“News from Next Door"
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021 $1.50
PAGE A2
PAL gallery
exhibiting Mullen's
artworks until Dec.
17
PAGE A8
Recreation All-
Star Fall League
championship
teams recog
nized
PAGE A9
Third-graders
write letters to
Santa Claus
School board raises bus driver pay to $15 an hour
Board also votes to continue
mask mandate another month
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Perquimans County school of
ficials have approved new incen
tives to recruit and retain more
bus drivers that include raising
starting pay to $15 an hour.
The Board of Education voted
unanimously earlier tins week to
approve a $2-per-hour increase
above the state pay scale for bus
drivers for the 2021-22 school
year. The move raises starting pay
for bus drivers to $15 per hour.
In addition, the school district
will cover the cost of drivers’ ini
tial license certifications, license
renewals and N.C. Department of
Transportation physicals.
Speaking at Monday’s board
meeting, Chairwoman Anne White
praised “our amazing bus drivers”
and remarked how they are crit
ical to the district being able to
hold in-person school.
White said in a later interview
that school officials want to rn-
crease pay for all Perquimans
County Schools staff but can’t do
it all at once. Officials decided to
start with bus drivers, she said,
and will look next at other key
support staff such as cafeteria
workers, maintenance workers
and teacher assistants.
The board also voted to extend
the district’s mandatory COVID-19
masking policy. School staff rec
ommended requiring “the wearing
of masks for all students, staff,
and visitors/spectators ... while
inside school facilities in order to
limit the number of (COVID-19)
quarantines and spread within the
district.”
The recommendation is the
same the board has approved pre
viously. Under the board’s current
policy, the school masking man
date expires at the end of each
month. For it to remain in effect,
the board has to vote to continue
it at the end of each month.
COVID metrics in Perquim
ans and the school district are
presented to the board at each
monthly meeting as part of the de
cision-making process.
Superintendent Tanya Turn
er reminded the board that the
school district had switched from
optional masking to mandatory
masking in September.
Last week, she told the board,
there were a record 22 students
who tested positive for COVID-19
while two staff members also test
ed positive.
See DRIVERS, A3
New role for Cole
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Retired Judge J.C. Cole is administered the oath of office as a member of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
by Superior Court Judge Eula Reid in the James Carlton Cole Courtroom in the Perquimans County Courthouse,
Monday, Nov. 22. Cole’s wife Janice, herself a former judge, holds the Bible as her husband is sworn in.
Ex-judge joins Wildlife Commission
Retired judge looks to get more
youth involved in hunter safety
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Retired Superior Court
Judge J.C. Cole took the oath
of office as a member of the
N.C. Wildlife Resources Com
mission Monday, Nov. 22, in
the courtroom that now bears
his name.
Cole was administered
the oath of office by Superior
Court Judge Eula Reid in the
James Carlton Cole Court ¬
room on the first floor of the
historic Perquimans County
Courthouse. He was appoint
ed to the office Oct. 7 by Gov.
Roy Cooper.
‘Tm looking forward to
this,” Cole said of serving on
the WRC in an interview after
the ceremony.
Cole said he brings his con
cern for young people to his
new role as a state wildlife
commissioner.
“I just have a passion for
working with young folk,”
Cole said. “I want to see what
See COLE, A3
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Officerspf the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
and “hunting buddies” Herbert Mullen Jr. and Herbert
“Herb” Mullen III join retired Judge J.C. Cole after his
swearing-in as a member of the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission, Monday, Nov. 22.
$5 million in budget
for Inner Banks ferry
Goodwin: Could be year or more
before ferry service begins
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
The recently approved state bud
get includes $5 million for an Inner
Banks ferry system that could start
transporting passengers between
Albemarle Sound towns as early as
GOODWIN
late next year.
State Rep.
Ed Goodwin,
R-Chowan, con
firmed this week
that the budget in
cludes the appro
priation for the
new ferry system.
Goodwin said
much preliminary
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work on the toner Banks ferry sys
tem has been done but more needs
to be done.
“It won’t happen overnight,” he
said.
It could be a year or more before
the new ferry service is able to be
gin operations, said Goodwin, who
See FERRY, A3
Spaugh will not
seek a 4th term
on school board
White will seek re-election,
Peeler undecided right now
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
The vice chairwoman
of the Perquimans Coun
ty Board of Education an
nounced last week that she
will not seek re-election next
year.
Amy Spaugh, who is com
pleting her third term on the
school board, said she will
not seek a fourth.
“Public schools are truly
the center of our communi
ty, and I’ve been honored to
serve,” she said in an email.
Spaugh encouraged oth
ers interested in putting stu
dents first to run for her seat
“With at least one seat
open for 2022, I encourage
others to research the role of
a school board member and
consider getting involved —
not for a single constituency,
issue or political view — but
to ensure public schools in
our county stay effective and
serve all students well,” she
said.
One of Spaugh’s fellow
board members up for
re-election in March, chair
woman Anne White, said she
does plan to seek another
term. Matt Peeler, however,
said he’s undecided about
seeking another term.
The filing period for local
and state offices opens at
noon on Dec. 6 and closes on
Friday, Dec. 17.
White, who is in her third
year as the board’s chair,
SPAUGH
is an ap
pointee to
the North
Carolina
School
Boards
Thist and
was re
cently
elected to
serve as a
member of
the North
Carolina
School
Boards As
sociation.
She says
the Per
quimans
schools
have great
leadership
and are “on
the crux of
a mighty
wave
striving
to make”
the district
“second to
none in the
“It would be an honor to
continue to serve and sup
port our amazing students,
parents, superintendent, as
sistant superintendent, prin
cipals, teachers, staff, com
munity and local and state
leaders,” she said.
Peeler said he eqjoys his
service on the school board.
“I feel honored that I live
in a county where the com-
. munity backs our schools,
especially our teachers,” he
WHITE
PEELER
See BOARD, A3
Cooper earns top awards at State Fair
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Hannah Cooper (center) of Perquimans County holds one of her
awards at the N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Show in October.
Cooper won awards for Champion Overall Market Barrow and
Reserve Supreme Champion Breeding Gilt.
PCHS student to compete
at national show in January
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
A Perquimans County teen
earned top awards at the N.C.
State Fair Junior Livestock Show
in October.
Hannah Cooper, a student at
Perquimans County High School,
won awards for Champion Over
all Market Barrow and Reserve
Supreme Champion Breeding
Gilt at the State Fair in Raleigh.
Cooper said she’s very excited
with the wins and looks forward
to competing in the show next
year.
The 14-year-old explained that
she gets the pigs from Lander
See COOPER, A6