The
Johnston County Board of
Education on Tuesday voted
4-3 to adopt a "modified
year-round calendar" for
the next two years that
moves the first day of
school to an earlier date
in August, thereby
providing an 18-week fall
semester that ends before
the Christmas holidays.
This
plan includes three two-week
breaks between nine-week
grading periods: the first
one in October, the second
covering Christmas holidays,
the third in March, untied
to the Easter holiday which
varies from year to year.
Unlike true year-round
school calendars such as
Wake County's, where
students in the lower grades
alternate nine-week
sessions, Johnston's
"modified" calendar has
students in all grades in
class on the same schedule
with the same summer break.
The option chosen by
Johnston's board is a
permissible means of getting
around a state law that
requires public schools to
start the fall semester no
sooner than the Monday
closest to August 26.
"What's unfortunate is that
the General Assembly has not
given us calendar
flexibility," noted Board
Chair Lyn Andrews.
She was joined in support of
the new calendar by board
members Kay Carroll, Kevin
Donovan, and Mike Wooten.
Voting against it were
Michelle Antoine, Ronald
Johnson, and Terry Tippett,
who raised concerns during
discussion prior to the vote
about staffing at schools
when classes are not in
session, scheduling of
summer jobs by students and
staff, and extra costs to
operate schools under the
new set-up.
"There are no huge financial
impacts" moving to the new
calendar, said Anna
Kuykendal, the school
system's chief academic
officer.
Mr. Tippett asked if the
board had the option of
dropping the new schedule
after the first year,
especially if test scores
show a marked decline.
"Yes," replied Ms.
Kyukendal, who guided the
calendar-making process that
included input from the
public as well as staff at
all of Johnston's schools.
In adopting the new
calendar, the board's
majority agreed to insert a
provision to make the first
week of teacher workdays in
late July optional.
A second calendar option
under consideration would
have continued the present
schedule, which started
school in late August but
shortens the fall semester
by a couple of weeks so
mid-term exams can be
administered before
Christmas.
School
board adopts redrawn
attendance districts
Prompted
by the opening of the new
Swift Creek Elementary
School next year and the
new Wilson's Mills High
School two years from now,
the Board of Education
adopted revised attendance
districts for all of
Johnston County.
The new districts for
Smithfield's elementary,
middle, and high schools
have relatively small
changes in boundaries:
• Smithfield-Selma
High's district
loses territory around the
new Wilson's Mills High
and gains some territory
to the west that's
presently part of the
Cleveland High School
district. As a result,
enrollment at SSS will
move from 99% capacity to
88%.
VIEW the map
of the entire county's
new high-school
boundaries>
• Smithfield
Middle School's
district is enlarged to
the west with part of the
current district for Swift
Creek Middle School. As a
result, enrollment at
Smithfield Middle will
move from 85% capacity to
95%. VIEW the map
of new middle-school
boundaries>
• South
Smithfield Elementary's
boundaries are unchanged.
West Smithfield
Elementary will
lose a small segment on
the west side of its
district, reducing its
enrollment from 97% of
capacity to 79%. Wilson's
Mills Elementary
will lose a piece to
Powhatan Elementary yet
gain a small segment
nearby from Polenta
Elementary's district,
reducing enrollment from
111% of capacity to 72%
with help from a classroom
addition funded with the
bond issue approved last
week.
VIEW the map
of new elementary-school
boundaries>
Balancing
school-enrollment
capacities was one of the
primary factors in
devising the redistricting
plan, which was developed
by N.C.
State University's
Operations Research and
Education Laboratory (OREd)
under the school board's
guidance.
Along with adoption of the
new maps, the board
approved a policy that
will allow rising fifth
graders in elementary
schools and rising eighth
graders in middle schools,
as well as their siblings,
to remain in their current
school, although bus
transportation will not be
provided out of their
newly assigned districts.
That policy will apply to
11th and 12th graders and
their siblings when the
new high school opens in
2026.
Board member Michelle
Antoine cast the long
dissenting vote Tuesday
against adoption of the
redistricting plan. "The
final maps have not gone
out to the public," she
pointed out.
The maps were displayed on
overhead monitors at
Tuesday's board meeting
but were not posted on the
school system's website
until Wednesday morning.
Johnston's
schools have cut teacher
vacancy rate to 2%
Chief
Financial Officer Stephen
Britt told the board
Tuesday that Johnston's
school system has
dramatically reduced
teacher vacancies – from
about 300 last December to
"47 or so" at last count.
That's a vacancy rate of
2% – down from an
anticipated 5% Mr. Britt
said he had figured in
crafting this year's
budget.
"Great for everybody
except my budget," he
quipped, pointing out that
Johnston's success in
recruiting teachers has
reduced "vacancy savings"
in the current year's
overall spending plan. "I
would not expect any
vacancy savings as we've
had in the past," the
finance chief concluded.
Superintendent Eric Bracy
asked if the reduction in
teacher vacancies is the
cause of less expense for
substitutes. Yes, Mr.
Britt replied, along with
better attendance records
among teachers currently
on the job.
Schools
ended fiscal year with
$13-million fund balance
The
board got that news in
presentation of the annual
audit report on Johnston
County Public Schools. The
exact amount of General
Fund balance as of June
30, the end of the 2023-24
fiscal year, was
$13,072,738 – a decrease
of $11.9 million from the
previous year, reported
Adam Scepurik of the
accounting firm of
Anderson Smith & Wike,
contracted to examine the
school system's books.
"You're now in the range
the county wants you to
be," Mr. Scepurik told the
board, noting that the
County Commissioners had
encouraged the past year's
draw-down to help balance
the schools' local budget.
As a result, noted school
board member Michelle
Antoine, "the County
Commissioners have greatly
increased our funding."
Mr. Scepurik also
highlighted the system's
success in building up its
"proprietary fund" for
food service in school
cafeterias, boosted in
large part by federal and
state aid related to the
COVID pandemic. With $13.4
million on hand as of June
30, the auditor noted,
Johnston's schools are in
good shape to continue its
program of free school-day
meals for all students
regardless of household
incomes.
"We should have at least
10 years before we have to
put any local money in the
food-service program,"
added Stephen Britt, the
school system's financial
chief.
Mike Wooten winds up 16 years serving on the
school board
He
was saluted during
Tuesday's monthly meeting
of the Board of Education
– his last before his
successor takes office
next month. He's pictured
with wife Paula (left),
daughter Meredith and son
Michael. (Screenshot
from Tuesday's session)
An abrupt change in principals at
Smithfield-Selma
Less
than three months into the
school term, Joy Bryant (right)
has taken over as principal
of Smithfield-Selma High
School, succeeding Crystal
Gregory, who resigned
effective November 1 in just
her second year here.
Ms. Gregory (below)
e-mailed students late in
the day October 31 about her
decision to leave "in
pursuit of other career
opportunities that will
benefit me and my family."
"The
decision for me to step
away from SSS was not
made 
lightly, as
serving as principal
here has been the
greatest joy of my
career," Ms. Gregory
said in a subsequent
posting on the school's
Facebook page early last
week. "Leaving is
never easy, especially
from a place and community
that has meant so much to
me."
Last year she succeeded
David Allen, who served as
SSS principal for seven
years and five years
before that as assistant
principal. He was moved to
the school system's
Central Office where he
serves as Executive
Director of External
Partnerships and Strategic
Planning.
Joy Bryant moves over to
SSS from the office of
principal of the school
system's online Virtual
Academy. Before joining
the Johnston County staff
she served as a principal
at middle and high schools
in Cumberland County. A
graduate of Fayetteville
State University with
bachelor's and master's
degrees, she has taught
English Language Arts and
Social Studies and worked
as a literacy coach in the
middle grades. She is
married, with three
children.
EXQUISITE
HOME FOR SALE IN
SOUTH SMITHFIELD515
Rosewood Drive: 4
bedrooms, 3.5 baths,
1.2-acre landscaped lot.
Picturesque
French Country
custom-built home on
very private lot.
1st floor primary
bedroom suite. Hardwoods
throughout most of home.
Formal living &
dining rooms. Large
family room with gas log
fireplace.
Fantastic kitchen with
stainless steel
appliances and granite
counters.
Brick patios, porches,
walks, 2-car garage. $820,000
(MLS#10063083)
SUSAN
LASSITER, FONVILLE
MORISEY REALTY,
919-669-9235
Town
Council approves 3% pay
hikes in December
coupled with January
raises based on salary
study
The
Smithfield Town Council
voted 4-2 Tuesday night to
authorize a 3% pay increase
for most town employees,
effective December 2. In
addition, the council
adopted a new schedule of
salaries effective January 6
for employees whose current
pay is "under market" as
measured by a recently
concluded study of
comparable positions within
the region's local
governments.
The 3% increases approved
this week come on top of 2%
across-the-board pay raises
that took effect in late
September. Funding for both
is included in the 2024-25
town budget adopted in June.
Neither of those raises
apply to Smithfield's police
officers, who got $10,000
raises July 1 to combat an
alarming number of
police-officer vacancies.
That move appears to be
producing positive results.
Councilman Travis Scott
brought up the current
salary issue for discussion
at Tuesday's meeting. "Our
employees are expecting
this," he said of the
immediate raises that that
won approval. Town Manager
Mike Scott had originally
recommended the next round
of raises to be done in
January, based on results of
the salary study.
Joining Councilman Scott in
approving the 3% raises
sooner were John Dunn,
Marlon Lee, and Steve Rabil.
Voting no were David Barbour
and Roger Wood. (Sloan
Stevens was absent.)
In follow-up correspondence
with the Weekly Sun
on Wednesday, Town Manager
Scott explained that the 3%
raise in December will be
part of what's due
particular employees in
January to bring their
compensation up to market
levels determined by the pay
study. Employees whose pay
is already above market
levels for their positions
will get the 3% approved
this week but nothing more
in January, he said.
Body
cameras coming soon;
councilmen angered by
incident
Even
before a recent scuffle
involving a black motorist
and white Smithfield police
officers, Councilman Marlon
Lee had been complaining
about a delay in the
delivery of body cameras for
the town's patrolmen. His
frustration boiled over near
the end of Tuesday's council
session after Councilman
Travis Scott questioned town
administration's
transparency regarding the
incident, which was recorded
on a bystander's phone
camera and posted on social
media.
"Right or wrong, we've got
to tell the truth" when it
comes to the officers'
behavior, Mr. Scott
declared. "There are issues
that have not been
addressed."
"We don't have body cameras
yet!" Mr. Lee exclaimed,
raising his voice in anger.
"We need to get something
done in Smithfield before
somebody gets hurt.... If I
had three more votes tonight
(from fellow council
members), I'd fire both of
y'all," he said, pointing to
Town Manager Mike Scott and
Police Chief Pete Hedrick.
Mr. Hedrick came forward to
report that the body cameras
should be delivered by the
end of this week following a
delay in transferring a
$124,000 federal grant to
the town, which was
announced here five months
ago by Congressman Wiley
Nickel.
The police chief added that
the presence of body cameras
wouldn't have affected the
outcome of an ongoing
investigation by the
district attorney's office
into the recent incident
since the town's police
cruisers are equipped with
dashboard cameras that are
activated when officers face
tense situations.
The incident in question
took place in the Amazon
warehouse parking lot around
2:35 a.m. October 18 after
police had stopped Terrence
Ellis, an employee en route
to work. A bystander's video
recording appears to show
one officer punching Mr.
Ellis while another held him
down. Mr. Ellis was
subsequently charged with
felony fleeing to elude
arrest, felony assault
causing physical injury to
an officer, and driving
while impaired with a
revoked license.
$10
million moved to an
account paying higher
interest
Acting
on a recommendation from
Finance Director Andrew
Harris, the council approved
a transfer of $10 million
from a First Citizens Bank
Central Depository account
to a First Citizens Bank
Trust Portfolio that would
increase interest earned on
"idle funds" from 1.75% to
4.5%. Mr. Harris estimated
the switch would increase
interest earned annually by
approximately $275,000.
West
Smithfield multi-purpose
trail's design under
contract
The
council approved a contract
with Kimley-Horn, a national
company, for the engineering
and permitting phase of a
$2.3-million project to
construct a "multi-purpose
path" along US 70 Business
from Wilson's Mills Road to
the Neuse River bridge. The
cost of Kimley-Horn's work
could run as high as
$277,978, depending on how
many parcels of property
will be acquired. A federal
grant is covering 80% of the
project's cost, with the
remaining 20% to be provided
by the town.
Appearance
Commission lists
projects recently
completed
Chair
Kaitlyn Tarley presented the
Smithfield Appearance
Commission's annual report
to the council that showed
$23,423 spent this past year
on bench and shade
structures at the town's
pond across from Johnston
Community College,
replacement plants at
wayfinding signs and Town
Hall planters, a tree
inventory, and replacement
plants at Sunset Cemetery.
Development
rules revised with
street-lighting
stipulation
The
council adopted numerous
revisions to the town's
Unified Development
Ordinance following a
lengthy review by council
members and staff since a
public hearing was held on
the matter in July 2023. Of
particular concern to
Councilman David Barbour in
recent discussions was the
placement of street lighting
in residential
neighborhoods. In moving to
adopt the changes Tuesday,
he added a requirement that
street lights near
intersections be located so
sufficient illumination is
focused where opposing
traffic meets. He cited
instances in West
Smithfield, his district,
where intersections are
poorly lighted. (Duke
Energy, rather than the
town, provides electrical
service in that section of
Smithfield.)
The full text
of the UDO revisions
starts on page 62 of
Tuesday's agenda>
Sewage
spill reported in
commercial district
beside I-95
As
required by state law, the
town issued the following
statement this week:
On November the 11,
the Town of Smithfield
had a sewer backup on
North Equity Drive.
Approximately 1,500
gallons of sanitary
sewer was discharged
into the open ditches
along North Equity
Drive. Once notified,
crews responded and
proceeded to unstop the
blockage. After the
sewer was unstopped,
employees vacuumed the
sanitary sewer out of
the ditches. Once this
was completed, we
cleaned up any debris
and spread a layer of
lime on the affected
surfaces.
WHAT'S COMING
UP
Neuse Little Theatre's Arsenic
and Old Lace
opens Friday
It's
a reprise of the troupe's
1976 production as NLT
celebrates its 50th
anniversary season.
Performances are scheduled
at 8 p.m. this Friday and
Saturday, at 3 p.m.
Sunday, and at 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday,
November 22-23. To reserve
and purchase tickets, visit the
NLT website>
County
Commissioners may make
appointment Monday
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will
consider appointing a
successor to recently
ousted Commissioner Dickie
Braswell when they convene
for a regularly scheduled
meeting at 6 p.m. Monday
at the Courthouse. Four
applicants for the vacancy
were recently interviewed
by several members of the
board.
VIEW the
complete agenda for next
Monday's session once
it's posted>
Town
Council eyes four
hearings on housing
plans Tuesday
The
Smithfield Town Council
will consider land-use
zoning requests for four
new developments when it
convenes at 7 p.m. Tuesday
at Town Hall. The
projects:
• Country Club Townhomes,
a 60-unit development on 8
acres at the intersection
of South Bright Leaf
Boulevard (US 301) and
Country Club Road beside
Holt Lake.
• Stadler Station, a
168-unit apartment project
on 13 acres at the
intersection of Peedin
Road and Components Drive.
• Heritage Townes at
Waddell, a 17-unit
townhouse project on 1.88
acres off Waddell Drive
north of Bright Leaf
Boulevard.
• A 9-lot single-family
subdivision on 11 acres
beside Swift Creek Road
north of the Cleveland
Road intersection.
VIEW the
complete agenda for next
Tuesday's meeting>
"It's beginning to look a lot like
Christmas" around
here!
The
Junior Women’s League of
Smithfield has opened its
annual “Letters from
Santa" fund-raiser, and
the Town of Smithfield has
already posted its
schedule of upcoming
seasonal events at SmithfieldChristmas.com>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Despite
promises of
"transparency," it's
lacking
I'm
disappointed to report a
series of recent examples
where important
information has not been
timely delivered to the
public:
• The sudden resignation
of Smithfield-Selma High
School's principal.
Repeated requests for an
explanation from Johnston
County school officials
have gone unanswered.
Silence makes one
suspicious of what may be
taking place at SSS.
• The latest edition of
revamped school-attendance
boundaries. A first draft
was posted online more
than a month ago, but
revisions made since then
weren't shown until
moments before the plan's
adoption at Tuesday's
Board of Education
meeting, and then weren't
posted for the public to
view online until
Wednesday morning.
• The new "modified"
school calendar. Three
options were posted a
month ago to seek public
input on the choices, but
they were pulled from the
schools' website prior to
Tuesday's adoption by the
Board of Education, and
the chosen calendar still
hadn't been posted online
earlier today (Thursday).
And that list doesn't
include the Town of
Smithfield policing
incident covered by the
report above from this
week's Town Council
session. Despite
complaints to the
contrary, some details of
what happened have, in
fact, been shared, and the
case is now in the hands
of the district attorney's
office to see if there are
violations of policing
protocol. Meanwhile, the
public is still wondering
what really happened.
While we're at it, all of
our local governing boards
appear to be holding far
too many closed sessions
these days. Although their
stated purposes are
provided according to the
state's Opening Meetings
Law, the public can't help
but wonder what's really
being discussed behind
those closed doors.
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A PREVIOUS EDITION?
You'll find
it in the Weekly
Sun archives>
the SMITHFIELD
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