Smithfield-Selma High, Smithfield Middle advance

All members of the Johnston County Board of Education were upbeat as they got a staff review of this year's state testing of students' academic performance during Tuesday's monthly meeting.

"We have a lot to be thankful for," stated Superintendent of Schools David Pearce.

High points of the staff's report:

• 61% of Johnston's students performed at or above grade level on end-of-year tests – the highest level in 12 years – with 41 of the county's 49 school units showing overall academic improvement. (The statewide average was 59.2%).

• For overall performance, Johnston's school system ranked 29th among North Carolina's 115 school districts. That's up from a low point of 83rd in 2019.

• Johnston's high-school graduation rate climbed to 92.6% – above the improved statewide rate of 88.8%.

"We have come so far (from) how bad things had gotten," said board member Michelle Antoine, an outspoken critic of past administrations. "We have come a long way and will continue to have progress," added board member Kay Carroll.

Regarding local schools, Smithfield Middle School improved its performance grade from an “F” to a “D”  as a result of "significant progress in the school’s academic performance," the staff reported. The school’s performance composite increased by 5.1 percentage points, with notable gains in math and science.

Smithfield-Selma High School also "demonstrated significant academic growth," increasing its overall proficiency by 8.8 percentage points, the staff noted. "The school saw substantial gains in Math I (+22.8), Math 3 (+7.7), and Biology (+8.7)" and improved its numeric school-performance grade from 58 to 66 while maintaining its previous "C" grade. "The score of 66 is the highest grade the school has achieved under the current accountability model," the staff's reported pointed out.
 

None of Johnston's traditional schools scored high enough to earn "A" grades this past year – only the school system's Early College and Career & Technical Leadership academies with limited numbers of students reached that mark.

North Johnston High School (led by former SSS Principal David Allen) raised its grade from "C" to "B," joining Clayton, Cleveland, and Corinth Holders at that level. High schools graded "C" as before were South Johnston, Princeton, and West Johnston along with SSS.

On a negative note, Wilson's Mills Elementary School saw its state grade fall from "C" to "D." Princeton Elementary's grade also dropped – from "B" to "C."

Smithfield's Neuse Charter School, meanwhile, upped its grade from "C" to "B" with 67.7% of its students performing at or above grade level – up from 62.9% a year earlier. American Leadership Academy Johnston also raised its grade from "C" to "B" with a jump in its grade-level performance from 57.5% to 65.5%.

SEARCH the state's complete database published by The News & Observer to get performance numbers and ratings for all of Johnston's schools>

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT REPORT
10th-day K-12 total for Johnston County Public Schools: 36,831
Average Daily Membership recorded by the state for 2025-26: 37,079
which resulted in a state funding allotment of almost $304 million this past year.

NEW SALARY SCHEDULE APPROVED
At last, Johnston County Public Schools has been able to compile its salary schedule for 2026-27 after belated adoption of a state budget by the N.C. General Assembly this summer. JCPS Chief Financial Officer Stephen Britt presented the plan to Johnston's Board of Education on Tuesday. It was adopted by unanimous vote. (NOTE: Employees identified as "classified" are teachers, counselors, and other personnel with academic credentials; "classified" employees are support staff including secretaries, custodians, cafeteria staff, and bus drivers.)
VIEW SALARY DETAILS in Mr. Britt's summary presentation>

SCHOOLS' 2026-27 BUDGET ADOPTED
With the new salary schedule finalized, the Board of Education was able to adopt its finished budget for 2026-27 at Tuesday's meeting. The budget resolution provides the budget's big-picture highlights:
• For this year's operations – state funding of $324,287,182, local funding of $120,338,756 (including a county appropriation of $116,780,000 and a Fund Balance appropriation of 3,558,756), plus federal revenue of $12,974,478.
• For capital outlay – $146,158,534, all from local funding sources, mostly county bond issues approved in recent years. On that list are HVAC projects at Smithfield-Selma High and South Smithfield Elementary and "switchgear" work at Smihfield Middle School. 
• Child Nutrition Fund amounting to $24,210,192 consists of $14,609,876 from state and federal allocations plus $9,600,316 in local funding.

Advisory Council appointments for local schools
The school board confirmed the following appointments Tuesday:
• Smithfield-Selma High School Advisory Council – Shannon Macedo, Sekesha Chestnut, Olga Khonyakina, Terri Lee, Susan Vann, and Byron McAlister.
• Smithfield Middle School Advisory Council – Heather Blanton.
The appointments are for three-year terms.

Central Office administrators get new contracts
The board accepted the superintendent's recommendations on contracts for three administrative positions within the JCPS Central Office:
● Richard Hutchinson - Director of Transportation, Operations.
● Cynthia Anderson - Director of Exceptional Children, Curriculum, Instruction,
and Accountability.
● Melissa Weber - Executive Director of Exceptional Children, Curriculum,
Instruction, and Accountability.
 

Johnston's County Commissioners on Tuesday approved an appropriation of $330,000 from the county's Open Space Fund to help the Triangle Land Conservancy acquire 48 acres beside the Neuse River east of Clayton.

The site, identifed by TLC as "Rainbow Canyon" near the Portofino subdivision, includes about 1,000 feet along the northeast bank of the river that's suitable for a section of the Neuse River Trail's proposed extension from its present terminus near Clayton to Smithfield.

That section could be connected to another portion envisioned for county parkland recently purchased along the opposite side of the Neuse that includes the site of the new Wilson's Mills High School. That trail could eventually be connected to Smithfield's paved greenway trail ending at Community Park.

A completed portion of the Neuse River Trail has been in use for several years by bicyclists and pedestrians between Clayton and the Falls Lake dam above Raleigh.

County presents 2nd Cypress Legacy Award

Retired U.S. Army Col. Rudolph (Rudy) Baker received Johnston's second Cypress Legacy Award during Tuesday morning's session of the commissioners. (County photo)
Mr. Baker grew up near Four Oaks and went on to serve a distinguished 33-year career in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam. His military service continued long after his retirement from the Army through his work with veterans, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, and the Johnston County Veterans Service Advisory Board.

He also helped preserve the stories of his fellow soldiers as co-author of The Boys of Benning, highlighting the lives of 14 graduates of the Army's Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He has donated copies to Johnston County's public high schools and the Johnston County Museum.

The Cypress Legacy Award recognizes individuals whose leadership, service, and commitment have helped shape Johnston County and improve the lives of its citizens. The first recipient of the award was presented to retired Army officer and chaplain Sherrill Stevens in July.

Former commissioner Allan Mims memoralized
Commissioners adopted a resolution in memory for former board member Allen Mims of Clayton, who passed away at age 76 on August 31. Mr. Mims served as a county commissioner for 20 years – from December 1998 until November 2018. He served as chairman in 2010-12.

Firefighters Week includes annual 9-11 observance
Commissioners proclaimed September 6-12 as Firefighters Week as instructed by an act of the N.C. General Assembly following the 9-11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. It was noted that the 25th anniversary of those attacks will be commemorated at 7:35 a.m. Friday in the Smithfield-Selma High School auditorium.

Child Passenger Safety Week includes inspections
Commissioners proclaimed September 20-26 as Child Passenger Safety Week as requested by the Partnership for Children of Johnston County. It was noted that children age 14 and under accounted for 1,086 Emergency Room visits, 37 hospitalizations, and five deaths in Johnston as a result of motor-vehicle accidents in 2020-24. September 26 was designated as "National Seat Check Saturday," when free child safety-seat inspections will be scheduled.

Rezoning OK'd for warehouse complex in Cleveland Township
At Tuesday's evening session, the board approved a contested request for Industrial Conditional Zoning to allow a warehouse distribution complex on 51.75 acres beside Cornwallis Road just north of Cleveland Road. Tim Brent of Longleaf Industrial based in Cary was the applicant. Commissioner Bill Stovall cast the only vote against the rezoning, citing traffic concerns. Both the county's Planning Board and staff had recommended denial of the rezoning "based on inconsistency with the (county's ) Envision 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan."
 

Perhaps it was past its time to come down

Saturday's windy storms apparently brought down this old oak that had outgrown its cramped base between Davis Street and the sidewalk just west of South Fifth Street. It broke utility lines, cutting power for nearby residents. It's not the first of these massive street-side trees planted a century ago to fall apart in recent years, some of them removed by the town before damage was done. (Photo from JoCo Report)
 

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 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Fall Fridays concert series returns to amphitheater Friday
This month's offering at the Neuse River Amphitheater below Front Street is a band called Antique Outlaws, billed as "one of central North Carolina's favorite live Country bands. "Residents and visitors are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket, enjoy great music along the Neuse River, and spend an evening in Downtown Smithfield. Food trucks will be on site for each concert, offering a variety of food and refreshments throughout the evening," reads the invitation from Smithfield Parks & Recreation. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Friday. Admission is free of charge. The series continues October 9 with Riggsbee Road and November 6 with SouLe & The SuperBand.

Town Council's next scheduled meeting this Tuesday
The regularly scheduled second-monthly meeting of the Smithfield Town Council starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall. VIEW the agenda once it's posted online>

Constitution's anniversary bell-ringing next Thursday
Next week is Constitution Week, marking the 239th anniversary of the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787. The local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will host its annual bell-ringing at the Courthouse at 3:45 p.m. Thursday when bells were rung in Philadelphia to signal the Constitution's completion. Citizens are invited to bring bells of their own to participate in next week's event. 

County schedules community informational meetings
The first session for a new series of meetings entitled "County Close-Ups" is set for Wednesday, September 23 – hosted by the Johnston County Department of Social Services starting at 6 p.m. in Building A on the department's campus beside Smithfield's North Street. Citizens are invited to drop by "to learn about SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid changes, ask questions directly, and connect with staff," reads the county's invitation.
 

 DEATHS AND FUNERALS 
Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home:

 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Lackluster local election? Fewer choices this time

This year's General Election on November 3 appears to be mostly about who's going to replace North Carolina's U.S. Senator Tom Tillis, who's not seeking re-election. It's one of a batch of tightly competitive races to see which political party will be in control of Congress during the next couple of years.

On the local level, there aren't many choices before us.

None of the candidates for county commissioner or school board have opposition on November's ballot, having prevailed in the spring's Republican Primary election (several incumbents ran without any opposition then as well). There's also no opposition for re-election of our sheriff, district attorney, clerk of court, register of deeds, and several District Court judges.

We do have choices to make for our representatives in both houses of the N.C. General Assembly as well as the U.S. House of Representatives and for seats on the N.C. Supreme Court and the state's Court of Appeals, but there's hardly any buzz about the candidates in those races.

Three proposed amendments to the N.C. Constitution are another matter. One would cap the state's income-tax rate at 3.5%. Another would require unspecified limits on property-tax increases (especially after revaluations). A third would require all voters to present photo IDs in all circumstances.

Surprisingly, a competitive race has popped up for two seats on the non-partisan Johnston County Soil and Water Conservation Board. Nine candidates are on the ballot, one of them campaigning on social media as an advocate of limiting Johnston's rural real-estate development.

Perhaps we can get more clarity about this year's contested races in the weeks just ahead. In the meantime, here's the link to a sample ballot (for Smithfield's voters)>

Absentee balloting has begun. Early voting begins October 15 at a handful of sites.
Details about the upcoming election on the Johnston Board of Elections website>

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