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Sports:
Youth league heads
into play-offs: Page e
Perspectives: If IP'
Community responds
to school decision: Page 4
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Have a safe, happy
4th ef July!
ri.Offr!
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 62, No. 21
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, July 1,1993
35 Cents
Board denies teacher formal hearing
Board,
Henion asked
to resign .
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
gator_
The board of education took
the most heat Monday night after
adjourning regular session for
failing to grant Sharon M.
“Sherry” Smith a formal hearing.
Before the two-hour session
ended, the board and superin
tendent Randall L. Henion had
been asked to resign by Tom
Fleck. Fleck's suggestions was
met with applause.
Fleck asked for resignations
from ail school board members
and Henion “because I fed that
this matter is not being handled
"property.’*
* Smith was suspended with
pay on March 15 pending an in
vestigation into misconduct
charges. In April, she requested,
through her attorney, Luke Lar
gess of Charlotte, a hearing be
fore the board. On May 17, the
board voted not to renew Smith’s
contract. On May 19, Henion told
Smith she could return to the
classroom. She returned on May
24, 70 days into her 90-day sus
pension. She was granted the op
portunity to speak before the
> (Maid in executive session on
June 21. During the closed
meeting. Smith said she asked
for her job back. After that ses
sion. which was attended by over
’ - 60 . people, board chairman t:
Wayne Howell said the board
would study Smith’s presenta
tion and make a decision on
: June 28.
nivhat does the board have to
lose by having a lull hearing on
this in executive session?”
N.C.A.E. Uni Serve representative
Lueta Sellers asked. “She has re
?[uested a hearing in private, a
ull-fledged hearing, and the
board said ho."
"Why was she denied the pri
vate hearing?” Brenda Bass
asked.
Dali Harris asked if the board
would consider a public hearing.
"If she would request a pub
lic hearing, the board would cer
tainly consider it.” board
chairman L. Wayne Howell said.
Howell then said that a hear
ing was against North Carolina'
public school law.
Sellers told Howell it was not,
and cited two general statutes
dealing with the issue.
“If you have a good case, you
have nothing to lose (by granting
Smith a hearing)Cathy Terra
nova, a former new Jersey tea
cher, said. "If nothing happens,
you seven people (board mem
bers. Henion and assistant su
perintendent Jake Boyce) have a
great deal to lose.
"We are not going to let tins
rest.” Terranova continued. "It’s
not fair. You need to put this Is
sue to bed and the only way to
do It Is to grant Mrs. Smith a
hearing."
«' Marie Ayscue said the com
munity should go over the
board’s head to resolve the Issue.
Tm fed up with It 1 don’t
think this is the board to make
the decision,” Ayscue said.
% Howell said he believes the
board made a fair decision in the
Smith case.
"Based oh what we knew, we
made our decisionHowell said.
Sellers said In an interview
after the meeting that she,
! Smith’s attorney Luke Largess
and the Smiths are prepared to
> take the case into the legal sys
i^' tern.
'v' - "I think at this point the
5board leaves us only one alterna
tive and that Is m go to co-art."
;r. Sellers said. -
Tm horrified that the board
did not even grant my request for
* a hearing to allow me the oppor
. tunlty to present witnesses who
can shed light on my case*
: Smith said after the meeting.
“They (the board) had a
. chance to rectify their reputation
. and accountability In the com
munity and they didn't." Smith
aald. *Tbqr blew it"
Sherry Smith (left) awaits the Perquimans County Board of Ed
ucation decision on overturning her nonrenewal Monday night
With her is Lueta Sellers, N.C.A.E. UniServe representative. The
board took no action on Smith’s request to get her teaching
Job back, nor did they grant her a formal hearing. Sellers said
Smith will take her case to court (Photo by Susan Harris)
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Edter' _
Over 110 people crammed
Into the school board conference
room and spilled over Into the
halls Monday night to hear the
board of education’s response to
Sharon M. “Sherry” Smith’s re
quest to have her nonrenewal
overturned.
When the board came out of
executive session, chairman L.
Wayne Howell announced that
the board would take no action,
on the Smith case.
“The only comment that I
will make is that the board will
stand on its previous decision,"
Howell said.
Howell adjourned the meet
ing Immediately after announc
ing the decision, bringing an
outcry from the audience.
"You should have the com
mon courtesy to ask these peo
ple if they have anything to say,"
Brenda Bass said.
several people spuse <u oiiec,
asking why the board took no
further action.
Linda Overton, a teacher at
Perquimans Middle School and
toe parent of one of Smith’s stu
dents, asked why Smith was
denied a formal hearing. She
also charged that the braid al
lowed its attorney, Ken Soo, to
question Smith’s students with
out permission from the parents,
a move Overton said is illegal.
"I don’t think you’re being
fair to them (the students) dr to
Mrs. Smith,” Overton said.
“A good special education
teacher is a gift from God,” Over
ton continued. “Sherry is on of
the finest probably one of the
best' that my daughter has ever
had. She’s a very rare person.
She’s very special. It Is criminal
what you are doing. There are
children that would never stay in
school if it were not far Sherry.”
Weldon Byrum told thd
board he felt it would be benefi
cial to address the allegations
concerning Smith’s case and put
diem to rest :*
”1 guess it would be fair to
say that we are looking into ev
erything.” Howell commented.
Weldon Byrum pushed for
ward, questioning specific allega
tions concerning Perquimans;
High School principal William
Byrum’s harrassment by schools
superintendent Randall L. He
nion and Byrum’s rumored refu
sal to change a teacher
evaluation at Henion’s request,
“Is that true?" Byrum asked,
“1 would say that persorind
issues are very, very difficult,”
Henlon said. He added ;that the..
Underwood asks for accountability,
leadership from school board ranks
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor___
, Former Perquimans County teacher Gil Un
derwood, a retired principal from Chowan
County, told the board of education Monday
nightthat there is a heed for accountability and
leadership among its ranks.
UnderWood said he understands how diffi
cult personnel matters are from his background
in education, but that the board has obligations
to the children, the taxpayers and the public to
put the bad publicity surrounding personnel Is
sues in the school system to rest
"This whole situation needs to be burled in
the best manner for everyone concerned," Un
derwood said.
Underwood said the present public and em
ployee unrest will have a negative effect on the
students in the county because quality person
nel will not want to come to Perquimans County
under the present circumstances.
Underwood said if he was “top-notch” prin
cipal or teacher looking for a Job and a position
was open in Perquimans County, “I would not
touch it with a 10-foot pole.”
Underwood added that it is the board’s re
sponsibility to get to the bottom of the personnel
matters presently before them and try to quell
concerns of the public and employees.
The buck stops here,” he said. “This has
gone on long enough and to the detriment of the
educational system and to all these kids.”
Underwood asked the board to “sit and take
a good, hard look at what is happening.”
Helen Hunter said she has spoken to many
teachers about allegations of harrassment and
threats from administrators and has asked the
teachers to come forward with their claims. But
Hunter said they are afraid of losing their jobs if
they speak out Hunter said the teachers are
afraid of some principals and of Dr. Henion.
“I hate for these teachers to feel that way,”
Hunter said. “I have talked to teachers and it is
the truth - they are scared."
Henion: Retribution rumors are false
Schools superintendent
Randall L. Henlon denied alle
gations that Sherry Smith’s
problems began two years ago
when she stood up for princi
pal William Byrum in an open
school board meeting.
“It was a rumor then and it
is a rumor now,” Henlon said,
“There's no connection.”
Henlon also stated that he
had discussed that rumor with
Byrum. ' '»'•'
Henlon’s statement came
after Louise Ayscue said that
she attended the board meeting
because she had heard a lot m
rumors concerning the school
system. She said people came
to the board meeting because
they wanted to know the truth.
Ayscue said the rumor that
disturbed people most was that
Smith's Job was on the Une be
cause she stood up for Byrum
when people began saying that
Byrum would be removed from
hu position at the high school.,
Ayscue said she understood
Henlon made the statement
that he would “get her back.”
Henlon Immediately shook
his head at Ayscue’s assertion
and denied the charge.
Henlon also stated that By
rum will be employed by the
school system next year.
William Byrum moved to
the front and said. Tve been
assured that I have a Job.”
Interests of the students must be
the ultimate consideration, and
that personnel issues could not
be discussed In public. |
“It has not been an easy situ
ation." Henfon said. £
Yvonne Carver asked hoar
positive employee evaluations;
eould result in dismissal. ”4
If evaluations are not used*:
what are teachers to do?” she
asked.
Board members refused
answer several questions regard-/
tag what specific Information the
board used to base its decision:,
to nonrenew Smith’s contract
and where that information came
from. Neither would they com
ment on If they nonrenewed
Smith on Henlon’s or Soo’s rec
ommendation.
Smith said she did not know
why her contract was not re
newed because neither Henlon
nor the board had told her.
“You have never once told
me...what is Information Is that
you and Ken Soo gave to the
board” that led to the nonrene
wal decision,” Smith told Henlon.
N.C.A.E. UnlServe represen
tative Lueta Sellers asked the,
board what information caused
diem not to renew Smith’s con
tract ' ‘ Gr;*“ *
Howell said the decision was
“based on all the JnfonnatJon
available.” *■'*.
' Sellers told the board that
Soo’s Investigation had deamed
Smith, but wanted to know If the
decision was based on that infor
mation anyway. ,
The board foiled to respond '
and after more questions from
the audience. Sellers again asked
the board if South's nonrenewal
decision was based on Informa
tion from Soo during the Investi
gation, and asked If Soo and/or
Henion turned the Information
over ,to them.
“There'S a day coming when
you all will be sorry for what you
have done," said Alton Stallings.
f -V _ ; -
- v ' 1 • ;V- : -
By rum
supports
Smith
By SUS4N R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans High School
principal William Byrum
spoke publically about the
Sharon M. “Sherry” Smith
case for the- first time during
a board of education meeting
Monday night.
“I see her as a good tea
cher.” Byrum said. “Others
have different opinions.”
Byrum spoke in response
to questions regarding ru
mors that he had been har
rassed by schools
superintendent Randall L.
Henion, had been ordered by
Henion to change or falsify a
teacher’s evaluations and had
been threatened that his Job
was in jeopardy if he did not
cooperate with Henion.
Byrum said Henlon asked
to see Byrum’s evaluation of
Smith’s performance before
going over the document with
Smith. Henion questioned
Smith’s ratings when he re
viewed the document, accord
ing to Byrum. The principal
said he told Henion Smlui’s
performance warranted the
ratings and he felt he could
not cmange them.
“Dr. Henion never directly
said ‘change* (her ratings), he
asked me to think about it,”
Byrum said.
Later Byrum said that his
job at the high school is not
in jeopardy.
“I’ve been assured that I
have a job," he said.
Byrum said his career
status II designation is now
probationary because Henion
downgraded him for not
properly evaluating teachers.
If his evaluation rating does
not rise by next year. Byrum
said he will be put back to
career status I and lose ap
proximately $400 per month
in salary.
As people continued to
ask what Information, and
from what sources, the board
used to make its decision not
to renew Smith’s contract.
Byrum again spoke.
“I know all the particulars
against Mrs. Smith,” Byrum
said, adding that he would
not divulge that information.
“She is guilty of two minlor
things...if she gets fired, some
of the rest of us ought to go
too."
Several people spoke in
support of Byrum.
"I don’t know of a finer -
morally - man in Perquimans
County than William Byrum,”
said Danny Gregory. “If Wi
liam Byrum received a sub
par rating, then the board's
and the superintendent’s
evaluation should be zero.”
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