After nearly an hour of introductions that began the three-hour meeting, commissioners, the three school superintendents and their board members broke into small discussion groups to come up with ideas on what improvements needed to be made.
At one table, Roanoke Rapids school board member Mike Williams discussed funding, noting the three systems needed to to discuss the possibility of getting increased funding at the state and federal level.
“Local funding is not equal,” said Halifax County Board of Education member Tyus Few.
One of the notes posted during the meeting.
“If we work on the state level, that's where the money is,” Williams replied.
Halifax County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Pierce discussed the sharing of resources with county board of education Chairman Donna Hunter, who said transportation was big issue with the county schools. “We can't walk to schools. We have to transportation.”
Commissioner Marcelle Smith said his table discussed the pooling of resources.
More notes posted.
Asked if merger was discussed, he said, “We touched on consolidation and kicked it around a little.”
For the most part, however, Smith said sharing of resources was the main discussion topic within his group. “It's given me a better understanding of each other.”
“We talked about collaboration and sharing staff,” Pierce said.
“Ours was just a look at outsourcing what works well,” Weldon City Schools Superintendent Elie Bracy III said. “We talked about how we need more technology.”
Board members and commissioners listen to the presentation.
Roanoke Rapids Graded School District Superintendent Dennis Sawyer said his group also talked about sharing resources.
Halifax County Commissioner Carolyn Johnson said the county school system needs more advanced placement courses. “We looked at AP programs and collaborating on the courses.”
Halifax County Commissioner Vernon Bryant said the Evergreen Solutions report still needs to discussed in the next round of talks. “Parental involvement is something needed in all the systems.”
Johnson said she believed more discussions were needed and added, “We discussed how wonderful it would be to let students in on the discussions.”
