• Submit the Halifax budget for detailed review by the State Board of Education or its designees.
• Require all employment actions to be approved by the SBE or designees.
• Require the district enroll middle and high school students in the state Virtual Public School when there is not a licensed teacher employed to teach a course required for high school graduation.
“I'll bring it up at the September meeting and ask the board how they want to proceed and ask how we can help,” Bryant said today. “I just think we need to talk about it. I feel as chairman I have to lead that discussion and try to understand what the state is saying and how we can help. I think if we don't, we're shirking our responsibilities.”
While the county holds the purse strings for local funds to the county school system as well as Roanoke Rapids and Weldon, Bryant was not ready to cast blame. “Commissioners are charged with providing equal funding. We trust school boards to do what they're supposed to do to provide the education to the kids.”
Commissioner Marcelle Smith said he was reserving judgment until the September meeting while Commissioner Patrick Qualls said he was still researching the matter.
“My concern is getting it right so students have the utmost opportunity to succeed,” Qualls said. “Anything that supports that end goal, I'm in favor of.”
Commissioner Rives Manning said, “I'm glad that the state Board of Education has realized there is a problem with the Halifax County School Board. Hopefully, they will bring about a quick solution.”
Manning believes the county school system is not only squandering county money, but state and federal money as well.
Control of those funds after appropriation by commissioners, he said, “Starts with the school board. They are ultimately responsible. If they were doing their jobs, this would have never happened, but it's not a new situation. It's been going on a number of years through several superintendents.”
Manning said he believes the biggest thing commissioners can do is “hold the coats of the state Board of Education while they clean it up. I hope some other folks condemning the county (See related story) will take a look at what the situation is.”
