news-record.com

From a story in today’s paper:

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s school systems need to decide soon whether they will agree to teacher evaluation and incentive policies — including at least one controversial criterion — that would help the state land federal “Race to the Top” funding, Gov. Bev Perdue said Monday.

“You’ve got to make up your mind if you’re going to be a player,” Perdue told a gathering of school superintendents from across the state at a downtown Raleigh hotel meeting room.

Click here to read the whole thing.

Perdue stopped to chat with us scruffy media types afterwards, covering a few things of note:

• “I bet that I’m the first governor in the history of North Carolina to cook a turkey,” Perdue said, freshly returned from the Thanksgiving break. What, I asked, you don’t think former Gov. Jim Hunt cooked his own bird? “I don’t know,” Perdue said. “But I bet he didn’t wear an apron while he was doing it…He might of – I need to go back and see.” Perdue reported her turkey was “fabulous.”
   
• Perdue was asked about her proposal to fund the beltline around Charlotte, which has drawn criticism from the State Treasurer. However, that topic was best covered by Charlotte’s Mark Johnson. (Click here.) However, as part of that discussion, she uttered the following: “The only way I think you can do that without raising the gasoline tax, and I’m not going to do that ever, is you’ve got to have a different kind of financing structure.” Noted.
   
• Perdue was asked about changes to the state’s probation and parole law. As she wrapped up her answer, she said: “In January or February, I’ve gotten the legal okay now, I’m going to ride a couple of nights with probation officers in North Carolina. And they’re actually going to allow me to be part of walking up to the house. It’ll be one of the different on-sites that I’ve done.” So bad boys beware, if you see a five-foot-and-change blond lady with a southern draw and a burly security detail knocking on your door, the gubna has come to ask you a few questions. (COPS: 'cue edition, anyone?)