Education, small business looks at future without Gov. Perdue

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Gov. Perdue's platform stood for many issues facing eastern North Carolina, but none-so-much as education and job creation.

It's no question Perdue fought for education in our state but she also pushed for job creation; she visited the east many times on that very subject, including a small business in Greenville just last month.

Six weeks ago, Gov. Bev Perdue touted the importance of small businesses for job creation by visiting the Scullery Cafe along with the IT Firm Appogee in Greenville.

Cafe owners Matt and Erin Scully were able to open their doors thanks to a small business loan offered by the city of Greenville, one that Perdue supported.

"She was down here rewarding the city for that effort and I feel like it was a wonderful investment that we're doing something great here," said Matt.

It's an investment that will live on after the governor's term ends, along with her education initiatives like her 2011 Education Tour highlighting recent grads getting jobs despite the economy.

"At the end of the day the quality of our workforce will define how successful we are and also, it's really important that we continue to launch small businesses," said Perdue.

With Matt Scully's small business having been launched on the back of a governor that will no longer be in office, he worries about what that means for future small businesses.

"This is a very small business and the fact that she took time out of her busy schedule to come here speaks a lot to me about her and her staff, so I hope whoever the next leader is will share those same feelings about small business," said Matt.

Perdue became the education governor for a state, saying with better education come better job opportunities.

She visited schools like Pitt Community College multiple times to drive that belief home.

"We have seen Gov. Perdue very involved in it and many other leaders for the state have been involved and interested in education," said Susan Nobles, Pitt County Community College Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

Nobles would know best.  Gov. Perdue made plenty of trips to Nobles at PCC during her push for education advancement, like in 2010 when the college received an $11 million grant for the health information technology department.

"What you're seeing here today is an innovation in healthcare.  It's in every fabric of all of our lives and we've got to teach our young children to think this way and understand why reading and math are important," said Perdue.

Perdue would visit again, just a year later in 2011, to congratulate recent PCC grads on getting jobs despite the economy.

Her biggest push for education came just a few months later when teachers began to lose their jobs.

"What's right from my perspective is what's right with a school like this, it's to have good teachers and teacher assistants," said Perdue.

Doing what's right in education and for the state budget was Perdue's focus, one she made clear by stamping a single word in red: VETO.

"I will not put my name on a plan that so blatantly ignores the values that has built this great North Carolina," said Perdue.

Opponents to her veto called it an attempt to rally her democratic base for 2012 and a re-election race that she has now bowed out of.

"There always will be key issues: jobs and helping take care of the family, education for their children and their workers in the future," said Nobles.

In a statement from the governor's office Perdue said:

"The thing I care about most right now is making sure that our schools and schoolchildren do not continue to be the victims of shortsighted legislative actions and severe budget cuts."

A topic she says she'll continue to follow even outside of office.