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VOL. 96 NUMBER 16
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1983 -
Teachers May Not Be Rehired
School Board Faces Money Crun
By GARY STEWART
Editor
Some teachers in Kings
Mountain District Schools may
not have their contracts renewed
for the 1983-84 school year
because of a lack of funds.
~ The Board of Education met
Monday night in the School Ad-
ministration Building and took
steps to meet its 1982-83 budget
by eliminating some summer
positions, and discussed the pro-
blems it faces next year.
The board will meet again
Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. to officially
act on not renewing some con-
tracts for next year.
Superintendent Bill Davis told
the board that the system will be
alloted five fewer teachers next
year from the Division of
Teacher Allotment. Davis said
the division allots teachers by a
projected enrollment of the next
school year rather than by the
average daily membership of the
current year, and it is projected
Kings Mountain will have fewer
students next year.
In accordance to the State’s
Fair Employment and Dismissal
Act, the board has only until
April 28 to inform teachers
whether or not their contracts
will be renewed. Davis said the
board cannot meet that deadline
because the system is not sure
how much funds it will receive
next year from local, state and
federal funds. Kings Mountain
has been. able to meet that
deadline in the past because of
surplus funds in its budget.
the city-
Attend City Board Meeting
Davis said as many as 21 or 22
contracts may not be renewed,
however, he feels that by the
time another school ‘year begins
that all teachers now employed
by the system will have a job if
they want it.
“At this point, we don’t have
enough money to award the con-
tracts,” Davis said. “But I feel
confident that most of them will
be working next year if they
want to.”
The board Monday night ap-
proved the contracts of 20
teachers who have become eligi-
ble for career status. Career
status is granted after three suc-
cessful years of teaching.
The board also approved the
contracts of nine teachers who
are in their second year of a pro-
bationary contract. The con-
tracts of six second-year proba-
tionary teachers and all first-
year probationary teachers were
not renewed.
Davis said he hopes to open
employment for some of the
teachers through retirement and
resignations of others, and is
confident the funding sources
will come through for the re-
maining teachers.
“Were just not sure about
several sources from which we
get teachers,” Davis said. “We're
not sure about Title I and voca-
tional funds, and Exceptional
Children funds. We employ 15
teachers strictly from local
funds, and we won’t know how
much money we're getting from
the County Commissioners until
the lobby at
‘Women Support Instructor
By LIB STEWART
The city’s personnel policy
came under fire Monday by 62
women who questioned the
suspension of an employee in the
city recreation department.
Mikey Corry, attorney,
presented the group of exercise
students ‘concerns’ about
rumors circulating that Patsy
Parker’s employment had been
terminated. 3
Contrary to rumors, Ms.
Parker, for 13 months the in-
structor of a popular exercise
class at the Community Center
was suspended by Recreation
‘Director Ray Hurley, then
allowed to return to work Mon-
days, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
in order that the program would
continue and until a hearung is
held before the city’s personnel
—w
policy committee, which in-
cludes Humes Houston, Jim
Childers and Norman King, all
city commissioners. Hurley told
The Herald after Monday
night’s' meeting meeting that
rumors about Ms. Parker’s alleg-
ed dismissel were “totally false”
and confirmed her suspension
and return to work. However, he
said that the matter has not yet
been resolved. As Department
Head, Hurley asked for a hear-
ing on the matter before the Per-
sonnel Committee. He said he
has not been notified of a dat
for the hearing. : :
According to a reliable source,
Ms. Parker was suspended
because of a letter which was
written and signed by some
members of the exercise class to
WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte,
PHOTO BY LIB STEWART
RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT-City Commis
sioner Corbet Nicholson, left, and City Com-
missioner Norman King, right. both Shriners,
look on as Mayor John Henry Moss signs a
resolution of the city's support of a White S.C.
criticizing a WBTV reporter’s
handling of a story of a recent
Exercise-A-Thon the ladies held
at a Shelby mall.
Strongly defending the city’s
personnel policy and pointing
out that it’s “against the law to
discuss these matters in open ses-
sion”, Comm. Norman King
denied any knowledge of any
alleged termination andr alleg-
ed harrassment of Ms. Parker
while backing all department
heads. “You're at a public place
but this is not the proper place to
discuss personnel matters,” he
repeatedly told the women who
booed him loudley when he
reiterated several times he would
not discuss personnel matters.” .
“Alli you people up here don’t
bother me one iota. The Mayor
is responsible for department
Plains Shriners Club benefit May 13-15. The
Shrine Club will sponsor a softball tourna-
ment and barbecue for benefit of the Shriner's
Hospital for Crippled Children in Greenville,
heads and if he decides to ter-
minate or suspend, that’s his
. job.”, declared King. Comm. Jim
Childers supported King by say-
ing that under law the board is
forbidden to discuss personnel
matters which take ‘place bet-
ween an employee and his or her
Supervisor.
Turn To Page 2-A
Meetings
Scheduled
The Kings Mountain United
Fund Board of Directors ten-
tatively plans to conduct budget
review meetings during the latter
part of May. Any agency in-
terested in being considered for
inclusion in the allocations pro-
cess for funding for 1984 should
plan to present a request and ap-
propriate supporting documenta-
tion. The precise time and date
will be announced after agencies
have requested consideration.
Requests may be submitted by
mail or in person. In-person re-
quests are preferred since ques-
tions and explanations can be
handled when the request is
made.
The Board will need copies of
whatever relevant financial in-
formation is available, including
1983 and projected 1984 budget,
1982 expenditures, sources of in-
come, and tax exempt numbers.
Any agenices wishing to re-
quest inclusion in the 1984 cam-
paign should contact Larry
Wood, President, in care of
Foote Mineral Company, P.O.
Box 792, Kings Mountain, N.C.
-28086 (phone 739-2501; or
Mark Wilson,
Secretary-
Treasurer, in care of Kings
Mountain Hospital, West King
Street, Kings Mountain, N.C.
28086 (phone 739-3601). They
should be contacted no later
. than April 28.
out-bhttif the. |
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORT]
June or July.
“We’ve come to a point of
having more teachers under con-
tract for 1982-83 than we have
resources to put under contract -
for next year.”
To balance this year’s budget,
the board approved Davis’s
recommendation to reduce the
summer employment of some 11
and 12 month employees. Per-
sons who normally are employed
during the summer months but
will not be this year include all
assistant principals, the = high
school athletic director and one
maintenance employee. In addi-
tion, the board eliminated one
Central Office clerical position.
Board Member Kyle Smith,
who voted along with the rest of
9808¢
« OAY auowpeTd
£32 2GT LIST ASUON
the board to accept the recom-
mendation, said he was afraid
the school facilities would suffer
because of the action. ;
“Obviously, something will
have to give,” Davis said. “It
can’t be done as well as we've
been doing it in thepast. But
we'll do the best we can with the
help we have. It’s not something
we like to do but in order to
manage the budget problems we
have to bite the bullet.”
Betsy Wells, President of the
Kings Mountain Education
Association, said she was con-
cerned about the non-
employment of assistant prin-
cipals, who count on the summer
_ employment to meet their per-
Turn To Page 6-A
School Board Doesn't
Replace Jerry Ledford
The Kings Mountain District
Schools Board of Education will
operate with a four-member
board until December.
The board, meeting Monday
night at the Schools Administra-
tion Building, voted unanimous-
ly to accept the resignation of
Jerry Ledford but not to appoint
someone to fill his inside-city
. seat. ‘
In making the motion, board
member Bill McDaniel said he
felt the board would be better off
to operate with just four
is sO
Gaston County.
The inside city seat held by
Kyle Smith and the outside<ity
seat held by Bill McDaniel will
be available for the full six-year
term. :
Persons filing for school board
must designate which seat they
are running for, Mrs. Lee said.
“It will be an interesting and
confusing election,” Superinten-
dent Bill Davis said. “This has
probably never happened
before.”
Turn To Page 2-
general election.
Four of the five board seats
will be up for grabs in the fall.
Chairman June Lee will be the
only member who will not be up
for re-election.
The election may be confus-
ing, though, as two cf the seats
will be available for less than the
normal six-year term. Ledford’s
insidecity seat will be available
for only four years, and Paul
Hord’s outside<city seat will be
available for’ just two years.
Hord was appointed recently to
replace Harold Lineberger, who
resigned when he moved to
The annual Kiwanis Club
Talent Show for grades
kindergarten through seven will
be held Thursday at 7:30 pm. at
B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
Talent winners from Grover,
Bethware, East, West and North
elementary schools and Central
Middle School will compete for
first place awards.
Admission is $2 for adults and
$1 for students.
The Talent Show for grades
eight through 12 will be held
Thurs., Apr. 21.
Photo by Gary Stewart
DRAMA SCHEDULED - Members of Central United Methodist
Church will present the musical drama “The Nazarene” Friday
and Sunday at 8 p.m. each evening. The cast, shown here
rehearsing a scene, includes, front row. Teresa Williams, left,
and Linda Dixon, and back row, Jake Dixon, left. and David
Brinkley. The choir will provide background music. Barbara
DeVane is director and pianists are Peggy Ramey and Myrle
McClure. The drama takes place after the crucifixion of Christ
as His resurrection is revealed by Mary Magdalene (Mrs.
Williams). The public is invited to attend.
’