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THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25,2013 Community Pasquotank native takes 4-H role in Currituck From staff reports A native of Pasquotank County has been named to serve as the 4-H program as sistant in Currituck County and as the Currituck County Rural Center director. Thomas Harrell joined the staff Dec. 2. Harrell has shown horses through 4-H, the American Quarter Horse Association and other organizations for most of his life. “Tom has hit the ground running and brings lots of exciting ideas for how to expand the use of the cen ter and improve the equine education arm of 4-H and Cooperative Extension” says Cameron Lowe, coop erative extension director. “We are very excited about the dynamic he will add to our staff team and the op portunities he will provide the citizens of Currituck through 4-H and at the Rural Center.” Tom will be responsible for overseeing the Currituck County Rural Center staff and operations. Responsi bilities will also include pro viding leadership to a coun ty-wide horse educational and recreational program through distribution of edu cational materials, special events, classes and clinics. Efforts will specifically tar get 4-H horse program mem bers and volunteers. TEACHER Continued from 1 opinion were Judges J. Douglas McCullough and linda McGee. Joyner, who now teaches in the Bertie County Schools, could not be reached for comment this week. But her attorney, Maiy- Ann Leon of Greenville, said she and her client are thrilled with the Appeals Court’s de cision. Leon said she and Joyner are particularly ex- cit^ that the appeals court ruled “what a board can and cannot do in a situation like this.” John Leidy, an attorney for the Perquimans Board of Education, said he was dis appointed with the court’s ruling. “And I’m sure that the board will be as well,” he said. Leidy said he was par ticularly disappointed that the Eqjpellate court did not addr^ many of the argu ments in the school board’s appeal, including whether a trial court has the authority to award tenure to a teacher. “There’s no legal authority for that,” he said. Perquimans schools spokeswoman Brenda Las siter said the school district had no plans to comment on the ruling. ..According to court re cords, Joyner was hired by the Perquimans County Schools in August 2008 to teach first grade at Perqui mans Central School. After teaching first grade for a cou ple of years, Joyner spent the PERQUIMANS COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE ExceptfortheSheriff’s Department, Dispatch Office and Emergency Medical Services, all County Offices in the Perquimans County Courthouse, Courthouse Annex, Social Services, Agricultural Extension Service, Perquimans County Library and the Perquimans County Recreation Department will be closed on Wednesday, January :1, 2014, for New Year’s Day. The Water Department will be closed but emergencies may be reported to the Dispatch Office by calling 426-5751. « Frank Heath, County Manager CONVENIENCE SITE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE CLOSING at noon- Tuesday December 24th 2013 Christmas Eve CLOSING at noon- Tuesday December 31st New Year’s Eve CLOSED - Wednesday December, 25th 2013 Christmas Day CLOSED-Wednesday January 1,2014 New Year’s Day OPENiThursday December 26,2013 OPEN:Thursday January 2,2014 i I EARLY DEADLINES FOR OUR NEWYEAR'S EDITION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY ALL-ADVERTISING (Retail & Classifed) Church Information, News Releases, & Happenings MUST BE IN OUR OFFICE BY: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26 BY 12:00PM. The Perquimans Weekly Will be Closed Wednesday, January 1,2014 Have a Safe and Happy New Year! p3: ku next couple of years teach ing exceptional children. By the end of the 2011-12 school year, she was eligible for ca reer status, what’s common ly referred to as tenure. On May 14, 2012, the Per quimans Board of Educa tion met in a closed session to decide whether to grant career status to 13 other probationaiy teachers, in cluding Joyner. AH 13 of the teachers, including Joyner, had received a positive rec ommendation for career status from schools Super intendent Dwayne Stallings, the court record shows. But during the closed session, the board’s discus sion appeared to zero in on Joyner. Board member Ralph Hollowell said he had heard from a number of sources, including teachers, teacher assistants, parents and grandparents “questionable information” about Joyner. Hollowell did not elaborate but said he was not sure ex ceptional students at Perqui mans Central “were getting what they needed.” Hollowell described an incident in which he had served as a substitute teach er at Perquimans Central for a few days and observed Joyner meet with three stu dents, individually, for less than 10 minutes each. Hol lowell told fellow board members he “questioned the qiralrty of services the stu dents were receiving in such a short length of time.” The board, after speaking with Stallings, Perquimans Central Principal Melissa Fields and former piincipal Linda White, voted to grant career status to the 12 other teachers, but not to Joyner. Because teachers who do not receive tenure at the end of their fourth probationary year of employment are let go, Joyner was dismissed fix)m her Job and notified by letter a day later. After learning of the board’s decision, Joyner asked the school board for a hearing, which was held May Town of Winfall^ Offices Will close at Noon Monday, December Z3, 2013 Offices are Closed: Tuesday, December 24, 2013 Wednesday, December 25* 2013 Tbursday, December 26, 2013 Friday. December 27, 2013 and Wednesday, January l, 2014 In case oS an Emergency » call 4X6*5741 i Modern Dentistry in a relaxed environment for the entire family. ^ ■' ' ik I ^ , ^ fsgr * r ' I The dental hygiene team at Albemarle Dental Associates, DR. CHRIS KOPPELMAN, DDS DR. ETHAN NELSON, bDS COMFORT • QUALITY • EXPERIENCE ^We always welcome new patients. ” 482-5131 ALBEMARLE DENTAL associates ]qS Mork Df. Edenton, NC Qenetaland Cosmetu: Sbenbstxy (behind Chowan Hospital) Pl^QUIMANS bLWKKKT.V (USPS428-080) Vol. 81 No. 52 Published each Wednesday. A publication of Cooke Communications North Carolina, LLC Established 1934 ■ 111 W. Market St., Hertford, NC 27944 Mike Goodman Publisher Peter Williams News Editor Bev Alexander..' Advertising Representative Phone 252-426-5728 • Fax 252-426-4625 Email: perquimansweekly @ ncweeklies.com Subscription Rates In Perquimans County $24.20 N.C. out of County $29.50 Out of State $33.90 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Perquimans Weekly. Hertford. NC 27944 29,2012. During the hearing, which Hollowell did not attend, Joyner noted her positive employee evaluations as weU as the favorable recom mendations she received from Stallings and Fields. She questioned Hollow- ell’s opposition to granting her career status, pointing out that it followed an inci dent involving herself and Hollowell’s wife, who also was a teacher at the school. According to Joyner, she had a confrontation with Hollow ell’s wife after accusing her of “misadministration” of a writing test to students. Three days after the hear ing, Joyner received a letter fix)m school officials ex pressing concern about her performance and uphold ing the decision to deny her tenure and dismiss her from employment In his opinion for the ap peals court, Dillon said a review of the Perquimans school board’s own records failed to show a “rational basis” for the board’s de cision. He said the school district’s records failed to demonstrate whether Hol lowell had the background or training to comment fairly on Joyner’s perfor mance as an educator of exceptional children. Dillon also noted that because Hollowell was absent from Joyner’s hear ing on May 29, 2012, his “vague and unsubstantited allegations” were left un explained and prevented Joyner from questioning him directly about his con cerns. Dillon also pointed out that another board member had said Joyner shouldn’t be granted tenure if “it was thought that the system could do better.” However, the board had not applied this “could do better” stan dard to the other 12 candi dates seeking career sta tus, he wrote. TTre Judge described the Perquimans school board’s decision to deny Joyner tenure as “arbitrary and capricious.” It was not clear if Per quimans school officials planned to appeal the case further. According to Lassiter, the school district has spent $7,734 in legal fees on the Joyner lawsuit She said the N.C. School Board Trust has represented the school district in the case since July 17, 2012. She said that the Perquimans district pays annual dues of approximately $2,000 to the trust. NELSON Continued from 1 Ust included the state’s principal and teacher of the year. The Albemarle region has produced Just four Dingman award winners including Nelson since the award started in 1981. The first was Clifford Winslow from Perquimans in 1982 followed by Mary Ellen Maxwell from Currituck in 1994 and Wayne White fi’om Camden in 2004. Only the winners since 2003 have been given the ex-officio seat on the state school board. The award is named in honor of first full-time exec utive secretary of the state school boards association. Nelson said the insight from Raleigh looking out has been helpful. “I thmk I’ve always felt deep down the state board was all about doing what’s best for children and not trying to be difficult. I al ways felt that way and serv ing on the board has basi cally validated that. 'They’re a group of people that really do want to put policies and standards in place to help education.” Nelson said while the state school board has the best interest of kids at heart Tadlgpck A«to-Home-!^8iness 338-2222 sometimes laws enacted by the General Assembly can frustrate the effort. Nelson doesn’t believe lawmakers hold malice toward educators or edu cation, but they might not truly understand the im pact their decisions have on small school districts. “I sometimes think peo ple in Raleigh without any experience in a small, rural county really don’t have an appreciation for some of the struggles we face. We have a certain population that can’t afford to be taxed a whole lot to generate lo cal revenues for education. That’s the reality. “But some of the legis lative decisions that have been made over the last year, or two or three or four have given us another set of challenges.” “We’ve got a small pie. We’ve got 1,800 kids in our school system. All children deserve to get a quality edu cational experience, but when you start dividing that pie up some things are go ing to get lost.” As for Nelson, he has a year remaining on this term on the Perquimans board. After that, he’s going to step down. Nelson served eight years on the board, then got off. He won a seat on the Perquimans County Commission and served four years until lus mother got sick. He returned to the school board and is on his second four-year term. His Job is pharmacy manager of Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton. The Offices of Town of Hertford will close at Noon on Monday, December 23, 2013 Offices will be closed: Tuesday, December 24, 2013 Wednesday, December 25, 2013 Thursday, December 26, 2013 Friday. December 27, 2013 and Wednesday, January 1, 2014 In case of an emergency, please ■ call (252) 426-5751.
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Dec. 25, 2013, edition 1
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