Agency questions hiring,
promotion practices
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
The Chowan County NAACP
' chapter is demanding the ter
mination of the Edenton-Chow
an Schools superintendent and
director of human resources
for racial discrimination. .
A group of about 25 people rep
resenting the Edenton branch
of the National
Association for
the Advance
ment of Colored
People attended
Monday night’s
scheduled
Board of Educa
tion meeting.
It was there
that the Rev. John Shannon of
Providence Missionary Baptist
Church read a letter signed by
the chapter’s Legal Redress
Committee that calls for the
Browder
termination of
Superintendent
Allan T. Smith
and Michelle
Maddox, direc
tor of human
resources, for
what the letter
deems as their
discriminatory
practices in regards to hiring
and promotions. \
The Aug. 21 letter, not spe
cifically addressed to anyone,
specifically cites such practices
Smith
with the school system’s failure
to promote and subsequently
terminate Mary Lyons Felton,
a former school administrator
and member of the NAACP.
Donnelle White, Chowan’s
NAACP chapter president, con
firmed the authenticity of the
letter in an interview with the
Chowan Herald last week.
“It’s not about Mary Lyons
(Felton),” White said. “It’s
about the number of teachers
(lack of blacks) in the school
system, the hiring procedures
and screening process.”
A third demand of the NAACP
is that a joint committee be
tween the NAACP and Edenton
Chowan Schools be established
to review and monitor the hir
ing practices of educators. If
its demands are not met, the
local chapter plans to seek the
assistance of the state and na
tional bodies of the NAACP for
additional support and resourc
es, the letter states. Also, the
See NAACP, 5A
Schools
overcome
9 percent
turnover
From staff reports
Edenton-Chowan Schools
experienced a 9 percent
teacher turnover rate dur
ing its most recent annual
reporting period.
Nineteen exit interviews
among licensed educators
were conducted between
July 1, 2011 and June 30,
2012, according to Michelle
Maddox, human resources
director for the school sys
tem. She reported the results
of those interviews to the
Board of Education Monday
night.
;; Maddox added Tuesday
that retirement continues
to be the leading reason for
turnover within the school
system. Five of the 19 left the
system due to retirement,
Maddox said. Other reasons
for leaving given by edu
cators include: transfer to
another school district and
family relocation. Job dis
satisfaction typically ranks
low as reasons for leaving,
Maddox added.
Maddox said that in re
sponse to the question, “Are
you leaving in part because
you are dissatisfied with
your current position,” 15
teachers responded that they
were “not at all dissatisfied
with my current job, I am
leaving for other reasons.”
Of the remaining teach
ers, three said they were
“somewhat dissatisfied” but
that was not the primary
reason they were leaving.
Only one teacher said, “I am
definitely dissatisfied with
my job, it is the main reason
I am leaving,” Maddox told
the board.
Maddox added that 10
teachers completed a written
survey that was included as
part of the exit interview. Of
those, she said, six said they
were not dissatisfied with
their current position, three
were somewhat dissatisfied
with their position, and one
was definitely dissatisfied.
Major factors in teach
ers’ decisions to depart the
school system were iden
tified as lack of influence
over decisions regarding the
teaching position and poor
student motivation. Others
included low salary, lack of
support from administra
tors, student discipline prob
lems and lack of parental
support.
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Remember 9/11
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Leon Evans (beside American flag) surveys the crowd attending the 9/11 service of remembrance held outside his Rocky Hock Road home Tuesday on the
anniversary of the Sept. 11,2001 terrorist attacks on America. Evans organized the service attended by about 50 people including members of the Chowan
County Sheriffs Office and the Center Hill - Crossroads Fire Department Evans once led.
July jobless rates offer mixed bag
Unemployment
falls in Chowan
From staff reports
Unemployment rates
decreased in 47 of North
Carolina’s 100 counties in
July, including a slight
drop for Chowan County
Jobless rates increased
in 26 counties and were un
changed in 27. When com
pared to the same month
last year, unemployment
rates declined in 94 coun
ties, increased in four, and
remained the same in two.
In Chowan, the job
less rate dropped slightly
in July to 10.8 percent
— down from 10.9 percent
in June. A year ago, the
jobless rate in the county
stood at 12.2 percent, for
an over the year drop of 1.4
percent in the number of
■ those without jobs.
“Rates either dropped
or remained the same in
most of North Carolina in
July,” said N.C. Depart
ment of Commerce Deputy
Secretary Dale Carroll.
“Compared to the same
time last year, nearly all
of the state’s counties have
a lower unemployment
rate. We will continue our
statewide effort between
employers, our workforce
partners and our employ
ment service offices to put
people back to work.”
North Carolina had 34
counties that were at or be
low the state’s not season
ally adjusted unemploy
ment rate of 9.8 percent for
the month of July.
Jobless percentage rates
posted in other Albemarle
area counties during July
were:
• Bertie —12.2
• Camden — 7.4
• Currituck — 4.7
• Dare — 8.2
• Gates — 8
• Hertford —11.2
• Pasquotank —10.7
• Perquimans — 10.3
«Tyrrell — 8.3
• Washington —11.9
Fair offers discounts to no-riders, military ID
65th annual event
takes place Sept. 25-29
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Those who’d like to spend their
time at the Chowan County Re
gional Fair in Edenton as walk
ing spectators are in luck this
year because low-cost tickets will
be available just for them.
For only $10, a non-ride ticket
will be offered at the gate in co
operation with midway opera
tor Playworld on the first three
nights of the fair to those who are
age 35 and older.
PHOTO COURTESY SUSAN MCCUISTON
The brightly lit midway beckons visitors to the American Legion Fairgrounds in
Edenton. This year's 64th annual fair will take place Sept. 25-29.
"We hope that this offer will
allow more people to come to the
fair," said John Chilcoat, board
vice president for the 65th annu
al fair that takes place Sept. 25-29.
“Anyone age 65 and older will be
admitted free on Thursday night
only.”
Adm ission price for those wish
ing to enjoy the rides will be $18 at
the gate. Discount tickets for $15
are available at area Duck Thru
outlets now through Sept. 22. •
E.C. Toppin, fair president,
said that the special ticket was
being offered in response to re
quests from the public,
“People have been asking us
if we could offer something like
that,” Toppin said. He said that
the fair board issued a special
non-ride ticket that was offered
last year on the fair’s opening
See FAIR, 2A
CBTTER HILL CROSS Ri
FIRE
SATURDAY Seot. fS?.- Bpm-6 pm
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ffiSStojWsssi'-?