Incumbent District 7 candidate Jim Perry and candidate Col. Donna Lake provided answers to political questions as a follow up to their video interviews. Neuse News will host an Election Night Results Show on Facebook LIVE on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7:30 pm. The show is sponsored in part by Brooks Poole, Realtor.

The University of North Carolina system has 16 colleges and in 2018 North Carolina college students graduated on average with a debt of $26,526. Are the costs of education and the practice of student loans a concern and if so, what actions or solutions would you work toward if elected?

Perry says…

“I think that the cost of education has grown way too quickly and I think it needs to be reined in. In fact, that’s one of the charges of the new system president. Peter Hans – the new UNC system president, he used to be the president of the community college system. I think that it’s a national concern, the amount of student loan debt that we see out there, and what it’s being used for and how it’s pushed. I’ve had two kids go into the UNC system in the last two years, my own two children, and I thought we were required to apply for financial aid. My fear is that may be perceived as the best interest of the university system in the United States but I can’t tell you it’s in the best interest of the young people. I will continue doing what I’ve done. I’ve already worked on legislation to reduce the cost to parents and young parents by reducing the tuition penalty which meant if you didn’t finish in a certain amount of time were charged a penalty.“

Lake says…

“Yes, cost of education and the practice of student loans is a concern, and the following are the solutions I would work toward if elected. As a professor and a mother of two recent college graduates, I understand this situation up close and personal. First, I would call for a study to be presented to NC legislators of the Federal problem that is adding to the staggering amount of student debt ($1.5 trillion, Forbes, Feb 2019). Then, we need to evaluate what is occurring among the University of North Carolina system, specifically the interest being collected on student loans and what is creating a high default rate on student loans. This would lead to a call for a bipartisan NC legislative committee to review the cost of attending college and obtaining a degree, and which would consider a gradual shift to more accessible on-line educational courses versus brick-and-mortar classroom education. The committee would review current tuition, housing costs, and mandatory fees which have been increasing the rising costs of student education and have exceeded the rate of inflation for years. The committee should identify the NC state university spending rate and subsidies over the last 5-10- years in public investment in university higher education. Did educational costs shift to students and families during this time? Lastly, encourage more families to utilize the 529 Savings Plan option to grow funds for their children’s higher education which are not subject to being taxed. We should also look at the feasibility of increasing more state scholarships and grants for specific workforce careers, such as in healthcare, technology, education, and science fields.”

The average graduation rate of high schoolers in North Carolina is 87.6%. This 1.1% increase over 2018. If elected what actions or solutions would you work toward concerning the graduation rate?

Perry says…

“I think that when it comes to issues surrounding the graduation rate, you have to work with your local school administrators to get their ideas and I think we’ve got to have some flexibility in different areas of the state because our challenges are different. I was speaking to one of the superintendents this morning for an idea of improving graduation rates and retention.”

Lake says…

“My PhD dissertation research was focused on studying adolescent positive health (physical and behavioral) of 9th and 10th graders in Wayne County, Lenoir County and Eastern NC. Over the last decade I have spent studying high school graduation rates, I have learned we need to focus on the “long view” of student learning - which includes early intervention to improve literacy rates in elementary school. Public education should include instructive assistance in K-3 grades to foster improved reading/comprehensions skills. In Middle school, there needs to be career advisors/trained counselors in every school to support and prepare our children for adult self-achievement and job successes (whether that is trade school, or college pathways). By the time students reach high school they should have access to meet with trained counselors (at least one psychologist and occupational counselor per school). It is past time to take a 21st century approach to our public education system. Lastly, we need to ensure our standards have not been “watered down.” Our standards for high school graduation should match what we need in the workforce and the skills that make successful adults, such as technology competency and financial skills.”

The CDC reported 3,532 deaths of North Carolinians as of 10/1/2020 from COVID-19 as communities across the state are experiencing the loss of small businesses who have had to close because of the virus or government mandates. Do you support Governor Cooper’s approach to the pandemic, and why?

Perry says…

“I think in the beginning many of us supported the steps the Governor took for the first few weeks. Since that time we feel that there has been more arbitrary decision making which could have benefitted from more transparent process, metrics, and robust discussion.”

Lake says…

“Yes, I support Governor Cooper’s approach to navigating North Carolinians through the global pandemic. He has led from a position of calm and methodical leadership. Gov. Cooper has utilized data and various public health experts, medical health systems and research leaders, and economic leaders in making timely life and death decisions while at the same time considering the economic impacts to our State.”

According to a 2018 US News report, North Carolina ranks #42 out of 50 in economic opportunity. If elected, what plans, or solutions would you work toward to improve the economic opportunities for all North Carolinians?

Perry says…

“I think it’s the job of government to have good economic policy that provides an environment for businesses to be successful without overly burdensome regulations without making things too difficult for people to try to chase their dreams.”

Lake says…

“Economic opportunity and development can occur with a strong, prepared workforce, which we can achieve by improving our investment in public education at the federal, state, and local levels. I know from my experience as Medical Group Commander, one of 5 executive leaders at Seymour Johnson AF base, where my role was to provide for the needs of families on the base, that a top concern is the schools their children can attend. To keep SJAFB in Wayne County, it needs to be a desirable place for military families. Our public schools must be well-maintained, well-equipped, and recruit/retain top teachers. Young adults in Lenoir County are looking for places to live and we have limited affordable housing for them to start their independent adult lives. In my conversations with teachers new to our area, they frequent told me they are not able to live in the same county where they teach due to the lack of housing options that meet their needs (affordability, safety, access to public transportation, etc.). In regard to public transportation, we need a system that will assist our community members to travel to their jobs, whether local or commuter. Many in Wayne and Lenoir counties travel to Raleigh for better paying jobs than are offered here. The state government should work with municipalities and business owners on a plan to gradually increase the minimum wage. If we can create better paying jobs in Wayne and Lenoir, more who live here will be able to fully participate in the local economy.”

The US Census has Wayne County’s poverty level at 20.2% and Lenoir County poverty level at 22.1% against the national average of 10.5% in 2019. If elected, what actions or solutions would you work toward concerning the poverty levels for your district?

Perry says…

“You have to understand what a national average is and really understand the data and causation and correlation. The southeast as a whole has more population density and a higher degree of poverty that is going to strongly correlate to household education levels. I think that education is the answer to confronting something like poverty. You can give everyone equal opportunity but you can’t guarantee outcomes. I’ve got three daughters, they all get different grades.”

Lake says…

“As a nurse scientist trained in community and population health, I see poverty as a health crisis. I am a champion for access to affordable quality healthcare. Our health care system needs to give access to not only emergency medical services, but preventative health services like regular wellness appointments. All age and demographic groups in our community have preexisting conditions and we need to be sure that from beginning to end of life, everyone has affordable access to the quality, comprehensive healthcare that is their right. If elected I would champion more investment in public health, especially in family primary care and mental health care. In combination with access to quality care, I will champion increased investment in quality public education which is critical to foster the skills needed to have a job, housing, and mobility in life.”