East Tennessee Economic Development Organization Wants Marketing Help From Kingsport Schools

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East Tennessee Economic Development Organization Wants Marketing Help From Kingsport Schools

April 6th, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

It appears that Keith Wilson, former NETWORKS chairman and publisher of the Kingsport Times-News is using his newspaper to drum up support for increased funding to make the Kingsport schools the best in the state.

Keith Wilson quoted some statistics below on how Kingsport schools ranked in the state and he would like to use NETWORKS to market Kingsport schools “in soliciting new business and industry and trying to keep existing business and industry”.

NETWORKS is a joint economic development partnership of Bluff City, Bristol, Kingsport and Sullivan County, Tennessee.

There is nothing wrong about using Kingsport school statistics to attract new business, but if the Kingsport schools rank was so good now, then why hasn’t NETWORKS used that to attract new business and industry in the past. How successful were you Mr. Wilson during your term as Chairman of Networks in getting new business and industry by promoting the Kingsport schools?

NETWORKS envisions making Kingsport schools best in Tennessee (Please read the entire Kingsport Times-News article)
Wilson cited statistics compiled by the SCORE program of former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, which Wilson said showed that among 119 K-12 public systems statewide Kingsport schools had the sixth-highest per-pupil expenditures in the state, the third-highest percentage of local funding in their budget, and the 38th-highest graduation rate.
It also was the 14th most economic advantaged system, was 18th in growth from third to eighth grade scores, and ranked sixth in the three-year ACT score average, he said

I smell a tax increase that would affect only the City of Kingsport property owners. Somehow, I don’t think the Kingsport citizens would approve of a tax increase while Bristol, Bluff City and Sullivan County residents got the benefits of a new business or industry located outside of Kingsport city limits.

Kingsport BMA needs to be reminded that the household median income for Kingsport is $34,391 and the Individuals below poverty level 18.0%. Two people in the same household making the minimum wage would make $30,160 per year. Kingsport citizens cannot afford a tax increase to fund the NETWORKS marketing scheme that Keith Wilson is proposing. The City of Kingsport also has 20.1 percent of its population that are over 65 years of age and this group cannot not afford a tax increase. The NETWORKS marketing scheme should be funded by business or a personal tax on the “elite”.

Mr. Wilson, what were you doing during your involvement with NETWORKS when the opportunities below went somewhere else?

Keith Wilson is not listed on the NETWORKS Board of Directors.

In my opinion, the NETWORKS organization which is supported with taxpayer money, is just simply ineffective in getting new businesses that offer good jobs for the area.