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| PUBLISHED ONLINE APRIL 28, 2020 • VOL. 2, NO. 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stories and photos by Wingate Lassiter unless otherwise noted (click highlighted link to e-mail the editor) |
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| CORONAVIRUS
UPDATE: Johnston reports 139 cases --- up 14 in just four days, with deaths now at 13 Johnston County's case total has climbed to 139 --- up from 125 on Friday. Of Johnston's 13 deaths, 11 are associated with Clayton's Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, where 72 cases have been confirmed among patients and staff. Johnston County released the following coronavirus data at 4:45 p.m. Monday: • 139 confirmed cases; 14 hospitalized, 112 at home, 13 deaths. • 63% of cases female (88); 37% male (51 cases). • Cases by age: 0 ages 0-17; 6 ages 18-24; 34 ages 25-49; 40 ages 50-64; 59 ages 65 and older. • Cases by race: 91 white, 41 black, 4 "unknown," and 3 "other."
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An editorial review of local social distancing on the OBSERVATIONS page> |
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Schools closed for rest of 2019-20 term; how soon may they re-open in August?
When schools may begin the 2020-21 term is dependent on subsequent orders from the Governor's Office as well as legislative action taken by the N.C. General Assembly, which was to begin its customary "short session" during even-numbered years at noon today (Tuesday). State law as presently written does not allow school systems including Johnston's to open before the Monday closest to August 26 each year. One proposal under consideration because of the coronavirus shutdown is to allow schools to open a week earlier in August this summer. That's a starting date closer to what Johnston County Public Schools and other systems across the state have been requesting for several years now, but those calendar-flexibility bills have been repeatedly blocked by key legislators influenced by coastal tourism interests. |
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| School board gets
"wellness audit": a guidebook to budgetary savings? The Johnston County Board of Education spent the first two hours of its budget session Monday evening receiving a report about a just-finished "wellness audit" of the county's public-school system. Its recommendations for cost savings are especially timely as the board confronts inevitable budget cuts for the uncertain fiscal year ahead. "I believe we are going to have to make some major cuts," declared board member Terri Sessoms after Interim Superintendent Ben Williams presented a proposed budget for 2020-21 that calls for an increase in county funding close to $12 million. Ms. Sessoms called that proposal "unrealistic... with what we're facing with this (coronavirus) pandemic." She expects county revenues necessary to fund the schools' request will be "way, way down" this coming year. One of the recommendations from the wellness audit is to put a cap on salary supplements for Johnston's teachers by adopting a schedule of specific dollar amounts each year rather than percentages of basic pay provided by the state. Board members appeared to favor that approach. "If you look at cutting, you're going to have to go into positions and supplements," said board member Ronald Johnson. Another recommendation from the wellness audit calls for a reorganization of Central Office administrative staff that could eliminate perhaps 17 positions, said Don Martin, retired Superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools who presented the audit's findings to the board via a Zoom teleconference. Other cost-saving measures could include contracting of the school system's custodial services, food-service management, grounds maintenance, HVAC repair, printing services, and driver's education, Dr. Martin said. However, he added, "the thing not to do is to replace your existing employees." Let those savings take place "over time" through employee attrition, he advised. The costliest item wrecking recent school budgets is Johnston's extra appropriation for exceptional children's programs. While the state provides money for those programs based on 12.75% of a school system's total student enrollment, Johnston County has been serving 16% of its enrollment --- who are children requiring special attention because of a variety of handicaps. Dr. Martin recommended tighter screening of students who may need special ed to reduce the numbers, increasing fees wherever they're charged for those services, and employing additional full-time staff rather than contracting to fill positions such as speech therapists. Another move to save money, he said, is to eliminate "dual role jobs" such as teacher assistants being pulled out of classrooms as substitute bus drivers. He said the system's move this coming year to uniform school-starting times should help with that by creating more full-time bus-driving positions. The complete audit report presented by Dr. Martin and his colleague, CPA Kerry Crutchfield, was not made public at Monday's meeting. Dr. Martin's summary of the report's findings and recommendations that was displayed during the meeting may be viewed on the school system's website> |
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Strawberriesare in season through May Brenda Stancil of Smithfield adds some yellow squash to a box of strawberries she's purchasing from Gina Tilton, who's employed by Cottle Farms of Faison to operate a temporary produce stand set up beneath a tent on North Bright Leaf Boulevard. Ms. Tilton said strawberries are picked daily at Cottle Farms and should continue coming our way through May, and perhaps longer. The produce stand is located on vacant property where the Trot Motel once stood. |
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SMITHFIELD COUNCIL REPORT The primary purpose for last Thursday's special session of the Smithfield Town Council was to begin work on a budget for the new fiscal year that starts July 1. Highlights of a draft budget presented by Town Manager Mike Scott was published in last Friday's edition of the Sun> The council will continue its budget deliberations by telephone conference call at 6:30 p.m. today (Tuesday). To listen in, dial 919-391-3517 or 1-800-719-7514 and enter conference code 808829 when prompted. Here are other items considered by the council at Thursday's meeting: SPLASH PAD PROJECT AUTHORIZED BY SPLIT VOTE By a vote of 5-2, the Smithfield Town Council authorized staff to negotiate a contract with Carolina Recreation & Design of Mooresville for construction of a Splash Pad at Smith-Collins Park. While the final cost was not determined by Thursday's action, the town has $125,000 earmarked in its current budget for it. Councilmen Marlon Lee and Travis Scott voted against the authorization. Mr. Lee said he is "opposed to the amount." He amplied that statement in a follow-up e-mail to the Sun with a comment that "East Smithfield gets the cheapest EVERYTHING." Councilman Scott explained his no vote in an e-mail to the Sun: "It is my concern that we know what we are paying for. The proposal did not define exactly what type amenities would be included. I want what is best for our communities equally."  Carolina
Recreation & Design had
submitted samples of its work
showing projects (like
the one on the
right in
Fuquay-Varina)
that cost
considerably more than what's set
aside for the Smith-Collins
facility.Besides Mr. Lee and Mr. Scott, other council members taking part in Thursday's meeting by teleconference were David Barbour, John Dunn, Steve Rabil, David Stevens, and Roger Wood along with Mayor Andy Moore. DECISION SOON ON WATER PLANT EXPANSION? Public Utilities Director Ted Credle told the council it needs to decide before the new budget is done whether to proceed with proposed expansion of the town's Water Treatment Plant now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given its approval. The expansion, which has been opposed by some residents of the nearby North Smithfield neighborhood, will require a $12-million loan, Mr. Credle noted. Meanwhile, he brought the council some good news when he reported that the cost of chemicals used by the water plant is not expected to increase in 2020-21. "That surprised us," he said. Most of those chemicals are imported from China, Mr. Credle noted, yet four suppliers of chemicals to the town "do not anticipate supply-line issues" in the year ahead, despite continuing U.S. trade tensions with China coupled with the coronavirus pandemic. MAY'S COUNCIL SESSION POSTPONED TWO WEEKS In hopes the meeting can be held without restrictions on how many folks can attend, the council agreed to postpone its next regularly scheduled monthly session from Tuesday, May 5 to Monday, May 18. Town Manager Scott requested the delay as three quasi-judicial public hearings on land-use requests need to be conducted. Currently, public gatherings in North Carolina are limited to 10 persons. That order is in effect through May 8. |
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County Commissioners to meet next Monday morning; this Friday is deadline for submitting public comments The Johnston County Board of Commissioners will conduct its regular monthly meeting at 10 a.m. next Monday (May 4) at the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield. The public will not be allowed to attend in person, but the meeting will be live-streamed on the county's Facebook page> Any citizen who wishes to address the board may e-mail comments by 5 p.m. this Friday (May 1) to the board's clerk: paula.woodard@johnstonnc.com> The complete agenda for Monday's meeting is posted on the county's website> |
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DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area.... REBECCA DANIELLE HAM, 37 - died April 26 GARY RAY JACKSON, 72 - died April 25 JOHN DANIEL (DAN) SEARCY, 71 - died April 23 REV. CHARLES ARIEL CAMPBELL, 88 - died April 22 JACKSON WIMBISH PARKER, 21 - died April 20 |
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LINKS TO AN ADDITIONAL PAGES OBSERVATIONS |
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