According to Diogenes Laertius, “the foundation of every state is the education of its youth.”  Every state contains citizens that build up the community and pass on all of their skills, knowledge and ideas to the future generations. Without the ongoing spread of educational ideas and skills, it is possible that the states can collapse both socially and economically. To prevent this, each state needs to stress the importance of getting a good education.

Concerned citizens in Asheboro, North Carolina have come up with a plan to educate as many people as possible. Asheboro’s, Randolph Community College is becoming more and more crowded every year. The Faculty and Administration does not want to turn away any students.  Therefore, they have decided to expand RCC’s facilities by utilizing the empty Klaussner furniture warehouse. The new building will contain space for the Machining Program, which will prepare students for this high-demand career field. The building will also have a customized training center which will train students for the career fields in business and industry. The rest of the building will be used for the continuing education program and the new industrial engineering program. More space for these programs will be beneficial for the student’s educational and intellectual growth.

Standing in the way of the new extension project is, the large amount of funding that will be needed. Randolph Community College does not have enough money to pay for all of the expenses that will be required for this project, so they need your help.  All you need to do is vote yes for the one-fourth cent tax on March 2^nd. This sales tax is described as an “investment in Randolph County’s economic/ workforce development”.

For every penny, one fourth is taken out to contribute to Randolph Community College’s expansion project. This tax can raise the same amount of money as a two cent property tax. It will only be implemented in Randolph County. The essential necessities such as groceries, gasoline and medicine will be excused from this tax.

As time progresses, there will be more graduates entering the workforce and more training for careers that are in high demand. This will help improve the economic growth in Randolph County. All of our neighbors, friends and peers would have the chance to get an education without having to deal with the crowded hallways, over filled parking lots, and over -populated classes. There will be more available classrooms which means there will be less students in each; therefore, the students have the opportunity to obtain more attention and help from their teachers.

 In this Country’s recession, it would not be reasonable to turn students away because we need as many educated people as possible to ensure a bright future for our country.  If we don’t set a good example, then who will? We need to take the initiative to show others that having an education is the ticket to living a great lifestyle. So we need to do whatever we can to try to educate every single person.

If you are interested in giving students not only the chance to grow as a person, but also as a student, you should register to vote for the one-fourth cent tax at your precinct polling site on February 5^th. You can also register to vote at the County’s Elections Office. On March 2^nd, you may vote only at your assigned precinct polling site between 6:30 a.m. -7:30 p.m. Keep in mind that this is not solely a benefit for the students, but also for the overall well being of our community.