V
Volume 62, No. 23
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, July 22, 1993
35 Cents
Letters:
Residents advocate
working together to
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Feature:
Moscow to Hertford:
Russians visit to learn
business skills: Page 5
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School
shorts
The board of education ap
proved the employment of Nancy
B. Morgan as transition/special
populations coordinator Monday
night.
Assistant superintendent
Jake Boyce said Tuesday morn
ing that the state is requiring a
transitional program for excep
tional children leaving the school
system. Moigan's salary, Boyce
said, will come from exceptional
children’s and vocational, educa
tion hinds, not local dollars.
Athletic facilities
The board approved using
the former band room at Perqui
mans Middle School as an ath
letic facility. The building, which
sits behind the main school
building, is near the baseball
and football fields, and will pro
vide dressing and storage areas.
Planning grant
Perquimans County Schools
will spend $2,000 with Progres
sive Resources to by to get a
$50,000 planning grant to fund
background work on a new early
childhood center and elementary
school at the Central School site.
Progressive Resources is a
professional company that helps
find public ana private grant
monies. Superintendent Raundall
L. Henlon said Perquimans is a
prime candidate to receive grant
funds because of its size, eco
nomic condition and the facilities
jaeeds here. The end goal is to
find $9.5 million to build a new
early childhood center/elemen
S’ school complex at the Win
site.
Wastewaste project
Work had finally begun on
the Central School wastewater
project, held up by the state
when the state changed the
S handling the permit sp
in process. Henlon said he
contested a $2,250 permit fee to
the health department, which
was required because of the
state’s hold-up. The health de
partment waived the fee.
PCHS drainage project
The board voted to apply for
up to a $5,000 50-50 matching
grant to clean out the drainage
ditch at Perquimans High
School. Board member Clifford
Winslow said the schools should
contact the town of Hertford
about sharing the local match
because ditch runs through both
town and school property.
Leaves granted
The board approved leaves of
absence for four employees Mon
day. Karen Whitley was granted
a six-month maternity leave.
Carolyn Spivey will take a one
year maternity leave. Roger Whit
ley will become a full-time stu
dent at East Carolina University
while he works on a doctoral de
gree. Betty Morris was granted
an indefinite leave to care for a
critically ill relative.
Meeting with citizsns
Board members Wayne How
ell and Walter Leigh will meet
with a Concerned Citizens for
Perquimans Education commit
tee Monday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Superintendent Randall L. He
nion and assistant superinten
dent Jake Boyce will also attend
the meeting. - ' ,
Baseball champs
Perquimans Babe Ruth
Perquimans’ 13-year-old All-Star squad won
the District 7 Babe Ruth tournament in Hert
ford last weekend. On the team were (kneel
ing) manager Lee Stallings, Matt Leicester,
Jamie Haskett, Tommy Stokley, David Car
twright, Clif Stallings, coach Jim Hunter,
(back) Bob Stallings, Drew Byrum, Paul
Hunter, Wayne Downing, Carson Stallings
and Ken Winslow. C.J. Stallings also
coached the team. (Photos by Susan Harris)
Perquimans Youth League
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Belvidere ended an undefeated Perquimans
Youth League season last Wednesday to
earn the regular season and tournament
championships.
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Study links drugs with violence
RALEIGH - A new report
concerning illicit drugs in North
Carolina, published by the Gov
ernor's Crime Commission, sup
ports the contention that there is
a correlation between drug activ
ity and violent crime.
‘The study found counties
with high arrest rates for posses
sion or sale of drugs also have
high violent crime ratessaid
Secretary of Crime Control and
Public Safety Thurman B.
Hampton. “The report provide a
snapshot .of how drugs are
transported to and distributed
throughout our state, and how
people, particularly youth, are
drawn into crime though drug
trafficking.** ' . y
The study found that drug
traffickers prefer to move co
caine, particularly crack, over
other drugs because it is avail
able. affordable and profitable.
Cocaine travels to North Caro
lina over interstate highways
from New York City, its primary
U.S. source, and arrives at clan
destine airports and along the
state’s coastline from the Carlb
[bean or South America. In addi
tion, the U.S. Postal Inspector
says more narcotics are mailed
to North Carolina than any other
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“The study found
counties with high arrest
rates for possession or
sale of drugs also have
high violent crime rates.”
Thurman B. Hampton
Secretary of Crime Control and
v Public Safety
Emerging Illegal drug organi
zations are clandestine and
anonymous in nature and have
built connections in secrecy, hir
ing local people to do the more
visible sales and enforcement
work. Illegal aliens, those who
open legitimate businesses to
launder money and*cover up the
drug trade, and out-of-state
“franchisers” who divide a terri
tory and recruit local youths to
be street sellers are among the
most common drug traffickers in
the state.
Narcotics continues to be the
main source of income for outlaw
motorcycle gahgs, the report,
found. North Carolina does not
yet have highly organized youth
gangs, but juveniles are involved
in drug trafficking, with chil
dren as youth as eight acting as
“rollers” or lookouts around
drug markets or crack houses.
Most children involved in drug
dealing are from age 10 to their
late teens and are drawn into
groups solely for drug trafficking
or for social reasons.'
While the study cited co
caine trafficking as being the
number one illicit drug traffick
ing problem in the state, mari
juana, heroin and LSD are also
increasingly popular. The report
notes that marijuana is making a
comeback, with indoor cultiva
tion the most recent trend.
Though seized on our high
ways every year, marijuana is
still most often grown locally, the
report said. Most people traffick
ing in illegal drugs prefer to im
port vastly more profitable
cocaine that now sells for
$14,000 a kilo. Cocaine in 1983
sold for about $60,000 per kilo.
The contrast in the two prices is
evidence of an Increasingly abun
dant market today.
The 40-page report was co
written by the Criminal Justice
Analysis Center of the Governor's
Qrime Commission.
Schools get
state grants
Board moves to put teacher
assistants on salary schedule
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County Schools
received a financial boost from
Raleigh, receiving over $500,000
In small schools and low wealth
funds for the 1993-94 school
year.
"It's definitely great news,"
said schools superintendent
Randall L. Henion at the school
board meeting Monday night.
“It's definitely a step in the right
direction.”
The funding represents an
increase of over $150,000 from
last fiscal year. Perquimans will
receive $420,046 in small
schools funds and $103,291 in
low wealth money. Henion said
the allocations can be used to fi
nance instructional, support, as
sistant and clerical positions and
for instructional supplies and
equipment. The monies cannot
be used for facilities needs.
Teacher assistant
salary schedule
Schools finance officer
Frances Hammer presented a
plan to the board to establish a
salary schedule for teacher assis
tants. The system employs 40
people who are labeled assis
tants. Henion said adopting the
schedule would put Perquimans
ahead of most systems in the
state because most do not have
formed salary schedules for assis
tants.
The plan is based on years of
experience. Under the plan, every
assistant would be placed on the
schedule according to the em
ployee’s years of experience with
the school system. Hammer said
adopting the plan would get as
sistants7 pay on the right track.
“This was a place to start,”
Hammer told the board.
Board vice chairman Ben
Hobbs said he advocated a salary
schedule based on job duties and
the value to the school system of
different positions lumped under
the assistant heading.
“Years of experience, I dislike
that," Hobbs said.
Board member Wallace Nelson
agreed with Hobbs. He said that
the board should try to come up
with its own salary schedule
based on role differentiation.
‘The problem is there is no
base salary schedule in place.”
assistant superintendent Jake
Boyce said. Boyce added that af
ter a base schedule was in place,
the schools could work to estab
lish a plan focusing on merit, per
formance and skills. He said it
would take a long time to get an
equitable schedule in place.
Hobbs said he knew it would
be difficult, but a value should be
placed on specific duties and ba
sic competency should be a first
step.
“First of all, everybody ought
to be competent and if they’re not
competent, they shouldn't be
here,” Hobbs said.
The board voted to adopt the
salary schedule submitted by
Hammer as a starting point to get
the teacher assistants on a more
consistent pay scale with the un
derstand^ that the schools will
immediately being working on a
performance-based pay system.
Nelson voted against the motion,
stating that he would rather try to
come up with some type of differ
entiated plan before adopting the
experience-based plan.
Later in the meeting after a
lengthy executive session, the
board instructed the administra
tion to present a study of role dif
ferentiation for teacher assistants
at the next regular board meeting,
scheduled for Aug. 16.
Renovation moves
ahead at P.C.M.S.
The Perquimans Middle
School renovation project is back
In full swing after about a 10-day
delay to clean out asbestos,
according to assistant superin
tendent Jake Boyce.
Boyce said Tuesday that the
asbestos was contained until
workmen cut into some asbes
tos-wrapped piping. The uncon
tained asbestos called for testing
and removal before the project
could move head.
“(Maintenance director) Rich
ard O’Neal did a real good job of
getting on that, getting the right
people in here to take care of it."
Boyce said.
Boyce said the school is safe
and contractors have resumed
their work at the facility. While
Boyce does not think the school
will be finished by the original
Aug. 9 completion date, he said
the architec" is hoping that school
will be able to start on time. Stu
dents are scheduled to report on
Aug. 26.
County sets fair housing
complaint procedure
The Perquimans County
commissioners recently amended
tiie county’s fair housing com
plaint procedure in conjunction
with Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1968 and North Carolina
State Fair Housing Act.
The procedures were estab
lished in an effort to promote fair
housing and ensure that the
rights of housing discrimination
victims are protected. Formal
steps are outlined in the proce
dures which residents who be
lieve they are victims of
discrimination may follow.
The first step in filing a pro
cedure is to file a complaint with
county manager Paul Gregory
outlining the facts and circum
stances of the alleged discrimina
tory act or practice.
Gregory In turn must inform
the North Carolina Human Rela
tions Commission about the
, complaint. The county reviews
the complaint. Within 10 days.
Gregory contacts the com
plainant to let him or her know
that the complaint is being re
viewed and has been referred to
the Human Relations Commis
sion, as required by the State
Fair Housing Act and Title VHI. If
the complaint cannbt be resolved
locally, it is forwarded to the Hu
man Relations Commission in
Raleigh for action.
For more information about
fair housing policy and proce
dures, contact Gregory or Earline
Sullivan at the Albemarle Com
mission.