County Schools Lobby Against Cuts In State Education Budget
BY SUSAN USHKR
Brunswick County Superinten
dent of Schools F.R. Hankins led a
delegation of 10 school system em
ployees to Raleigh last Thursday to
ask legislators not to reduce funding
for education.
"We were trying to impress upon
them the need to sustain support for
education," said Hankins Tuesday.
"We have been trying to make a dif
ference in the Brunswick County
Schools. Without funding it would
be all for naught.
"It's like telling someone to go
out and win a race, yet you suit
them up in lead shoes."
The trip was sparked by urgent
requests from Stale Superintendent
of Education Bobby Etheridge to lo
cal school systems to marshal sup
port for a lobbying effort to block
legislative cuts in the state educa
tion budget.
At its last meeting the county
board of education authorized a let
ter to local legislators supporting
funding for educational needs. But a
second message from Etheridge, a
facsimile, urged the school system
to send delegates to Raleigh last
week, said Hankins.
In addition to Hankins the dele
gation included William Turner, an
assistant superintendent; Les Tubb,
principal of Leland Middle School;
o
H.
"It's like telling someone to
go out and win a race , yet you
suit them up in lead shoes."
? P.R. Hankins, Superintendent
On proposed budget cuts
Mosc Lewis, principal of Soulh
Brunswick High School; Patricia
Foy, a South Brunswick High
School leachcr; Rudi Fallon, school
system finance officer. Dale Brown,
a school system mechanic; Diana
Mintz, assistant principal at South
Brunswick Middle School; and
Mike Dumas, drop-out prevention/
in-school suspension leachcr at
North Brunswick High School; and
Franklin Randolph, a parent ami
former school board member. Board
of education members had schedule
conflicts Thursday.
The contingent met by appoint
ment with Rep. David Rcdwinc and
Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., then broke into
smaller groups and "knocked on
doors and shook hands with the var
ious ones we could get an audience
with," said Hankins. "We talked to
about a half dozen in all."
Hankins said it was a good trip,
even though the delegation "didn't
gel any real answers from anybody."
"As far as the state budget alloca
tion is concerned, it's still nebulous.
We have nothir.g to hang our hats
on," said Hankins. "It still looks
like we will experience cuts in ants
such as energy funds."
STAFF PHOTOS BY TERRY POPS
Starting Early
Students at Union Primary School got an early start on some possible careers last week during the school's career day
program. At left, local pro golf executive James Hart teaches student Frederica Best to keep her eve on the ball while
putting. Above, Brandon Hewett receives help from cosmetologists Carlo Holden and Maria Cox (left) on the techniques
of curling hair. The event is held yearly to show students career options at an early age.
Calabash Realigns
Planning Board
BY DOUG RUTTER
Calabash Commissioners voted
Tuesday to add to two members to
the town's planning board, and
they're considering adding one
member to the zoning board of ad
justment.
Following a public hearing, com
missioners voted to add one regular
planning board member from each
of the town's two voting districts to
even out representation on the advi
sory board.
The board was expanded to in
clude five voting members from
District 2 and two from District 1.
Each district also has one alternate
member who can sit on the board
and vote when a regular member is
absent.
The five-to-two split is identical
to the split on the town's board of
commissioners and is based on pop
ulation differences in the districts.
The addition of two members and
two recent resignations from the
planning board have left commis
sioners with four vacancies to fill.
They decided Tuesday night to
forward six names to the planning
board for consideration.
Candidates are Elaine Dumont,
Jack Hannaway, Frank Chancier,
Gere Dale and Phil Nardoci, all
from District 2, and Forrest King
from District 1.
Public Hearing Set
With changes approved in the
makeup of the planning board, com
missioners also are considering
adding one voting member to the
board of adjustment, which has the
power to grant variances from town
ordinances.
Calabash officials will conduct a
public hearing Tuesday, May 14, on
a proposal to add one voting and
one alternate member to the board
to represent the extraterritorial area
(ETA).
Commissioner Jon Sanborn sug
gested the proposed change in board
makeup following an executive ses
sion Tuesday called to discuss legal
matters.
State statute requires towns that
exercise extraterritorial zoning or
subdivision regulations to include
ETA representatives on their plan
ning board and board of adjustment.
Proposals Received
Also Tuesday, commissioners re
ceived proposals from six engineer
ing firms interested in doing a
wastewater needs study for
Calabash.
Town officials plan lo review the
proposals and decide at their May
14 meeting which firms should be
considered. The companies could
then present formal proposals at the
May 28 meeting.
Firms that have presented pro
posals are Robert L. Bellamy and
Associates of Myrtle Beach, S.C.;
Powell Associates of North Myrtle
Beach, S.C.; Andrew and Kuske of
Shallotte; Houston and Associates
of Shalloue; Boney and Associates
of Raleigh; and The Woolen
Company of Raleigh.
Other Business
In other business Tuesday, com
missioners:
?Authorized Town Attorney Mike
Ramos to take legal action to re
move a sign on N.C. 179 advertis
ing Linda and Gwyn's Boutique.
The sign was erected without a per
mit,* and it is an off-premises sign,
which isn't allowed in Calabash or
its ETA. The owners asked the
board of adjustment for a variance
March 26, and the board hasn't
ruled on the request.
?Voted to refund a $115 building
permit fee to the Calabash
Volunteer Fire Department The
town doesn't have a policy on re
funding permit fees, but town board
members agreed Tuesday that the
fire department and rescue squad
shouldn't pay for building permits.
?Heard from Town Clerk Janet
Thomas that the town has collected
nearly 98 percent of its 1990 town
taxes. The outstanding balance is
S2.833. Mayor Doug Simmons said
he would talk to people who still
owe taxes before the town takes any
legal action to collect the money.
?Heard a request from David Scott,
a local electrical contractor and the
assistant fire chief in Calabash.
Scott asked that the town hire an
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electrical inspector who can be
available during the day and re
spond to emergency calls promptly.
Scott said the current inspector,
Darrel Johnson, isn't available until
the afternoon.
?Heard from Commissioner Phyllis
Manning that the town will have a
house-to-house pickup of yard
waste May 6. The waste will be
mulched at the dump site on
Persimmon Road and made avail
able to residents who want to use it
in their yards.
?Voted to purchase "No Truck
Traffic" signs and ercct them on
Pinewood Drive in Acreage Estates.
Commissioner Ray Card said the
street was just paved and trucks
have been damaging the road. He
said one resident chased a truck
driver off with a shotgun.
ANCHOR
LUMBER
Hwy. 17 S., Shallotte
579-8038
School system officials are hope
ful ihc cuts won't alfccl classroom
positions.
"We expressed our concern that
we didn't feel the shortfall should
be focused on education," said
Hankins. "At the same time we said
if there is no other way around it as
a last resort we felt that a one-cent
tax ? a sales tax or something or
perhaps the lottery ? should be
looked at before they start cutting
out teachers and really tearing up
the school system."
One alternative source of funds
delegates mentioned was a pool of
5500 million in the Highway Fund.
Meeting last month with Bruns
wick County Board of Education
members, Redwine had painted a
bleak worst-case scenario for state
education funding. He noted that
since public school funding makes
up 49 percent of the slate budget, it
was likely to take the brunt of pro
posed cuts.
In his legislative report this week,
Redwine said educators' lobbying
effort did have results.
On Friday, he said, the House
Appropriations Committee changed
its recommendation in education
cuts. The Sub-committee on Educa
tion had recommended cuts in certi
fied non-teaching positions (admin
istrative), non-certified teaching po
sitions (teacher assistants) and a
small number of classroom teaching
positions.
The full Appropriations Commit
tee restored all of the proposed cuts
in classroom teachers, he said, and
about half of the other positions.
They did it by moving the cost of
the driver's education program out
of the General Fund to the Highway
Fund, at a net cost to the Highway
Fund of about $20 million.
"The Committee felt the condition
of the Highway Fund was better than
that of the General Fund and that we
could not afford to continue to cut
education," said Redwine.
If the driver's education proposal
is included in the budget ultimately
adopted by the General Assembly,
Hankins said driver's education
would no longer be offered during
the 5 1/2-hour school day. Instead it
would be offered after school or on
weekends.
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