EDITOR’S NOTE: As state legislators returned to Raleigh recently for their 2021 session, Winston-Salem businessman Don Flow shared the following thoughts with legislative leaders.
By Don Flow
America is in the midst of enormous turmoil, with rural whites and urban blacks caught in the same undercurrent. Although they express their frustration and anger in different ways and their historic settings are different, their present situation is very similar. The current of prosperity has left them behind and they are either angry or in despair.
The fact of the matter is that we are either not creating enough jobs or we are not preparing people with the skills needed to get the available jobs. When a person cannot get a job, everything begins to fall apart in his/her life. In essence, we have a jobs issue and education is the key to changing this.
Putting my partisan hat on, this is a huge opportunity for the Republican Party because it is the story of creating opportunity and growth. It is not about creating entitlement. It is about investing in young people, our economy, and the future of our state.
I have three very specific proposals on which I am willing to spend time and resources to see if North Carolina is willing to lead the nation and if the NC Republican Party can craft a narrative that sets a new direction for the state:
1. Universal Pre-K. When a child falls behind in development, it is a rare occurrence for the child to catch up. For working-class families with dual incomes, if they do not have access to pre-kindergarten, we are guaranteeing their children are not starting out on a level playing field. The tragedy is that data show if they are not ready when they come into kindergarten, the odds drop enormously that they will be reading on grade level in third grade. If a child is not reading on grade level in third grade, we are stacking the odds against the child flourishing as an adult. Pre-K is the key to starting down the path to a life of opportunity. I believe it is a moral imperative that we do everything possible to start off every child in this state on this path.
Public education for every child needs to begin at pre-K. If we do not do this, we are advantaging people with resources (like my children) and disadvantaging those without these resources. This is happening in rural North Carolina and urban North Carolina and it is stifling economic mobility. We can change this.
2. Free Community/Technical college. A two-year technical degree guarantees a person access to a middle-class, stable life. The number of job openings in technical fields in North Carolina is in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, there are not qualified people to fill these jobs. (We presently have openings for 100 technicians in our automotive service departments.)
North Carolina needs to extend public education to grade 14 for technical education through our Community College System. This will create an explosion in economic mobility and growth and create jobs for 20-22-year-olds all over the state: technicians, welders, plumbers, electricians, health care workers, software design, construction, etc.
This will break the cycle of poverty in this state by opening up opportunities in our rural communities and in our cities. With this initiative, North Carolina will be the state of opportunity. Businesses will be able to grow, we will be able to attract companies looking for technically trained people, and we will make the middle class a realistic opportunity for every citizen.
3. The UNC system is the most important institution for creating economic wealth in North Carolina.
I am not a graduate of the UNC System. I went to the University of Virginia as an undergraduate and to Wake Forest for graduate school. But I have regularly heard from CEOs and governors around the United States about their envy of the UNC system. I have known most of the Southern governors in the last few years, and they all believe the primary differentiator of North Carolina from all other Southern states is the UNC System.
New economic wealth comes from leveraging intellectual capital. The intellectual capital embedded in the faculty of the UNC system, the talent development for our state via the graduates, and the economic capital created through grants, patents, licenses, and start up companies has been extraordinary. We must continue to invest in this unparalleled institution.
If the Republican Party is going to be the party of creating opportunities and enabling people to live lives that put them on the track of being contributing citizens of our state, I want to urge you to take the lead in pursuing this agenda. I have spoken with business leaders all over the state and they are in full support of these initiatives.
Don Flow is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Flow Automotive Companies in Winston-Salem.
John Higgins says
I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Flow’s recommendations. I only wish the Republican Party in North Carolina would take these recommendations seriously and endorse them. Unfortunately, the behavior and policies of that political party in this state during my lifetime give me little hope that such will be the case. Mr. Flow’s thoughts as expressed in the article seem to reflect a Republican Party that used to exist on the national level during the era of Jacob Javits and Hugh Scott rather than the party as it exists today, either in North Carolina or nationally.
Larna E Griffin says
I left the republican party for not addressing these exact same issues.
Paul Wiles says
Thanks Don,
Your 3 proposals are well stated and I can only hope that the leadership of the House and the Senate hear and act favorably on each.
Larry Robbs, AIA says
Excellent article – something we all should get behind and push for our state. Don Flow continues to put community first!
Terry says
I agree whole-heartedly. Thank you, Don Flow, for being proactive. As a retired educator, I have seen the needs.
Lee LaVallee says
Don, providing the best quality education for all of our students in NC is once of the best investments we can make –to ensure social equity and peace in the world. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and efforts re: improving education. To that end, what specifically can we do in Winston-Salem to further that cause? Please reach out to me as I would like to contribute as well [email protected]
Ron S. says
Don,
I think that pre-K was tried as a Federal program, Head Start. The outcome from that as I recall was that all gains achieved in that program vanished by the third grade. if the outcomes have not changed, there needs to be more than universal pre-K.
Having a pre-K to 14 for technical and academic paths could work. However, the bigger issue is getting students to understand that trades are good careers. We have made going to college the primary pathway to a career. There needs to be a focus on degree completion not just entry. This is a steep hill to climb.
The UNC system is tremendous. Like most university systems it is an engine for innovation and economic growth. However, the decrease in funding and the shift to ever escalating tuition and fees is a long term threat to access for the students and parents who fund the system.
These are big problems that need to be addressed. They will not be solved by simply increased funding from the state or Federal Government. We need to be thinking creatively about how to move the state forward. There are no simple answers.
J. Donald Keen says
Thank you for repeating some very good ideas about pre-K and about extending public education by 2 years for trade interested people . The NC University system is great and has been the source of pride rightfully so . Today’s Republican party at state and national level are not interested in public education and would rather give out support for private owned schools where some Republican can make a profit .
You could certainly sell these ideas to a group of legislators in the Democratic side including Gov. Cooper in my opinion. Problem is getting some support to have enough to get on the floor and pass in the legislature we have now.
Jon Warren says
Don,
Great ideas that should be studied and implemented if possible. Our country’s wealth was built by innovative tradesmen and not necessarily by scholars. The real monetary lifelong possibilities lie in trade careers. I agree wholeheartedly and have shared the same thought on this for years. I have always believed that our Community Colleges offer an outstanding benefit for young people who want to build a career.
Marvin Moore says
Don, great proposals! However, for the Republican Party to embrace this idea they must become inclusive of everyone and except the fact that demographic change throughout this country is changing the status quote. The hatred of some Caucasians believing they should always remain in charge must go if they want a better tomorrow. This country keeps repeating the age old sins of slavery while wondering why these things keep occurring time and time again. The recent election revealed how a large segment of the Republican Party wanted to disenfranchise millions of votes from people of color especially black voters. Simply because they do not believe they should have that right to determine the outcome of elections. Until this fundamental ideology is changed or rooted out within the Republican Party, great ideas such as yours will not be accepted.
Bill Ward says
Don
Excellent points. Totally agree. Thanks for speaking up.