Teacher Paradise in Jackson County Attracts Scrutiny

Is training center justified given state’s fiscal crisis?

CULLOWHEE (By David N. Bass, Carolina Journal Online) - Most people visit Jackson County for the mountain vistas, camping, and trout fishing. Public school teachers come here for the training.

The remote county might seem an unlikely site for North Carolina’s only professional development center devoted exclusively to reviving a love of learning in state educators.

With easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Cherokee casino, visitors typically are more concerned with kicking back and relaxing than taking seminars on holistic health, pottery, or global warming.