i
P The
ERQUIMANS
WEEKLY
"JVeivs front Next Door”
APRIL 13, 2011 - APRIL 19, 2011
Carolyn Rogers to be Inducted Into
E, Saturday - 6
50 cents
APR I 3 20tt
Schools prepare for reduction in force
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The Perquimans Coimty
Board of Education is pre
paring a reduction in force
(RIF) for about 30 positions
for the next school year.
BOE members are ex
pected to vote Monday
night to enact their RIF
policy because of expected
state funding cuts.
“We’ve talked about this
funding
cliff for
months,”
said Super
intendent
Dwayne
Stallings.
“We’re
about to go
over it.”
Stallings
4^.
Stailiings
says nine certified posi
tions (teachers, counsel
ors) may be let go as well
as 21 classified positions
(teacher’s aides, custodi
ans, office personnel).
“This is the first time
since I’ve been here (17
years) that we’ve had to
RIF employees,” Stallings
said. “Two years ago, a few
employees were let go, but
they were hired right back
when the funds came in.
We plan for the worst, but it
has always worked its way
out in the past. I don’t have
that feeling this time.”
BOE policy dictates that
job performance will be
the number one criteria
used to determine which
certified and classified
personnel remain on staff.
Other criteria will be con
sidered regarding certified
employees including areas
of licensure, highly quali
fied status, program enroll
ment, service in extra duty
positions and ability to fill
such positions, length of
service, and degree level.
Employees terminated rm-
der the RIF policy must be
notified in writing.
Teachers must be noti
fied by May 15 whether or
not their contracts will be
renewed.
Human Resources Direc
tor Ella Fields Bunch said
the school system must pay
unemployment and health
insurance for employees
ARDEN! Masters
[Hals
STAFF PHOTOS BYTHOMAS J,TURNEY
More than 600 gardeners attended the Albemarle Master Gardeners’ Spring Garden Show, held Saturday at the Perquimans Recreation Center.
Garden-variety green thumbs at show
By WILLIAM F. WEST
The Daily Advance
D uane McSmith, with
a smile, said he has
a problem: He likes
to talk.
The 94-year-old Pasquo
tank resident was a mer
cenary pilot, a U.S. Air
Force pilot and a test
pilot for NASA.
On Saturday morn
ing at the Perquimans
Recreational (lenter, he
was not speaking about
aeronautics and aviation,
but instead about some
thing else he knows quite
well: gardening.
McSmith gave a pre
sentation as part of the
first annual Albemarle
Master Gardeners’ Spring
Garden Show. More than
600 attended and about
$1,200 was raised, organiz
ers said.
McSmith, when asked
what he hoped to most
emphasize to spectators,
replied, “At this day and
time, we need to raise
our own food. We need to
have a little garden spot
out back - and one of the
things that could happen
overnight is we could all
be hungry”
And McSmith was
quick to note other parts
of the world suffer from
hunger.
On Saturday, as Mc
Smith spoke about the
finer points of gardening
"7?
■
to a group of spectators,
masses of others were
looking and shopping for
flowers, plants, garden
furniture, garden art,
landscaping tools and a
variety of more items.
“We’re just out trying
Fran Ownley looks over a
seedless Concord grape plant
at Saturday’s garden show.
to see what everybody has
got,” said Gene Lupton,
of Elizabeth City and
a contract worker at the
Coast Guard Support
Center.
Mary Lou Soper, a Per
quimans County resident
and a retired federal gov
ernment employee, was
marveling at the varieties
of plants on display
“It’s just quite interest
ing,” Soper said.
Soper said although she
is not a master gardener,
“I do like to plant things
See SHOW, 7
Playhouse of Hertford forms for area teens
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Area youth will have the
opportunity to participate
in a new local performing
arts company this sum
mer.
Interested citizens have
formed The Playhouse of
Hertford and plan to put on
a musical production much
like the popular television
series “Glee” for teens age
12-18 from Perquimans,
Chowan and Pasquotank
counties.
89076 A
7144
While it’s still in the be
ginning stage, excitement
is mounting for what or
ganizers hope will become
a viable performing arts
company that will offer
youth an outlet to use their
imagination and opportu
nities to develop their tal
ents;
Surprisingly enough,
the force behind the cre
ation of TPH is Raymond
Sawyer, a grandfather who
feu in love with perform
ing arts after seeing his
granddaughter on stage
in another locality Want
ing to offer more youth the
same exciting opportunity,
he approached Amy Goudy
at the Dance Company of
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Board members forThe Playhouse of Hertford include: (seated, l-r) Carolyn Pastorek, Raymond
Sawyer, Amy Goudy: and (standing, l-r) Kimberly Westbrook, Kristy Harrison and Reta Blair. Not
See PLAYHOUSE, 7 pictured are David Noell, Mandy Whitehurst and Jeffery Winslow.
let go imder the RIF policy
for up to 12 months.
She’s been advised that it
is actuaUy cheaper for the
school system to not renew
contracts for first, second,
and third-year teachers in
stead, she said.
Other criteria consid
ered for classified person
nel include degrees and/
or licenses, seniority, and
See REDUCTION, 7
New
leaders
for local
parties
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The two major political
parties in the county have
new leadership foUowing
recent county conven
tions.
Janice Cole is the new
chairman of the Perqui
mans County Democratic
Party She foUows long
time chairman Fred Yates
who did not seek reelec
tion during Saturday’s
county convention held at
the courthouse.
In addition, county
Democrats added three
new leaders to their slate
of officers including Vie®
Chairman Leo Higgins,
Second Chairman Juliette
Zachary, and Third Chair
man Dequayia Nelson.
Re-elected to their same
posts were Secretary Pa
mela Hurdle and Treasur
er LuRee Sawyer.
County Republicans also
changed leadership this
year.
See LEADERS, 7
HPD is
nowon
Facebook
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The Hertford Police De
partment is now using
social media in an effort
to distribute public safety
information in a quick and
timely manner.
Chief Joe Amos said the
department began using,
Facebook about two weeks
ago with officers posting
timely updates on acci
dents, road closures, road
conditions, and crime pre
vention tips.
“We’re using it to put out
information that is benefi
cial to the citizens when it
occurs,” said Amos.
For example, a boat slid
off a trailer onto the road
way on U.S. Highway 17
Friday night, causing po
lice to block one lane of
traffic until the boat was
moved. Police posted up
dates on their Facebook
page notifying people that
the lane was blocked, and
then updated their post
when it was back open.
See POLICE, 7
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