Those Dirty Words
Taxes and consolidation are
at (he pinnacle of the dirty word
list along the Public Parade as the
countdown continues for a Sep
tember 19 School Bond
Referendum. They are not only
words but, moreover, issues to be
coped with as voters prepare to
cast an intelligent ballot on the
$3.5-million issue.
Taxes and consolidation are not
new to any who meander along the
Public Parade. It is, however,
difficult to determine which is less
popular. In a real sense, though, it
should not be something which
boggles the mind.
Taxes are a matter of fact.
Consolidation of schools is a choice
Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education has made a matter of
fact. Unfortunate as it is, they
become extremely factual to the
citizenry at the same time,
At the time merger of the ad
ministrative units of Chowan
County and the Town of Edenton
was discussed, merger was among
the dirty words. Now and then
someone would slip and use
“consolidation” when “merger”
was the word of the day.
Consolidation of the schools is
just as certain today as merger of
the administrative units was back
then. It is something which must
be planned skillfully, with the best
interest of the students foremost.
Edenton-Chowan Board of
Eduation is now totally committed
to consolidation. The bond
referendum, which would provide
a new high school and allied
facilities, does not figure as
heavily in the board’s decision as
consolidation figures in the
referendum.
To the citizens of Chowan
County it is more than a matter of
stewardship. All sorts of
irrelevant and phony “issues”will
be used to support this or that
position. Each side of the bond
referendum, those for as well as
those agaipst, is charged with the
responsibility of being truly
facts, rather „
than emotions.
The ediicational future of our
children, regardless of the
numbers, :must not hinge on a
couple of dirty words.
Emotioiis won’t pay the
freight. Facts just might help do
the trick.
More On Schools
And while on the subject of
public schools, it should be pointed
out that education along the Public
Parade is one of our biggest
businesses. Edenton-Chowan
Board of Eduation has approved a
budget of $4,425,638 for fiscal 1978-
79. A mere $683,842 of this comes
from local tax funds.
Chowan County’s budget for the
same period is $3.4-million, with
nearly one-half ($1.6-million)
being in the Department of Social
Services. The Town of Edenton, by
comparison, has a $5.4-million
budget, the lion’s share of which is
connected with utilities.
The school board’s budget in
cluded $500,000 in capital outlay
funds for new construction, the
money coming from state bond
funds. This is further evidence
that the members are sincere in
their decision to consolidate the
schools, regardless of the. results
of the bond referendum on Sep
tember 19,
Time and again Uie chairman of
the county commissioners has
told us that Chowan County is
fiscally able to afford anything the
citizens desire. With this financial
foundation and with construction
costs increasing so rapidly, the
question before the citizens is
whether or not the county can
afford not to approve a long-term
debt for a new school facility, at
this time.
So long as an arm of govern
ment, like the schools, can operate
a business with a budget sl -million
more than the county’s budget on
15.5 per cent of local revenue the
financial foundation will remain
solid. The board of education has
earned an “A” in stewardship.
There is no reason to speculate on
their ability to earn equally as
good a mark on the consolidation
con-construction issue.
CeatfMed on Page 4
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Volume XUV.—No. 32. Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 10,1978. Single Copies 15 Cents,
Farm Bureau Opposes Consolidation
Chowan County Farm Bureau
surfaced Monday as an organized.
foe of a $3.5-million school bond
referendum here and Chairman
N.J. George of the county com
missioners publicly expressed his
opposition to the issue.
The Farm Bureau’s stand came
in the form of a statement read by
David Bateman chairman of the
legislative nittee and a
former corn. mmissioner.
CITED—Mrs. Mary Parrish, center, receives her plaque from
Dr. T.C. Blalock while Mrs. Frances Ward looks on. She was
named a State 4-H leader.
4-H Leader
Is Recognized
Mrs. Mary J. Parrish, Route 2,
Edenton, was recognized recently
in Raleigh as one of North
Carolina’s 14 outstanding
. volunteer. i-H. leaders for 1978.......
Her recognition came at a
luncheon for 4-H leaders during
State 4-H Congress. Dr. T.C.
Blalock, director of the N.C.
Agricultural Extension Service,
presented Mrs. Parrish with a
plaque. On hand for the presen
tation was Mrs. Frances Ward,
Chowan County home economics
agent.
Mrs. Parrrish was nominated
for the state honor by Murray
Goodwin, Chowan agricultural
extension agent, who called her
“an enthusiastic 4-H leader who is
always ready to serve in almost
any capacity.”
Mrs. Parrish was one of the
original leaders who established
the Yeopim 4-H Club 15 years ago.
Under her leadership, club
members have participated in
many events and won many
district, state and national honors.
Manslaughter
Arrest Made
A 46-year-old Negro is being
held in Tri-County Jail in
Elizabeth Cijy in lieu of bond on
multiple charges including
manslaughter—growing out of an
incident Saturday night in rural
Chowan County.
Wiliam Henry Gordon, Route 1,
Tyner, is charged in the traffic
death of Earl Booker Privott, 48,
Route 3, Edenton.
Sheriff Troy Toppin ap
prehended Gordon on Highway 32
shortly after the 10:35 P.M. in
cident. Privott, rushed to Chowan
Hospital by the Rocky Hock Unit
of the Rescue Squad, was
pronounced dead on arrival.
Following an extensive in
vestigation which carried into the
early hours of Sunday, State
Trooper P.J. Mitchell charged
Gordon with manslaughter, hit
and run, drunk driving, speeding
and leaving the scene of an ac
cident. His bond was set at $12,000.
Gordon was identified as the
driver of a pickup track which
allegedly struck Privott as be
stood along the side of Sandy Ridge
road at die scene of an earlier
mishap. There was only slight
Conthmed on Page 4
•• • \ • '• . . •
When questioned later by Com
missioner Lester Copeland, the
spokesman said the position was
voted by the organization’s board
of directors Friday night. No
general membership vote has
been taken.
In the statement, reprinted in
full, Bateman expressed disap
proval of county employees using
county equipment and facilities to
“develop an arsenal, with the
Test Scores: Upper Grades Behind
Students in five grades of
Edenton-Chowan Schools scored
on par with those throughout the
Northeastern North Carolina
region on a battery of
achievement tests administered in
the spring of 1978. The scores were
nearly state and national averages
in the first second and third grades
but slipped in the sixth grade and
even fell more drastically in the
ninth grade.
ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS ON READIN6, MATHEMATICS, LANGUAGE, SPELLING AND TOTAL BATTERY
FOR NORM-REFERENCED TESTS FOR THIRD, SIXTH, AND NINTH GRADE STUDENTS IN THE
Edenton-Chowan SCHOOL SYSTEM, IN THE STATE, AND IN REGION I
THIRD GRADE SIXTH GRADE NINTH GRADE
tTenton- Edenton- - Edenton-
Chowan Chowan Chowan
Reading System State Region I System State Region 1 System State Region I
Grade Equivalent 3.5 3.5 3.4 6.1 6.3 5.9 8.0 9.0 8.3
Percentile Rank «2 43 41 42 44 39 32 44 36
Mathematics
Grade Equivalent 3.4 3.6 3.6 6.5 6.5 6.3 8.3 9.0 8.5
Percentile Rank 34 44 42 45 46 42 34 43 36
Language
Grade Equivalent 3.7 3.6 3.6 6.4 6.6 6.2 8.0 9.3 8.4
Percentile Rank SI 47 46 45 48 43 34 47 39
Spelling
Grade Equivalent 4.1 3.8 3.9 8.5 7.1 7.1 N/A N/A N/A
Percentile Rank 59 52 55 61 53 54 41 54 51
Total Battery
Grade Equivalent 3.5 3.5 3.5 6.3 6.4 6.2 8.0 9.0 8.4
Percentile Rank 39 43 41 43 45 41 32 44 37
Parent Conferences Slated
To Explain Test Scores
Parents of the 1039 students tested in grades ope, two, three, six and
nine in Edenton-Chowan Schools will have the opportunity on August 23
and August 24 to have their child's individual scores explained in detail.
The tests, which were administered uniformly to all North Carolina
students on thes grade levels as the result of action by the 1977 General
Assembly, were designed to measure students’ proficiency, skill, and
knowledge in the areas of reading, math, and language.
School personnel and volunteers will contact parents individually by
telephone and letter to schedule appointments with the student’s last
year teacher for full explantioa of test results. For the convenience of
all, appointments will be set up from 1:30 P.M. - 5:30 P.M. and 6:30 P.M.
to 9:30 P.M. on August 23. Conferences will be held from 8 A.M. to 3:30
P.M. on August 24.
“It is hoped that ail parents will take advantage of these conferences,’’
voiced Jim Pressley, Director of Instruction, “to find out how their child
performed or where he needs help.’’
“The results of these tests will be most beneficial to parents, teachers
and administrators in pinpointing strengths and learning difficulty
areas needing concentrated instruction to improve performance,’’
Pressley noted. “The school system will place emphasis this year on
»«tng the teotresults to develop student curriculum, as well as centering
staff development, for teachers around these results,” he added.
The recently received results of the first statewide testing in
North Carolina |hm in grade equivalent and percentile rank how
Filial in rhiasns slniiH i inipsnl nMh ithrntilinli hi ttis nflia
state, and nation.
cannon directed toward use in the
promotion of this bond issue.”
Chairman George said the
commissioners had strongly
requested that employees not
work on the project on county
time. Bateman pointed out that
while he had heard two presen
tations from school employees, he
was not charging that it was done
during regular working hours.
Bateman asked the com
missioners if they wished to ex
press their feelings about the
September 19 referendum. To
which George responded: “If I
had to vote this morning I’d vote
‘no’ because I don’t think the need
has been shown.”
At this point the chairman said it
EPA Action Requested
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency will be asked
by the Town of Edenton to take
strong action concerning water
quality in the Chowan River and
entire Albemarle Sound Basin.
Councilman Gil Burroughs said
Tuesday night there appeared to
be no coordinated effort to get to
the root of the problem and his
colleagues followed by instructing
W.B. Gardner, administrator, to
contact EPA on behalf of the town.
At the same time, Burroughs
In a presentation to Edenton-
Chowan Board of Education at a
meeting Monday night, Mrs. Mary
Horton said schools now have
more test information on students
than has ever been available at a
given time. She said school of
ficials should now dwell on what
they are going to do with the
results.
Later in her remarks, the local
official who is a member of the
was uncertain that Farmers Home
Administration could purchase the
bonds for 40 years at 5 per cent. At
a meeting Friday, FmHA officials
said a new regulation prohibits
their participation if a private
firm offers a bid.
C.A. Phillips, former board
chairman, said he felt it was
almost a certainty that someone
else would bid on non-taxable
school bonds. Copeland said
going on past history no one has
bid on a 40-year period.
Bateman suggested that the
board go for a shorter bonding
period to encourage bids from the
private sector, which would almost
be out of reach of the county since
the long-term FmHA program is
At the same time, Burroughs
said he hoped to involve the
Alliance For Progress, a six
county education consortium
interested in environmental
matters. “Something has to be
done,” the councilman
declared, “and I don’t see any
group (involved) or anything
happening.”
Gardner traced local efforts of
the chamber of commerce and the
20-county Coastal Resources
Continued on Page 4
state commission which devised
the tests, she said: “It is this way.
What are we going to do about it
(the low scores)? It is here and we
have just got to do something
about it.”
Dr. J.H. Horton, her husband
and a school board member,
remarked: “We have had similar
information before and we were
going to put emphasis on the
Continued on Page 4
jjf "
Debbie Jordan
In Honor Club
Debbie Jordan, 17, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Lin Jordan, Route 2,
Edenton, has been tapped into the
select N.C. 4-H Honor Club
founded in 1981 by L.R. Harrill.
Less than one-half of one per cent of
N.C. 4-H’ers are selected for
Continued on Page 4
J.H.Conger, Sr.
Conger, Sr. Earns
Service Award
WASHINGTON, DC. - J.ll.
Conger, Sr., a volunteer weather
observer for the National Weather
: Service since January, 1943, has
s been selected to receive the
Thomas Jefferson Award. The
names of seven winners selected
nation-wide to receive this annual
award were announced today.
Thomas Jefferson Awards were
r originated in 1959 for the National
Weather Service to honor
volunteer weather observers for
unusual and outstanding
achievements. It is the highest
award the National Weather Ser
vice presents to volunteer ob
servers. The award is named for
Jefferson because the statesman
scientist made an almost un
broken series of weather ol>
I servations from 1776 to 1816.
Conger was honored for un
selfish and dedicated service in
continuing a family tradition of
weather observing and storm
warning that began in the last
* century. In fact, the records
maintained by the Congers at
Edenton, are among the longest in
the state.
The National Weather Service
has nearly 12,000 volunteer ob
servers who make and record
daily weather observations in all
parts of the United States The
valuable information they gather
is processed and published by the
Environmental Data Service,
another major component of
NOAA, and becomes a valuable
part of the Nation’s weather
history.
Trash Container
Abuse Results
In Relocation
A convenient trash container
location on U.S. 17 (business',
north of Edenton, will be re
located at the request of the
property owner. Abuse by those
who use the containers has been
cited as the reason for the request
by James O. Perry, Jr.
Dallas Jethro, Jr., county
coordinator, said he has received
a letter from Perry saying “the
public just will not do things in a
neat and proper manner.”
“Everything looks bad all the
time, and in addition, my
driveway and pavement ha\e
been destroyed with the traffic.“
he wrote.
Jethro said the Perry site has
been one of the most popular and
convenient location for trash
containers in the county. Where
will he move them in the general
vicinity? “I don’t know of a single
place.” he said.
Chowan County commissioners
have received numerous com
plaints about abuse of the garbage
collection system. Sheriff Troy
Toppin has been instructed to
enforce the S2OO fine ordinance
regarding the deposit of
unauthorized trash in and around
the containers.
Jethro said without the complete
cooperation of the public other
handy sites could be abandoned at
the reqyest of the property owner
where the containers are placed.