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One last burst for the Second Street Bradfords

Town Manager Mike Scott reports that a contractor's equipment issue has delayed removal of the Bradford Pears lining South Second Street, giving them one last chance for their early-spring blooming. (Wednesday was a fine day for a walk!)
 

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School board urged to protect "sexual orientation"
Proposed policy change evokes ire from LGBTQ+ defenders

Members of Johnston County's Board of Education heard from enraged defenders of the LGBTQ+ community prior to Tuesday's monthly meeting. As a result, a proposed policy change deleting "sexual orientation" from a statement prohibiting discrimination toward students and school employees was removed from the agenda and sent back to the board's Policy Committee for reconsideration.

"I assume that means there will be no change" in current policy, said board member Kay Carroll. "I would hope we wouldn't hear from them again," he added – an outcome that would leave in place policy wording as it now stands:

"The Board prohibits all forms of unlawful discrimination. For purposes of this policy, discrimination means any act or failure to act that unreasonably and unfavorably differentiates treatment of others based solely on their membership in a socially distinct group or category, such as race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, religion, age, or disability."

Lyn Andrews, the school board's chair, forcefully stated that "we are not going to tolerate bullying or harassing anyone.... Every student deserves the right to come to school and feel safe and feel that they will not be bullied or harassed, and we know that that happens," she admitted, but "we have punitive measures that are taken when that happens." At the same time, "we're going to make sure that we are following state and federal law," she declared.

Even so, numerous speakers arose during the meeting's Public Comment segment to denounce the proposed policy change. "Why would anyone allow bullying of already vulnerable people?" asked Paige Stallings, one of several parents who spoke up. Changing present policy "sends a clear and dangerous message," warned Margaret Anne Mirabella.

The school board's Policy Committee was scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. today (Thursday) to revisit the issue.

EDITOR'S NOTE: "LGBTQ+" is commonly used by news media nowadays in reference to persons identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer. The plus (+) sign is added to include other labels related to one's sexual identity.

Citizens call for measures against Ms. Antoine's behavior

Several who addressed the board Tuesday denounced the social-media behavior of board member Michelle Antoine and suggested her postings – described by one speaker as "reckless" and "defamatory" and another as "vile" – violate board policy.

Most adamant in calling out Ms. Antoine was Bennett Jones, former principal of Clayton High School who sought election to the Johnston County Board of Commissioners last year. He called Ms. Antoine "a fraud" and "a bully" and asked her to "resign immediately."

Erida Hall implored the board to "censure her" as they had done regarding ousted board member Ronald Johnson. "She despises public schools" and expresses "blatant bigotry," Ms. Hall said.

Board hears options for Innovation Academy, Choice Plus

Superintendent Eric Bracy laid out options for the board to consider for possibly relocating the school system's Choice Plus and Innovation Academy programs.

Choice Plus, an alternative school for misfits, lacks space in the old Smithfield Elementary building on Rose Street to accommodate all its students, forcing most of them to take their classes online. The Innovation Academy, a middle school for students selected from throughout the county, is presently housed at East Smithfield's South Campus.

Parents have recently pressed the school board to keep Innovation Academy in place, but one of the superintendent's options would have the two programs exchange quarters. "South Campus is more suitable as an alternative school," said board member Terry Tippett.

That option would place Innovation Academy on Rose Street where the county's AIG program for academically gifted students started out years ago.

Another option, Dr. Bracy said, would move Innovation Academy into an existing classroom building on the Clayton High campus which is about to be reconstructed.

Whatever is decided, board member April Lee said priority should be given to placing the 100 or so Choice Plus students presently in "virtual" online classes back to "face to face" learning. "We have got to get these kids back in the building," she insisted.

New contract for schools' legal services approved 6-1

The board approved a new contract for legal services provided by the Raleigh law firm of Poyner Spruill that eliminates a monthly retainer fee in favor of hourly charges for services rendered.

Kay Carroll, who heads the board's Legal Committee, said Poyner Spruill proposed raising its monthly retainer from $300 to $1,000 but settled instead for charges of $235 an hour for services provided by the firm's partners, $200 an hour for all other staff attorneys, and $120 for work done by paralegals. The firm will also provide 20 hours of board and staff training annually at no extra cost, Mr. Carroll noted.

Meanwhile, he said the school system will continue to pay Smithfield attorney Gordon Woodruff $180 an hour for his services, which mostly deal with collections of fines and forfeitures and real-estate transactions.

Michelle Antoine cast the lone dissenting vote against the Poyner Sprill contract.

Board sends its priorities to N.C. General Assembly

A resolution adopted at Tuesday's meeting requests action during this year's legislative session on four policy and funding matters:
(1) Teacher retention and benefits – including "pay step increases at every level of experience," supplemental pay "in high-need areas such as teacher assistants and Exceptional Children teacher positions," and funding for the state's health-care plan to avoid higher costs for school employees.
(2) Student health – additional allotments for school nurses, counselors, and social workers to replace the end of federal ESSER aid resulting from the COVID pandemic.
(3) Pre-K students – counting them in schools' Average Daily Membership numbers that are used to determine annual levels of state funding – "to ensure adequate resources for early childhood education."
(4) Technology – a request for $756,000 in additional aid to Johnston County Public Schools for 100 teacher devices and 1,500 student devices "to comply with state testing requirements and to support online curriculum programming."
 

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Frank Holding Jr. (second from left) with "Triangle East Prospers" campaign leaders Kevin Dougherty and Marcia Armstrong and Chamber CEO Maureen McGuiness. (Photo from the Triangle East Chamber)

Triangle East Chamber launches "Prosperity Initiative"
Half of fund-raising goal of $1.3 million already in hand

To kick off the "public phase" of the campaign, the Chamber brought First Citizens CEO Frank Holding Jr. back home as keynote speaker at a breakfast gathering on Tuesday. "You are doing the right thing," he said of the drive to raise $1.3 million this spring to underwrite three goals of the "Regional Economic Prosperity Initiative":
• Goal 1: Develop, Retain and Attract Talent.
• Goal 2: Break Down Talent Barriers.
• Goal 3: Grow Businesses, Jobs, and Investment.

Marcia Armstrong, one of the campaign's leaders, said challenges facing Johnston County's quest for greater prosperity include an "inadequate supply of talent," with more than 2,000 job openings currently, as well as deficiencies in affordable housing, child care, and transportation.

Kevin Dougherty, another campaign leader, said $683,000 has already been pledged. That's 53% of the campaign's goal, he noted.

The campaign is being managed by Power 10, a national fund-raising firm based in Atlanta. The "Triangle East Prospers" initiative will run through 2028.

Mr. Holding, a present-day resident of Raleigh where First Citizens is headquartered, said he has been involved in several initiatives there that are similar to what Triangle East is pursuing. He said those campaigns produced big community dividends.

Mr. Holding grew up in Smithfield as the only son of Ella Ann Holding and the late Frank Holding Sr. He took over as the bank's CEO in 2008. One of his four sisters, Hope Holding Bryant, is second in command at today's First Citizens, which is the largest family-controlled banking enterprise in the nation.

CEO Holding noted that the bank moved its headquarters from its Smithfield birthplace to Raleigh in 1974, "but in many ways we claim this as the home of First Citizens," he told his Johnston County audience. He and his sister are the third generation of Holdings to lead the bank, which started out in 1898 as the Bank of Smithfield and went through several ownership and name changes until it emerged as First Citizens Bank & Trust Company in 1929.
 

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Smithfield's newest hotel – Home2Suites by Hilton – is now open beside the Hilton chain's Hampton Inn on Town Centre Place near the I-95 Market Street interchange.

Tourism spending in Johnston showed 4.9% gain

Smithfield's hotel-room tax brought slightly less revenue

The Johnston County Visitors Bureau in its latest annual report says $298.95 million was spent by tourists here in 2023 – an annual increase of 4.9% – while statewide spending by visitors reached a record $35.6 billion – a gain of 6.9%. Johnston's ranking is 28th among the state's 100 counties.

"As anticipated, the mild recession we were told was coming did impact travel to some degree," notes the Johnston bureau's CEO Donna Bailey-Taylor. "It was not a terrible year for our tourism industry partners," she said, "but hotel occupancy was down 4%." She blamed the downturn on "terrible weather" and inflation along with road construction and "legislative issues facing our restaurants and hotels."

The bureau's report says visitors to the county spend $819,041 a day in local businesses. The breakdown of the 298.95 million spent here in 2023 shows $103.42 million went for food and beverages, $ 69.86 million for transportation, $61.68 million for lodging, $40.1 million for recreation, and $23.81 million for retail purchases.

All that produced $12.4 million in state tax revenues and $9.2 million in local tax receipts. That came from state and local sales taxes and local hotel-occupancy taxes.

"More than 2,000 people are employed in the tourism sector, with labor income more than $72 million," states the Johnston bureau's report.

The Visitors Bureau and its marketing campaigns are funded by a countywide 3% room-occupancy tax that brought in $1,282,625 in fiscal 2023-244. In addition, a 2% hotel-room tax is collected within four municipalities to pay for marketing and tourism-related projects within each jurisdiction. Smithfield's tax produced $399,293 last fiscal year – down from $413,629 the year before. Selma's 2% tax brought in $83,198, Benson's $75,457, and Kenly's $30,117 in 2023-24.

Smithfield had a Fund Balance reserve of $919,547 in its tourism account as of last June 30, the bureau's report shows.

Ms. Bailey-Taylor remains bullish about the future of Johnston County tourism: "The most promising aspect on the horizon is the anticipated growth over the next 12-36 months," she notes in the annual report. "The amenities sought after by both residents and visitors – including new retail mixed-use developments, hiking and biking trails, public parks, new nightlife, and entertainment options – are aligning with the growth in our residential communities, which is not slowing down."

Ms. Bailey-Taylor recently announced she is retiring April 30 after more than 28 years directing the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.

VIEW the bureau's annual report including details about its marketing campaigns>
 

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 WHAT'S COMING UP 
Listed here are community events open to the public free of admission charge:

A new event, "Celebrate Smithfield," this Saturday

Billed as an "International Culture Fair," the inaugural event begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. this Saturday at 14 locations in Downtown Smithfield, which "will come alive with the sights, sounds, and flavors of the world," explains Downtown Development's Executive Director Heidi Gilmond. "Each location will display a flag representing that experience. Our guests are invited to pick up a passport and a map at the library," she advised.
Here's the schedule for musical performances:
11:30 and 2:00 – Mickey Mills, Reggae, at Boutique 12/20.
12:00 and 2:00 – Russell Johnson, Bluegrass, at Sodosopa.
12:00 and 2:30 – Mariachi Los Galleros, at Good Vibes.
1:00 to 4:00 – Spoken Word, Lawrence Davis, at Boutique Social.
All day – WEJ, Classic Rock, at Gotham's Deli.
The Johnston County Museum at 329 E. Market Street will host singers, dancers, and storytellers from North Carolina's Tuscarora Nation. A dance troupe will perform between 1:30 and 2:30, storytelling and informal discussions throughout the day.
Other sites for activities and exhibitions include The Little Brown Jug, Tandoori Trail, Ava Gardner Museum, Lady Bug Designers, Oak City Collections, The Gilded Pear, Down to Earth, and Sunset Slush.

County Commissioners scheduled to meet this Monday
It's the regular third-Monday session of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Courthouse in Smithfield.
VIEW the agenda once it's posted on the county's website>

Town Council to consider plans for two residential projects
The Smithfield Town Council will hold public hearings on plans for a couple of large residential subdivisions previously approved during its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall. Developers of Buffalo Ridge, a 210-lot subdivision on 140 acres at 1041 Buffalo Road, seek the council's approval of a preliminary plat. Developers of Finley Landing, located across from the Amazon warehouse on US 70 Business West, want to replace plans for a 360-unit apartment phase with a 160-lot layout, mostly for townhouses. A similar request was rejected by the council last October.
VIEW the complete agenda for Tuesday's council session>

Town schedules series of neighborhood budget forums
The Town of Smithfield will host a series of "Government In-Touch" meetings to gather public input on the 2025-2026 budget to be adopted by the Town Council before the start of the next fiscal year July 1. Here's the schedule:
• Thursday, March 20 – Sarah Yard Center at 909 E. Lee Street.
• Thursday, April 3 – Fire Station #2 at 1200 W. Market Street.
• Tuesday, April 8 – South Smithfield Elementary School at 201 W. Sanders Street.
• Thursday, April 10 – Recreation and Aquatics Center at 600 M. Durwood
Stephenson Parkway. All four sessions will begin at 6 p.m.
“These meetings provide an opportunity for residents to have a direct impact on how resources are allocated in the upcoming budget,” said Town Manager Mike Scott. “We want to hear from the community and ensure that our budget and goals reflect the priorities of our residents.”
 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Are teachers worth less than police officers?

Good news from the N.C. General Assembly: A bill has been introduced by four members of the Republican Party majority in the House of Representatives to raise base pay for North Carolina's first-year public-school teachers to $50,000. Currently, starting pay for teachers is $41,000 (before local supplements are added).

But does that $50,000 look so good when you consider that the Town of Smithfield last year bumped starting pay for its police officers to $60,000.

As a result of the Smithfield Town Council's action, the Police Department is now "fully staffed." A couple of years ago, before last year's pay raise, Smithfield had a dozen police vacancies.

If the General Assembly doesn't step up and fund significantly higher pay for teachers, we will continue to see a shortage of well-qualified leaders in our classrooms. It's as simple as that.
 

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