Bill Hodge, a member of the group, told the board during a community issues portion of the meeting today the organization “applauded commissioners for bringing in outside experts from Evergreen Solutions for ideas on operational improvements. But we have been gravely disappointed that this board has not implemented any cost-saving recommendations in the two-and-a-half year-old report.”
Hodge said, “The opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among the three districts still exists. Changes could save millions of administration dollars which can be redirected into academic enhancement opportunities. But it will take leadership to develop partnerships that can benefit all three districts — your leadership.”
Hodge said following the meeting his talk, which focused on funding inadequacies, was not a veiled attempt to bring the merger issue back on the table, but an effort to to begin serious deliberations on the Evergreen study.
“A sense of urgency exists concerning the inferior academic performance of all three school districts,” he told the board. “Of the 115 school districts in North Carolina, Halifax County schools is ranked last, Weldon third from the bottom. Roanoke Rapids, historically an academically high-achieving system, is now in the bottom 40 percent — not even average.”
He told commissioners the disparity in the county's current appropriation to surrounding school districts is glaring. “Last year, the six countywide school districts surrounding Halifax County received an average appropriation 76 percent higher than the three Halifax districts.”
Halifax County provided $774 per pupil while neighboring counties provided $1,670 per pupil. “Our neighbors have increased their support of public education approximately 50 percent on average over the past 10 years compared to only an 18 percent increase for our students.”
School spending in Halifax County, he said, comprises 69 percent of Halifax County Schools local expenditures; 43 percent of Roanoke Rapids and 25 percent of Weldon's. “Neighboring Tier 1 counties provide 84 percent of their school districts' total expenditures.”
Roanoke Rapids and Weldon, Hodge said, have received $33.5 million of supplemental and sales taxes over the last nine years while Halifax County has received nothing.
A proposed supplemental tax referendum for the county school system was defeated in May of 2012.
Hodge told the board the county school system has the highest teacher turnover rate in the state — a 28 percent annual average over the last five years while Weldon had the fourth at 23 percent. “Last year, 98 percent plus of North Carolina teachers received a supplement. Halifax County Schools and Weldon City Schools did not. Roanoke Rapids teacher supplements were 42 percent below state average.”
Said Hodge: “Halifax's children cannot afford to lose the best teachers in their classrooms. Quality teachers are the most important factor in a sound, basic education.”
The group, Hodge said, believes Weldon and Roanoke Rapids taxpayers are getting short-changed while funding for the county school needs to change. “Roanoke Rapids and Weldon's extra supplemental funds should be used to supplement a sound, basic education, not pay for basics. Districts could use their supplemental funds to expand Pre-K programs; fund academic enrichment or increase tutorial programs as well as implement or increase teacher supplements. Halifax commissioners are not funding a sound, basic education for any of Halifax County's children, regardless of their street address.”
Board Chair Vernon Bryant said following the meeting there were preliminary discussions of the Evergreen report at its retreat in December. “We're going to do it,” he said. “Within the next 30 to 60 days.”
County Manager Tony Brown said probably the earliest the study could be discussed would be in March.
