DATE:May 17, 2004PRESENT:Jill Camnitz, Chair

DATE:May 17, 2004PRESENT:Jill Camnitz, Chair

Mary Grace Bright

Don Carson

A. Michael Dixon

TIME:7:30 P.M.Betsy Leech

Barbara Owens

Dick Tolmie

Delano Wilson

PLACE:Pitt County Office BuildingABSENT:Mike Barnette

Walter Gaskins

Ralph Love, Sr.

Sidney Scott

Ms. Jill Camnitz, Chair, called to order the Pitt County Board of Education in regular session and welcomed everyone present. Ms. Betsy Leech led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

A Moment of Silence was observed in honor of Sgt. Rodney Murray, a former teacher at Ayden-Grifton, who was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

Ms. Deborah Long, Public Information Officer, introduced the recognitions for the evening. The following were recognized and presented with Recognition Certificates:

-Ms. Debbie Metcalf, Exceptional Children’s teacher at H. B. Sugg and

Sam D. Bundy Schools, for being named the Clarissa Hug Teacher of

The Year by the Council for Exceptional Children

-Ms. Jackie Beck, SAVE Advisor at Wintergreen Intermediate School, for

receiving Honorable Mention as SAVE Advisor of the Year by the

National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (not present)

-Ms. Jill White, a second grade teacher at Elmhurst Elementary School,

for being named Teacher of the Year by the Autism Society of North

Carolina

-Ms. Selma Cherry, Principal of Wintergreen Primary School, for being

named the Visiting International Faculty Principal of the Year

-The Stokes Elementary School Chorus and Band for an outstanding showing in the Fiesta-Val Competition in Williamsburg

-Alan Guidry, teacher at J. H. Rose High School and Pitt County Schools’ Teacher of the Year for 2003, for being named Preserve America (History) Teacher of the Year

Additionally, Ms. Virginia Gaynor, President of the Pitt County PTA Council, announced and recognized PTA Reflections winners. They were:

-Danielle Malone, a fifth grade student at Elmhurst Elementary School for being a 1st Place State winner in Literature

-Elizabeth Thorell, a Kindergarten student at Elmhurst Elementary School for being a 1st Place State winner in Literature

-Sherika Vines, a second grade student at Wintergreen Primary, for being a 1st Place State winner in Photography

-Mattie Morrow, a sixth grade student at E. B. Aycock Middle School, for being a 1st place winner in Photography

The Chair offered an opportunity for adjustments to the agenda. Upon motion by Ms. Betsy Leech and second by Mr. Dick Tolmie, the Board voted to add Public Expression to the agenda. Upon motion by Ms. Barbara Owens and second by Mr. Michael Dixon, the Board voted to approve the agenda as amended.

An opportunity for Public Expression was provided.

The first speaker to address the Board was Ms. JoAnn Hunter, a teacher assistant and bus driver with Pitt County Schools. Ms. Hunter spoke in regard to the Dual Employment Policy and the fact that those serving as dual employees of the school system will have their pay cut as a result of having their hours cut. She shared how this would impact her personally and others in positions similar to hers. She asked that feedback be provided to explain why this change in policy was necessary at this time.

The second speaker was Mr. Moses Darden, a representative of the Teamsters Union, who indicated he was speaking on behalf of all Pitt County Schools’ classified employees. He acknowledged each classification of those employees for doing such a fine job daily. He stated that they were all good people and part of the Pitt County Schools’ team and as such, he wanted to be sure that they received a fair pay increase.

Mr. Michael Dixon presented the report from the Policy Committee. He indicated that several policies were being recommended for Second Reading and approval. He listed those as being: 8.102 – Cultural Institution Relations (revised), 7.029 – Employee Assistance (revised), 7.106 – Screening of Principals (revised), and 7.125 – Leaves and Absences (revised). Two additional policies were recommended for deletion. They were Policy MF – Wahl-Coates Laboratory School and Policy MI – State Department of Public Instruction. Upon motion by Mr. Michael Dixon and second by Ms. Betsy Leech, the Board unanimously voted to approve policy recommendations as presented.

The Chair, Ms. Camnitz, announced that this day was the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which she said fundamentally and forever changed America. She stated that this anniversary provided an opportunity for everyone to pause and reflect on where we are in this journey that truly began 150 years ago. She said that we must celebrate the progress that has been made since the journey began, but must continue to work until every child has the equal educational opportunity that was envisioned for him or her. She noted that while the path is not always clear or easy for the local Board of Education, that she believed that if the Board kept its focus on this goal, then the goal could and would be reached.

Vice-Chair, Mr. Dixon, introduced Mr. Gaston Monk, Past President of the NAACP and a former principal with Pitt County Schools.

Mr. Monk stated that he was a survivor of the “separate but equal” era of time in government. He described for the Board what “separate” looked like at the time he entered school in the first grade and how his school compared to the white school. He said that he graduated from this school in Bell Arthur after finishing the seventh grade. He said he could not go to high school because there were no buses, but that he did go to the Pitt County Training School where agriculture was taught for the boys and Home Economics was taught for the girls. He said that he didn’t take the agricultural path, but rather took the math and science for which his Daddy had to pay for him to participate. He explained that he later attended Elizabeth State University and ended up back teaching at the same Training School where he previously attended. This, he said, is where he was in 1954 when the Supreme Court decision was passed down. He shared information on how a school was built in 1958 called Bruce Falkland, of which he was Principal, and of the steps he had to take to get resources for that school which he said was still separate but unequal.

Mr. Monk discussed the environment of public education in the early 1960’s and at the time when integration was mandated, and he shared some of his personal experiences. He thanked the Board for the opportunity to speak before them and indicated that he hoped all could continue to work together toward their common goals.

Mr. Calvin Henderson, current President of the NAACP, also addressed the Board. He said that he graduated from high school in 1956, two years after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision and as such, was a product of a segregated system. He said that the decision in its time was one that did not set well with many people. He discussed Mr. Billy Cogdell, who was featured in Sunday’s newspaper, and discussed that his family who were share croppers had to move five times in one year because each time they moved, the farmer would tell Mr. Cogdell that if he and his children were a part of this lawsuit, then they could not continue to work on his farm.

He said that people back then talked about implementing “separate but equal,” but that it certainly was anything but that. He described his personal experiences upon entering a white school where his father was a custodian and described the differences in what he saw in the white school as opposed to what he had available to him in the schools he attended. He said he and his people survived all this without being equal, because their families taught them to love. He reiterated that this decision had a significant impact on the whole nation and brought about much change but that in some places that change came slowly. He said that the order, which required school systems to make a prompt, reasonable start toward full compliance was not reached by Pitt County Schools and other such school systems until fifteen years after the original decision was handed down. He said that parents should tell children today that they can be somebody, just as those individuals who stood up to be counted in the lawsuit in Brown versus the Board of Education.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Priddy stated that he and Vice Chair Michael Dixon had spoken the previous evening at the NAACP Anniversary Recognition Program held at the Progressive Free Will Baptist Church. He indicated that Mr. Dixon had done an excellent job of setting forth the pertinent points related to the impact of the Brown versus Board of Education decision on Pitt County Schools. He stated that in his own remarks he had noted the 50 years of courageous efforts that had taken place in this county to bring it where it is today, with all schools fully integrated, with less than 10% of the county’s students in private schools, and a public school system where it does not matter what color you are or what your financial status is, that the same educational opportunity exists for everyone.

Under Superintendent comments, Dr. Priddy advised that Brenda Strickland’s mother had undergone surgery the previous Friday and remained in Intensive Care.

He shared that a copy of a Resolution in Support of Capital Funding for Pitt County Schools, as prepared and approved by the Pitt County Development Commission Board and presented to the Pitt County Commissioners, had also been placed on the table. Attached to that document, he explained, was a similar Resolution approved by the Mayors Association and signed by the ten area Mayors. He explained further that a letter was included from the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors indicating that it had approved a motion to “…support the investment in school facilities as stated in the last paragraph of the School Board’s Resolution and further request that the commissioners and school board work together to create a plan to fund the remaining immediate and short term needs over the next five years without doing a bond referendum.”

Dr. Priddy reminded Board members of the Candidate’s Forum on June 25, 2004 at Wintergreen Intermediate.

Ms. Camnitz advised that flowers would be sent on behalf of the Board to Ms. Strickland’s mother as soon as she was moved to a private room.

As a part of Board member comments, Mr. Don Carson stated that he attended the meeting of the County Commissioners at which time the Resolutions were presented and that the Commissioners seemed to be insulted by the Mayor’s approach to voicing their support and did not even accept the Mayor’s Resolution.

Mr. Michael Dixon thanked Mr. Monk and Mr. Henderson for their presence and for sharing their comments. He asked Dr. Priddy to provide the Board with a report on the status of bus driver’s pay.

Mr. Dick Tolmie also thanked Mr. Monk and Mr. Anderson, as well as Dr. Priddy, for their comments. He agreed that color and financial status are not variables in the school district at this time and suggested that from the perspective of the Board of Education, expectations should be the focus. He offered that it was imperative to set high standards and to make sure that all students are encouraged and expected to meet those standards.

Ms. Mary Grace Bright commented that where she lived, schools were not integrated until she was eleven years old. She indicated that the public schools have come a long way since that time when there were no libraries and no books. She emphasized that our inequality now is in an attitude and an expectation rather than a resource. She said that our expectations for children, both from the schools’ point of view and a community’s point of view must be clear that we don’t expect success based on prejudices, or color, or households, but that expectations need to be the same for all children to ensure they have equal opportunities in their future years.

Upon motion by Mr. Michael Dixon and second by Mr. Don Carson, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

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Jill E. Camnitz, Chair

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Michael D. Priddy, Ed.D., Superintendent