Seeing change, making progress

The Dan River Region has been in transition for over a decade. We were one of the first places in America that felt the effect of globalization of the economy. It is not much comfort that now most of America is feeling something similar.

Given the depth and length of the transition, it is easy to feel negative about ourselves and our region; it is easy to romanticize the past. But time only runs in one direction. As individuals, institutions and a region, we have three options related to the transition — we can ignore change, resist it or use it as an opportunity for improvement.

To improve, we must understand where we are and how we are doing compared to others. Data can help us to see our opportunities and our challenges. Data can help us to see current circumstances clearly, without undue pessimism or optimism.

Three organizations — Future of the Piedmont Foundation, United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County and Danville Regional Foundation — share a commitment to improving the region in ways that will benefit all. The three also believe we need the clearest picture of how we are doing and where we need more progress.

So together we have created the 2009 Regional Report Card. We plan to annually develop and share a similar report. The Regional Report Card uses data collected by others — federal, state, and local governments. We have provided the most recent data available as of Dec. 15, 2009 and, whenever possible, comparable data from five years earlier. There are 21 variables tracked in this report. We report on each variable at the Danville, Pittsylvania County and Virginia levels. We also show the direction of the trend at a combined level — positive, negative or inconclusive.

We hope that people and institutions throughout this region will use this information to better understand changes occurring, target opportunities for additional investments of time and energy, and change the conversations to focus on how we make the region a better place for all. This data is intended to inform and enhance the public debate so we can improve our future outcomes.

Key Takeaways

The region’s educational investments are producing very positive results — 3rd grade reading proficiency and 8th grade math proficiency have improved at rates better than the state averages and are now close to or above the state averages.

Individuals in the region are, on average, falling further behind in terms of economic stability. The percentage of children on free and reduced school lunch is going up throughout the region and at a rate well above the state average. The percentage living below the poverty level is growing as the state rate has gone down (unfortunately, 2007 is the most recent data available). As we get poorer as a region, the percentage of our population between 18 and 64 is getting smaller. This does not bode well for the area.

• Unemployment is growing — and it is growing faster in the county than the city; both are far above the state averages. But even as unemployment is growing, those who are working are earning more — up 8 percent in Danville, 3 percent in Pittsylvania County and 6 percent in the commonwealth. The gap between average wages in the region and the state is still very significant — the state average wage is almost 50 percent above Danville’s.

• Economic opportunity appears to be related to levels of education. While we are doing well at the elementary and secondary levels, we have major challenges on the percentage of our adult population with a four-year college degree. Our numbers are going up, but at a rate slower than the state average. Danville’s numbers are better than Pittsylvania County’s but lag far behind the state average — 1 in 3 adults statewide has at least a four-year degree. In Danville it is 1 in 8 and close to 1 in 10 in Pittsylvania County.

• Conversely, while Pittsylvania County is doing great on readiness for kindergarten as measured by PALS Pass rate, Danville faces major challenges. Approximately one-third of Danville’s children enter kindergarten unprepared.

• Obesity in the region is increasing at an alarming rate (this data is only available for the entire region). Basically, 1 in 3 adults is obese. Our rate of increase is worse than the state’s and we start with a higher level of obese adults.

• Other health indicators show major progress in the region. Deaths due to heart disease and strokes have improved significantly, especially in Danville. Additional health indicators like infant mortality and teenage pregnancy show similar improvements.

While the Regional Report Card provides much information in a compact form, it is important to note that two years of data do not make a trend. For example, if we had used the 2002 and 2007 data on infant mortality, you would have a different picture (13.6 for Danville and 4.6 for Pittsylvania County in 2002; 17.7 for Danville and 12.5 for Pittsylvania County in 2007). Before we released this report card, we asked professionals in government, education and health to review our findings. They helped us to find new data sources and refine our analysis.

This Report Card is backed up by a much larger, more detailed document that is available at http://www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org. Originally prepared by Tyler Laughinghouse and Carlethia Smith (2009 interns with the Danville Regional Foundation), the report contains active links to the source of each statistic. In each case, we have used the most recent data we could find from an independent or government agency. None of the data has been collected by any of the three sponsors of the Report Card.

If you think the information in this report is incorrect, we hope you will point us to the right information at an independent and verifiable source on the web. If you think the information is incomplete, we hope you will suggest other information in the public domain that is available at the local level. Remember, part of our goal is to keep the report on one page.

If you are challenged or inspired by this information, we hope it will lead you to volunteer with a critical non-profit or contribute to an organization you see making a difference. We also hope you will use this information to discuss opportunities and strategies with critical government officials. If a wide array of citizens use this information to make this region a better place for all, we will feel like the six months of work that went into this was well worth it.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send your ideas to Patrick Jinks at United Way ( ) or Starling McKenzie at Danville Regional Foundation ( ).

It is our intent to update and distribute this report annually. It will be available on the websites of United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County (http://www.dpuway.org) and Danville Regional Foundation (http://www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org).

Linwood Wright (Future of the Piedmont), Patrick Jinks (United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County) and Karl Stauber (Danville Regional Foundation) wrote this commentary for the Danville Register & Bee.