IhE News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
81st Year No. 23
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C.
5c Per Copy
XBRAI-' Y ;
i"/FL I VERY
Additional Petitions Seek Ponder's Removal
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Milur
Two additional petitions requesting
the removal of Principal Vernon
Ponder from Laurel School have been
presented to the Madison County Board
of Education, and petitioners say they
will be heard at the ballot box. and may
go to the governor and other state of
ficials, if the board denies their request .
Leonard B. tiosnell. representing the
petitioners, handed the petitions to the
board Wednesday and said he and the
four parents with him "are here to con
tinue to ask the board of education for a
principal of our choice at Laurel
School."
The board put off answering the
group for the second time in as many
months saying "our hands are tied" in
hiring and assigning principals in the
school system until the N.C. General
Assembly adjourns its current summer
session. School Superintendent Robert
L. Edwards said the board has been
given only a tentative state allotment
for personnel .
"WE CANNOT HIKE anybody new
until the legislature adjourns and we
find out for sure what we've got board
chairman Bobby Ponder said.
Board members also indicated they
didn't appreciate anyone making
demands and telling them who to hire
or who not to hire.
The movement to oust the Laurel
principal began in April when 45
parents attended a school board
meeting with a petition signed by 73
parents calling for Ponder's removal.
The group contends Ponder has not pro
vided proper leadership at the Elemen
tary school for several years and has
allowed unsanitary conditions and
other problems to exist there They
point out that they are asking for
Ponder to be removed from Laurel, not
fired from the system.
Supporters of Ponder later presented
a petition, with 110 signatures, approv
ing his performance as principal
ONE OK THE PETITIONS presented
Wednesday contained 119 signatures of
parents with children in Laurel School.
Gosnell said The petition also asks the
board to hire Charles Cutshall as prin
cipal for the 1982-83 school year. Cut
shall is a county resident who teaches in
the Asheville city schools. The petition
represents 103 Laurel School students,
about 45 percent of the total number of
students according to Gosnell.
The second petition, containing 222
signatures of "voting-aged concerning
citizens," asks only for Ponder's
removal.
"I've checked the signatures very
carefully, and there are no duplications
of names on the two petitions," Gosnell
said.
Chairman Ponder urged total com
munity support for the principal saying
that was the route to take in improving
conditions at the school, but the
disgruntled petitioners remained intent
on pressing for the principal's removal.
Gosnell and another parent raised
questions about the principal's absence
during activities at the school and his
apparent refusal to allow kindergarten
and eighth grade graduations "like the
other schools have."
"How can you get behind a man when
he's not there?" asked one parent.
"A I.OT OF TIIE PARENTS have
been wanting to have an eighth grade
graduation and this sort of thing, but
they're refused. Why?" Gosnell asked.
The town board offered no answer.
"We don't want to have anybody
fired. We just want to have what we
want at Laurel School for a change,"
Gosnell said. "The attitude that we get
INVASION OF THE BAG PEOPLE ? Ac
tually this group of unidentified World's Pair
visitors were caught recently in a thunder
shower, an almost daily occurrence at the
fair in Knoxville. Fair grounds keepers were
kind enough to provide plastic garbage bags
for many of the fair goers. (Photo by Jon
Rosenblum of The Mountaineer)
School Board Votes To Repair
Roofs At Madison High, Marshall
The Madison County Board
of Education voted unamious
ly to spend $29,311 to repair
leaking roofs at Madison High
and Marshall Elementary
School Wednesday at its
regular monthly meeting.
Superintendent Robert L.
Edwards told board members
that he had contacted several
roofing companies with W.H
Author Co. being the "only one
which would nail down a
price." The company submit
ted a bid of $19,119 for work on
the Madison High gymnasium
roof. |5,S00 for repairing part
of the high school roof and
HM2 for repairing the Mar
shall School gymnasium roof
members went on record in
support of Vernon Ponder as
principal of Laurel Elemen
tary School.
? Approved the 1982-83
School Food Service budget
submitted by Deborah Ponder
Baker, director. Mrs Baker
said the budget showed a
$39,850 increase over the cur
rent budget. The increase, she
said, would go toward salaries
and would be pending on N.C.
General Assembly budgetary
actions. The board also ap
proved a $7,000 1981-82 budget
amendment to provide
benefits for School Food Ser
vice employees for the rest of
this fiscal year.
? Approved a request from
Edwards for an expenditure of
tt per pupil for new library
books the approximalo
$17,000 will come from local
made to honor Wild for his
contributions.
? Reported that no action
had been taken regarding the
proposed expanded band pro
gram for the elementary
school Board chairman Bobby
Ponder said the proposal
"rests entirely upon the
amount of money to be ap
propriated to the board by the
county commissioners."
? Agreed to send a letter of
appreciation to Principal
Sidney Harrison of Walnut
School recognizing and com
plimenting the parents and
citizens of the Walnut com
munity for their efforts and
work done on grounds im
provement at the school.
? Read a letter from Dr.
Craig Phillips, state
superintendent of schools,
congratulating the school
system for recently receiving
its state accreditation.
? Approved changing the
July board of education
meeting from Wednesday, Ju
ly 7 to Friday, July 2.
here is thai the school board is it and
you can do as you please. This is the
way it comes across to us. I don't know
if we've misunderstood you or not
"I think the citizens up in the Laurel
area should have something to say
about who is hired for their school. It's
our students ? our children ? that are
there. And when there's not a good job
done they are the people that are going
to have to pay for it in the years to
come." Gosnell said.
Chairman Ponder told Gosnell, "This
is a problem that we have given you an
answer on on several different occa
sions. You're demanding that
somebody be hired that's not within the
system "
Ponder said the board still has eight
people that will have to be rehired
"before we can possibly bring in any
new blood."
HOAIU) MEMBER Gerald Young
reminded Gosnell and the parents that
the board was elected by the people to
"try to do the best we can for all the
children of Madison County."
"We have to consider all the people.
And you come in here and ask us to hire
one certain person. Suppose every
disgruntled group in the county came
and said 'We want so-and-so at Mars
Hill.' or 'We want so-and-so at Mar
shall.' If it were meant for groups like
(Continued on Page 3)
Locating The Next Elvis
It's just in the talking stages now, but the
Madison County school system may be a party to
discovering "the next Elvis Presley" if the board
of education goes along with a proposal by R.D.
Williams of Hendersonville.
Williams, president of World of Clothing, Inc.,
is offering the board $10,000 to set up a stringed in
strument music program in the schools. And, he
said he would provide an additional $500 per
month to be used as prize money to be awarded at
monthly music contests to encourage youngsters
to take up playing stringed instruments, accor
ding to Robert L. Edwards, school superinten
dent.
Edwards told to board Wednesday that
Williams said he believes there is another Elvis
Presley waiting to be discovered in Madison
County and that he is willing to foot the bill for a
special stringed instrument program in the
schools in order to encourage the preservation
and promotion of traditional mountain music.
The $10,000 would be used for the rental or
purchase of stringed instruments ? guitars, ban
jos, fiddles ? but, the board would be responsible
for hiring someone to teach music lessons on the
instruments, Edwards said.
The board would also hold monthly music con
tests for which Williams will donate $500 each
month to be awarded to the contest winner,
several contestants, or "anyway we want to use
it" in the contests, Edwards said.
Board members appeared interested in
Williams' proposal, but agreed that the matter
needed more discussion and consideration before
taking any action on it.
Williams recently donated $10,000 to Madison
High School for the Senior Honors Scholarships
for needy and deserving students.
Service Corps Gels Go-ahead
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Editor
The Madison County
Volunteer Service Corps took
a giant step toward becoming
a reality Friday night when
the county commissioners
adopted a motion to ask Jerry
Plemmons and Dr. Don
Anderson to proceed with
organizing the corps and
agreed to provide an office, in
cluding equipment and
telephone, for the corps by Ju
ly 1.
Anderson went before the
commissioners with a resolu
tion outlining three steps in
the corps' initial organization.
The commissioners agreed
that an advisory board for the
corps would be made up of
department heads of county
agencies including the Depart
ment of Social Services.
Agricultural Extension Ser
vice, mental health clinic", the
child development program.
Council on Aging, the
Madison-Buncombe Oppor
tunity Corporation and the Hot
Springs Health Program.
In addition, the advisory
board would include a
representative from each
community development club,
the Hot Springs Jesuit Center
and the Southern Appalachian
Center at Mars Hill College.
Anderson, a staff member
at the college, and Plemmons,
energy auditing director with
French Broad EMC. will
report to the commissioners
within six months on progress
made in developing the
Volunteer Service Corps.
The corps was proposed
some months ago as a means
of continuing to fill basic
human service needs in the
county as human service
agencies face state and
federal budget cuts.
The Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation of Winston Salem
recently provided a $30,000
grant to the Rural Life
Demonstration Center at
Mars Hill College to aid in set
ting up the VSC.
Plans call for the corps to
consist of county students and
residents who will volunteer
time and services to various
human service agencies and
organizations.
In other business, the com
missioners :
? Approved a request from
Sam Parker, Madison County
Housing Authority director.
for permission to apply for
community development
block grant funds .
? Approved a request from
Luanne Roberts, county day
care director, to close all day
care centers on July 6 so that
day care staffs can attend a
workshop
? Approved the signing of a
contract for $10,000 with the
Hot Springs Health Program
which will provide medical
consultant and other medical
services to the county health
department.
? Approved the appoint
ment of Dr. Otis Duck, of Mars
Hill, to the health department
board.
? Approved a motion to
allow the articles of incorpora
tiun of the Madison Manor
Convalescent Center, Inc. to
be amended to incorporate the
use of U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Develop
ment 202 funds to provide
housing for the elderly.
? Approved the appoint
ment of three persons to the
county transportation ad
visory board. Appointed were
Joe Martin of Blue Ridge Men
tal Health Clinic; Dr. Bobby
Jean Rice, supervisor of
schools; and Dorothy Arr
ington, director of the
Madison Opportunity Cor
poration.
? Appropriated $500 to the
Marshall Recreation Depart
ment to help with the summer
recreation program
County Tax Values ? >.
County Commission Chairman
James Ledford reported to the
commissioners Friday night that
the total valuation of county pro
perty for tax purposes is
$168,131,741. Ledford said the
commissioners have no plans to
raise the county tax rate of 75
cents per $100 valuation for the
1962-83 budget year.
A breakdown of property valua
tions by townships is listed below.
The list does not include some $21
million assessed for utilities.
North Marshall $19,038,535
Marshall. 9,023,174
Laurel 13,319,323
[.30,133,588
18,167,966
.9,695,056
.9,844,692
.9,582,377
.14,063,253
.11,132,538
5,588,181
7,685,274
Ledford said county businesses
were valued at $10,937,774 for tax
purposes County finance officer
David Caldwell said the total
valuation was an $8 million in
crease over the valuation used
last year.
Mars Hill
Beech Glen
Walnut
Hot Springs...
Ebbs Chapel..
Bald Mountain
Spring Creek . .
Sandy Mush. . .
Grapevine
County EMS Advisory Board Holds First Meeting
Madison County Emergency
Medical Service Advisory
Council held its organizational
v ' M 1 ? ? mmm0^
meeting June 1 at 7:30 p.m. in
the Madison County Court
House. Ed Morton was elected
Chairman of the group and
Vonciel Penland vice*
performance of the am
? . ?' * ' - . *
findings and suggestions to the
Madison County Commis
sioners. , . ?' <
Director of the Madison
County Ambulance Service
Mildred Wesl and North
Carolina Office of EMS
Region B Coordinator MM
bulance service was, "you
cail, we haul, that's all,"
? 57^
? e
The council asked Ms. West
for additional information
concerning ambulance opera
tion so tbey would be better
qualified to make recwnaMn
dations to the commissioners
Much of the data Ms Weat will
vide comes from Am
Call Runs These ACR
forms give a break down of the
?Nj*!lMC of calls ; "
Counties three
units receive each
miles covered, type of run,
tours to complete the run and
other information
Council members were told
m?nr toThj1 rzsti
i>. ? i r.. ii,
xrani it i tn? oumy com
and Rfglon B
especially helpful in deli
inghigh concentrations
to CPE patients
Advisory council
are ?m the
of pad
Madtoon County Co t
Jackie Da