A summer academic enrichment program that North Carolina taxpayers have provided for hundreds of students each year could continue despite a funding cutoff by state budget-writers.
A task force figuring out a way to keep Governor's School alive next year is recommending that the State Board of Education turn to private contributions.
The traditional six-week program operates at Salem College in Winston-Salem and Meredith College in Raleigh. More than 31,000 have gone through the academic and arts courses in the summer program since 1963.
North Carolina native Allen Broach was among those students who attended the first program in that year.
Since that time Broach has headed the marketing communications agency Broach and Company for thirty years and has been a strong supporter of the Broach Theatre Company since its inception 25 years ago. Last year Broach won the O. Henry Award from the United Arts Council of Greensboro, and most recently he was honored with the Leadership Award by the Chamber Leadership of Greensboro. He credits the Governor's School for much of his success.
Hosting the 600 to 800 students enrolled in the Governor's School traditionally has cost about $1.5 million. The task force committee is recommending that a foundation raise a minimum of $550,000 from contributors. That's enough to run a reduced program of 300 students on one campus, with students contributing $500 as they have in the past.
