last decade and a half, discussions about the need for expansion have grown more serious,” wrote NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts. “We appreciate that legislators recognize the need to serve more talented students across the state.”
The original NCSSM campus in Durham is at full capacity, and Roberts and his team turn away 300-400 qualified applicants each year.2 In an era when science and technology are major drivers of economic growth in North Carolina, the state can’t afford to leave that kind of talent on the table.
The original goal of the school was to keep the state’s best students from leaving. Lawmakers recognized that science, mathematics and technology would be keys to economic growth, and NCSSM was designed to develop and keep home-grown talent in North Carolina.
That approach has worked. Most NCSSM graduates go to college in North Carolina, and about 60% stay in the state after pursuing their degrees. Alumni work in some of the most high-demand, high-growth industries in North Carolina. Engineering and computer science are the fastest-growing areas of study among NCSSM students, helping meet the demand for STEM majors at the college level.
State leaders note that the bond proposal would require no tax increase and no increase in overall state debt.3
The proposal calls for a new campus in Burke County, drawing students from both the region and all over the state. Details are still being discussed, but civic leaders in Western North Carolina are excited about the possibilities. NCSSM has a role in teacher training and advanced curriculum across the state, and there are suggestions of collaboration with school districts, universities and community colleges.
NCSSM leaders also talk about expanding the school’s online offerings, which already serve thousands of students. Allowing a new campus to serve more distance learners — with remote classes, dual-enrollment programs or summer courses — could further extend NCSSM’s reach.
“This campus will really connect a lot of dots,” said Randy Burns, chairman of the Burke County Board of Education.
No final plan is set, but state legislators have suggested the mostly unused campus of the NC School for the Deaf as a possible site.4 The 160-acre campus borders Western Piedmont Community College, opening the prospect of shared facilities.
“There’s an interesting symmetry there, given that the original campus was built on the old Watts Hospital site in Durham,” said Roberts. “We’ve seen what you can do — how much good you can do — with the right kind of investment.”
1 http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015/Bills/House/PDF/H943v8.pdf, p. 3.
2 http://www.ncssm.edu/uploads/files/663438018536021653-western-campus-feasibility-study-final-1-27-14-1.pdf, p. i.
3 http://connect.nc.gov/Final%20Bond%20Presentation_12.10.15.pdf, Slides 2, 6.
4 http://www.ncssm.edu/uploads/files/663438018536021653-western-campus-feasibility-study-final-1-27-14-1.pdf, Appendix A.
Janet says
I’m amazed that NC legislators recognize the value of education and are willing to invest in it.