a
i)
Cloverfest planned
Saturday
8-A & 9-A
KMHS Band to give away
new Chevrolet truck -
Win $100
Herald Football Contest
9-B
VOL. 108 NO. 86
The'21 candidates for city and school board offices
in the fall elections will meet the voters in a public
forum Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes
Auditorium,
All candidates have received letters from the spon-
soring Kings Mountain Herald inviting participation
in the forum.
and to submit questions to the candidates between 6
p.m. and 6:20 p.m. to Herald Editor Gary Stewart or
Herald News Editor Lib Stewart in the lobby of the
auditorium.
forum and will introduce first the five people running
for school board for questions addressed to all of
them. After school board candidates meet the public,
the next group to be presented will be the three peo-
ple running for the office of mayor and followed by
The welcome mat is out for the public to attend
Realtor Jerry King will serve as moderator for the
Thursday, September 12, 1991
the 13 ecto running for Wards One and Two and
the two at-large seats open on the council.
‘Questions for each group of candidates must be
neatly typed or written or may be presented orally to
the newspaper representative. The questions should
be addressed to all of the candidates. Under no cir-
cumstances will questions be allowed to be directed
to any one candidate, and under no circumstances
will questions ‘be allowed from the floor. At the be-
ginning of the forum, King will explain the format of
the program, and, at the end; each candidate will be
given the opportunity to make a brief statement.
Candidates are encouraged to be in the lebby of
the auditorium at 6 p.m. to greet the public.
The Board of Education race features five people
running for two inside city seats. The election is slat-
ed November 5 with the top two vote-getters winning
the seats. There are no runoffs in school board clec-
‘ tions. Members serve without pay.
Chairman Billy. King currently holds one of the
~ two seats and he is running for a second four year
term, The other seat that is to be filled is being vacat-
ed by Doyle Campbell.
Also seeking a seat are Shearra Miller, B.S.
"Sonny" Peeler, David Lynn and Mark George.
In the mayor's race, three men are vying for the job
now held by Mayor Kyle Smith, who decided not to
seek reelection after a four year term. Former com-
~ missioners Jim- Childers and Scott Neisler and
Gilbert Hamrick seek the office. All registered voters
in the city's five wards may vote for one candidate.
The Mayor is paid $6,000 per year.
In the new minority/majority Ward One, Fortee
Gamble, Philip Hager and Roosevelt Ingram seek to
be the first black elected to serve on the city council.
| Tuesday nig
Kings Mountain, N
Voters from Ward One only will elect the representa.
tive.
- In Ward Two, incumbent fork Barrett is chal-
lenged by Jim Guyton, Roy Pearson and Jeff
Gregory. Only Ward Two véters will elect the repre-
sentative.
For the two at-large seats on the board incumbents
Al Moretz and Norma Bridges are challenged by
Jerry Mullinax, Shirley Brutko, Luther Bennett and
Joe King. All registered voters may vote for two.
Other city council members whose terms do not ex-
pire this year are Elvin Green, Ward 3, mayor pro
tem; Jerry White, Ward 4 who succeeded Scott
Neisler when Neisler filed for mayor; and Ward 5
commissioner Fred Finger. Commissioners are paid
$3600 per year.
The city primary is Tuesday, October 8. It runoffs
are necessary, they will be held on November 5.
White
sworn in
Tuesday
New Ward 4 commissioner Jerry
White was seated by Kings
Mountain city council Tuesday
night.
He took the oath of office from
James W. Morgan, Judge of the
27-B Judicial District Court of
North Carolina, at city hall.
Chuck Gordon, the new member
of the city board of elections, also
was sworn by Judge Morgan.
White will serve the ty
rd being vaca
V DO ing any ‘to run
See White, 7-A
Schools
Despite a two-year battle with
redistricting plans and transfer
policies, the racial percentage at
two of Kings Mountain's five ele-
mentary schools are still not within
the suggest range adopted last year
by the Board of Education.
Supt. Bob McRae pointed out at
Monday night's meeting that the
enrollment on the 10th day of
school at Bethware and North
1991-92 school budget $16,460,809
Kings Mountain's Board of
Education officially approved its
1991-92 operating budgets at
Monday night's meeting. The total
from all sources is $16,460,809.
County appropriations--which
include allocations from county
commissioners, numerous taxes,
tuition, contributions, fines, etc.,
will be $3,384,040; state appropri-
ations, $11,204,803; federal grants,
$815,034; child nutrition funds,
$977,961; and capital outlay,
$281,551.
SWEARING-IN - New Ward 4 Commissioner Jerry White, center, takes the oath of office as the new
councilman from Ward 4 from District Judge James W. Morgan at swearing-in ceremonies Tuesday night
at city hall. At right is White's wife Becky.
Schools do not fall within the plus
or minus five percent range of the
system-wide minority percentage
of 25.1 percent.
Bethware's enrollment was 459
students and its minority percent-
age was 18.95 percent, or 6.1 per-
cent below the system average.
North's enrollment was 400 stu-
dents and its minority percentage
35.25 percent, or 10.2 percent
Supt. Bob McRae said, even in
the tight budget year, Kings
Mountain's appropriations from the
state increased. That was possible
because of a gain of students and
new positions.
"But that doesn't mean we didn't
get hurt," he said. "We took a cut in
energy cost and we have to make
that up in local funds. Total dollars
are comparable (to last year) but in
some places we had to do with our
local budget."
McRae said the system was giv-
still not racially balanced
above the system average.
McRae advised the board not to
over-react and wait until the end of
the school year to try to bring the
figures in line with the system av-
erage. He said allowing students to
get settled into class and then move
them would be too disruptive.
"We would not want North
School to stay. at that 35 percent
figure over the long haul," he said.
en 17.75 teaching positions from
the state, but overall KM gained
back two positions it had sent back
to the state during last year's bud-
get crunch.
McRae said the budget includes
a five percent supplement increase
for teachers, a goal the board has
kept alive for several years. It also
includes $6,000 for staff develop-
ment for the Effective Schools
Program.
Despite a cut in state funds, the
budget includes $23,496 ($6 per
PS
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Kings Mountain Schools
Superintendent Bob McRae made
his first "Report of the System" at
Monday night's board meeting at
the Kings Mountain High library.
McRae presented an in-depth re-
port on instruction, drop-outs,
attendance, technology, discipline,
budget, facilities, and students. He
pointed with pride to some of the
‘accom lishments but, i in every area
ment.”
A synopsis of his comments:
*Instruction - He said results of
tests over the years should "make
us pleased but not satisfied."
Results of the CAT in grades 3, 6
and 8 over a five year period
showed growth but not a steady
growth. "Our aim has to be consis-
tent performance above the nation-
al, state and regional averages," he
said.
He pointed out that the results of
the first state report card showed
KM at the "low end" of the "at par"
range. "This is no cause for cele-
bration," he said. "We must do bet-
ter."
He said KM's recent improve-
ment in SAT scores showed that it
takes determination and direction
to achieve. "I have confidence in
our potential to raise our results to
a higher level than ever and to keep
them there."
He said program expansion due
in part to the Basic Education
Program has made it difficult to
place everything into the school
day and suggested adding 30 min-
utes to the school day which would
provide an additional 15 days of
instruction per year.
*Drop-outs - KM's drop-out rate
is 5.85 percent compared to a state
average of 4.57 percent. For each
"But all things looked at in per-
spective, that's not bad for the first
year (of the redistricting plan).
"We all knew North School
would have the largest percentage.
We just didn't think it would be this
large," he said. "We would like to
be closer but it's not terrible."
McRae pointed to several factors
that could have been responsible
+ See Enrollment, 2-A
child) for instructional supplies and
$5,000 for textbooks, both made
possible through local funds.
"In a lot of areas we're not gain-
ing but we'ré not cutting back,"
McRae said. "The appropriation for
textbooks will probably get worse
over time. Textbook costs are hor-
rendous and it's very difficult to
keep our heads above water in that
area."
McRae said the system had to
See Budget, 5-A
SARA SIMPSON
Sara makes learning fun
Veteran Kings Mountain teacher
Sara Simpson has taught at all five
elementary schools in the system.
Simpson loves to read and her
enthusiasm for reading is conta-
gious. The many boys and girls
who have come to her classes in 32
years find excitement in books.
Simpson says there wasn't one who
wanted to read who didn't learn.
Not only does the Kings
Mountain native love to read at
school but she tutors and was one
of the first reading tutor when
Friends of the Library started the
literacy program at Mauney
Memorial Library. Sara has a 39-
year-old student now who is learn-
ing to read after dropping out of
school. "He likes to read every-
thing and I am so pleased at his
progress,” said Simpson.
Teaching is a challenge for the
former Sara Herndon, daughter of
the late Mr. and Mrs. P. D.
Herndon. She works to make her
classroom fun, exciting, interesting
and a leaming experience by plan-
ning special days, trips and pro-
grams. This month the boys and
girls in her second grade class held
Grandparents Day, Watermelon
Day and Worm Day transforming
some subjects which could be dull
into an adventure. The youngsters
wrote stories about their grandpar-
ents who visited the classroom, had
lunch with the students, and read to
them. Watermelon Day included
measuring and counting secds be-
fore eating the melon and was a
highlight of the arithmetic lesson
for the day. In Science, the seven
and cight year old children were
fascinated with worms, drew
worms, wrote stories and poems
about them and made worms of re-
al bananas and peanut butter. They
also keep a weather calendar and
thermometer, study the globe and
continents, keep a birthday graph{
and are "smart cookies," a home-
work incentive in which they re-
ceive cookies after lunch if they
have their homework assignments.
A "Bee A Helper" graph on the
bulletin board is designed as a bee
with the names of the students
around the bee hive with their vari-
ous assignments for the day.
Sara starts each school day at 7
a.m. and welcomes each student on
or arrival. She encourages 100%
attendance in school and also in
church and finds transportation for
any student who needs a ride to
Sunday School. It isn't unusual for
Sara to use her own car to transport
parents to monthly PTO mectings
and it isn't any wonder that her
class iS a frequent winner of the at-
tendance prize and a free i icc cream
social.
See Sara, 7-A
McRae: We
can improve
of the last three years over 100 stu-
dents dropped out. About one-third
of the students who begin the ninth
grade drop out before their class
graduates.
He said several programs, such
as the high school's new attendance
policy, should help improve the
numbers. He hopes to reduce last
year's umber of 113 Soph 0
25 percent.
iS room for improve- | *At
dance in 1990.92 + was 94. 2 per~
cent. The high school attendance
lagged over three percentage points
behind any other school in the sys-
tem. East led the system with a
96.31 percent attendance rate,
While accepting some of the
blame for the system, McRae said
blame also has to lie with the com-
munity. He said parents must urge
children to attend school regularly,
and not "condone" or "cover up"
skip days and other absences.
"Let's put school attendance at the
level of importance it deserves,” he
said. "We will do our part. The
community must do the same."
McRae said employee atten-
dance must also improve. Last year
over 3,000 employee work days
were missed. "Think of the poten-
tial impact on instruction if that
number were cut by one-third,” he
said. "To that end, I believe the
system ought to explore ways to
reward high employee attendance."
Technology - Effective Schools
research says that all children can
learn, he said. He called for "tools"
to help teachers teach all children.
Over time, McRae would like to
see one computer for every five
children in elementary classrooms
"and more could be legitimately
used." He said it will take a mini-
See McRae, 5-A