Several years ago my lifelong friend produced a film called "The Corridor of Shame" pointing out discrepancies in school funding for small rural counties that do not have the tax base to provide adequate facilities and funding to provide an adequate education to the children who grow up there. After more than twenty years, the SC Supreme Court ruled in favor of the schools and fortunately the SC General Assembly is seeking ways to remedy the injustice to some of state's students.
If anyone wonders why I feel so strongly about job diversification, the Commerce Park or reorganizing the Redevelopment Commission to growing businesses and attracting new ones, the following explains far better than I the reasons what drives me on this issue.
While it has been intuitive to me, some may be surprised when you read this story
Thank you Gazette/Packet for publishing the story.
It is a must read if one wants to better understand some of the dynamics, and too often denied challenges in a county that, accordingly to Kiplinger a couple of years ago, had the fifth largest concentration of millionaires (excluding real property) per-capita in the United States.
If you do not click the link to read the story, the following are the most cogent points in and important study that was recently released.
"(Beaufort County) is among the worst counties in the U.S. in helping poor children up the income ladder," the Times declares. "It ranks 196th out of 2,478 counties, better than only about 8 percent of counties. Compared with the rest of the country, it is also bad for rich boys and rich girls."
"In our corner of the Lowcountry, Beaufort County scores worse than neighboring Jasper, Hampton, Colleton and Charleston counties, according to the data. Just across the state line, poor children raised in Effingham County would make about $1,040 more at age 26 than if they were raised in an average place, the data show."
extracted from Gazette/Packet
"Beaufort County is bad for income mobility,
new report says"
http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/05/05/3733097_beaufort-county-is-bad-for-income.html?rh=1
While it has been intuitive to this Beaufort County native, some may be surprised when you read this story.
With these resources and the experience and contacts of the many who have retired to or have second homes here with businesses and contacts elsewhere, this county resident is ashamed.
If you discount this as a "study by Harvard" or as a "knee jerk liberal idea", think about the fact that:
The average tax liability born by manufacturers is 14% among SC's forty six counties, while in Beaufort it represents only .14%. This is to say that we pay higher taxes because we have almost no manufacturing economic base.
Furthermore, this story does not make Beaufort as attractive as it should be to those who may visit us or plan to retire to the area, let alone bring businesses to the lowcountry.
We cannot blame the schools for this. While they can always do better, we have good schools, dedicated teachers, innovation and good students.
It is about a taking a hard look at reality, having a clear understanding of the challenge and the courage at all levels of government, and within the private sector, to fulfill the long standing promise of young people being able to live better than they grew up in Beaufort County including those of us fortunate enough to be highly educated. And it will take public investment that can pay huge dividends if we can ever get it together.
The City's soon to reorganized Redevelopment Commission is searching for individuals who have experience in growing small businesses, recruiting new businesses and matching people with better jobs. Council member Stephen Murray, along with another RDC member from the private sector, will be leading this charge. As the owner of two successful small businesses, one of which is the only domestic manufacturer of Kazoos, is ready set and able to meet this charge, but he is going to need help. Please let us know if you can help us.
