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'Heritage tourism' hot topic
at Rural Roundtable — 4A
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
50*
Schools seek increase in local funding
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Local education officials
met with the county com
missioners last week to
make the case for increased
local funding for the public
schools.
Edenton-Cho wan
Schools Superintendent
Allan Smith told county
officials during a May 12
joint meeting of the Eden
ton-Chowan Board of Edu
cation and the Chowan
County Board .of Commis
Two days
left at
disaster
center
From staff reports
Chowan County resi
dents in need of assistance
in the wake of the April 25
tornadoes may apply at the
application center in Per
quimans County today and
tomorrow.
The disaster loan applica
tion center was established
last week by order of Gov.
Pat McCrary. It is located in
the Albemarle Commission
Building at 512 S. Church
Street in Hertford. The loan
outreach center is open
from 9 am. to 6 p.m.
Thursday is the center’s
final day of operation.
Residents must apply first
through the Small Business
Administration to deter
mine if they are eligible for
State Emergency Declara
tion funds.
Residents in need of
transportation to the Hert
ford application center can
call the Inter County Trans
portation Authority at 338
4480. Transportation costs
to the loan outreach center
will be waived.
McCrory last week an
nounced a U.S. Small Busi
ness Administration disas
ter declaration for Beaufort,
Pasquotank, Perquimans
and their adjacent counties,
including Chowan. He also
proclaimed a state disaster
declaration enabling those
who do not qualify for SBA
loans to seek state funds to
help repair and replace per
sonal property.
“Families arid small busi
ness owners can take some
encouragement that they
'will have a financing ele
ment-to help replace some
of their losses and begin
rebuilding in earnest,” Mc
Crory said. “This assistance
will help families and small
business owners get back to
normal after going through
some trying times.”
The SBA disaster decla
ration mehns that residents
and business owners in
the declared and adjacent
counties can apply for
See CENTER, 2A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
sioners that the school
board’s appeal for $188,000
in additional local funding
for operating expenses is a
“modest request.”
The request from school
officials represents a 5.5
percent increase over the
current funding level.
County Manager Kevin
Howard did not include the
school board’s requested in
crease in the recommended
county budget for 2014-15.
The recomjnended budget
keeps local current ex
pense funding for schools
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Team Lesley, established to honor the memory of the late Lesley Bell of Edenton, walks the first team lap during opening ceremonies Friday
evening at this year's Chowan-Perquimans Relay for Life behind John A. Holmes High School. See story and more photos on page IB.
Edenton Steamers season opens May 27
From staff reports
The Edenton Steamers will host Petersburg y
to open their season on May 27/' I
The first pitch will be at 7 p.m. i
After two days away, the Steamers will return p
May 30 to host Wilmingtoa |
Look for special coverage of Edenton’s home- I
town summer team in next week’s Chowan Her
ald. The Steamers schedule, roster and other
information will be included in next week’s pa
per.
In preparation for the season, the team last
week hosted an informational meeting for fami
lies interested in serving as Steamers host fami
lies.
The team is holding a barbecue and fried
chicken fundraiser Friday at the Scout Hut in
front of John A Holmes High School. Plates are
$8 each and will be available from 11 am. to 2
p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m
Proceeds from the plate sale will help cover
travel expenses for the team.
School officials pleased with tenure ruling
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer *
Edenton-Chowan
Schools officials say they
are not surprised but are
pleased by a ruling last Fri
day declaring the elimina
tion of career status by the
state legislature for North
' Carolina teachers who al
ready have earned it uncon
• stitutionaL .
at the 2013-14 level.
While making the case
for local funding, the school
officials also asked the
county commissioners to
stand alongside the school
board in protecting the spe
cial state funding for small
county school districts.
The school district is
estimating a $230,000 re
duction in small counties
funding from the state, ac
cording to Smith.
Smith said Rep. Bob
Steinburg, R-Chowan, has
been very supportive of the
Superior Court Judge
Robert Hobgood said in
his ruling that retroactive
ly eliminating tenure for
teachers “amounts to an
unconstitutional taking of
plaintiffs’ property rights
in their existing contract,”
a violation of the state con
stitution.
Local schools Superin
tendent Allan Smith praised
the judge’s findings in the
effort to restore the small
counties money at current
levels.
Smith said the county
could help the schools by
lobbying the General As
sembly for restoration of
the small counties funding.
That source of funding is
critical for small counties
in northeastern North Car
olina, he said.
The school board’s lo
cal funding request as pre
sented by Smith covers a
See SCHOOLS, 2A
case.
“Even the most casual
observer would have pre
dicted (elimination of pre
viously earned career sta
tus) is contrary to both the
North Carolina and United
States Constitutions,” he
said. “However, this leaves
the door open to abolish
the ability for teachers to
earn career status in the
future.”
Commissioners mull
Hopeline funding
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
continues to contemplate
whether to make an excep
tion to its standing practice
of not funding nonprofits
in order to make a contri
bution to the Albemarle
Hopeline domestic violence
program.
During the commission
Smith noted that it also
appears the ruling will
strike down the 25 percent
mandate whereby school
superintendents across
the state must recommend
to their respective school
boards 25 percent of the
teachers in their school
system to receive four-year
employment contracts.
■ “Hopefully that (elimina
tion of the 25 percent man
ers’ May 5 meeting, Com
missioner Alex Kehayes,
reported that he had spoken
with Chowan Social Servic
es'Director Clifton Hardison
about Albemarle Hopeline.
Hardison was then given
an opportunity to address
the commissioners. He told
the board that the county
no longer has a funding
stream through the state
See HOPELINE, 2A
STAFF PHOTO BY
REBECCA BUNCH
Local residents
attend a
meeting on May
13 to learn how.
they can host ;
players from £.
the Edenton
Steamers.
The gathering, 1
hosted by
members of thet
Host Families ►
Committee led
by Vicky Barrow,
was held in
the upstairs
meeting room
at the Shepard
Pruden Library. L
date) is the case but it will
not be clear until the judge
issues his written order,"
Smith said. “We intend to
hold off on presenting the
list of 25 percent of teach
ers to be offered a four-year
contract until clarification
is obtained.”
Prior to the judge’s ruling
Smith had said he would
See TENURE, 2A
JXSfe ini i ana rure sue
Fundraiser
11AM- 2PM
4PM -7PM
FREE DELIVERY OF 10 OR MORE PLATES
w?
a
Donation
SCOUT HUT, EDENTON *8.00 plate
In front of J.A. Holmes High School
For tickets cat482-8080
Catered by
Leon Nixon
Catering
Proceeds benefit Edenton Steamers Transportation
V". i i *
A
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