Tuesday's
monthly meeting of the
Johnston County Board of
Education was the last one
scheduled before
Superintendent of Schools
Eric Bracy moves on to his
next job as Cumberland
County's superintendent at
the end of this month.
"There is no question that
our school district was in
pretty bad shape when he
came in here – with our
academic performance, with
our financial situation –
and through his five years
here with us he has made a
world of difference,"
stated Board Chair Lyn
Andrews.
"Being the leader of this
district has been just one
of the greatest highlights
of my personal journey,
and it's been an amazing
journey," Dr. Bracy
responded. "As a result of
amazing leaders, amazing
teachers, and a supportive
Board of Education and a
supportive Board of
Commissioners we became
one of the best academic
districts in the state....
"Keep your foot on the
gas, keep students first
in all your decisions. The
blueprint is there to
remain one of the best in
the state and to keep up
the academic excellence
here," the superintendent
concluded.
Chief of Finance Stephen
Britt got in his thank-you
later during Tuesday's
session: "I'm. going to
say 'good evening to Dr.
Bracy' one last time. I've
said this now for almost
nine years in two
different districts, and I
appreciate you letting me
ride your coattails here
to Johnston."
Mr. Britt came with Dr.
Bracy from Sampson County
where they made
considerable progress both
academically and
financially. Based on what
he said Tuesday, Mr. Britt
won't be accompanying Dr.
Bracy to Fayetteville.
School
board adopts a stricter
cell-phone policy
The
new policy prohibits
elementary and
middle-school students
from having cell phones in
their possession from
"from the first bell to
the last bell each day."
The same rule applies to
high-school students with
an exception that allows
access to their cell
phones during lunchtime.
What divided the school
board in approving the new
policy by a 5-2 vote was
some objection to the rule
that teachers could not
use their phones while
teaching: "Staff may use
phones for emergency
response purposes and when
not responsible for
supervising or instructing
students," states the new
policy.
Board member April Lee, a
former McGee's Crossroads
teacher now teaching in
Harnett County, said the
staff rule undercuts
"professionalism" by
prohibiting teachers from
conferring with colleagues
by phone during the school
day. "It is just
demoralizing to teachers,"
she said of the new rule,
adding that teachers who
abuse use of their phones
ought to be dealt with by
administrators rather than
a policy.
But most of the other
board members insisted on
keeping the new staff rule
so teachers are focused on
instructing students
without cell-phone
distractions. "We want to
make sure when they're in
the classroom they're
teaching," declared Kevin
Donovan, chairman of the
board's Policy Committee
which crafted the new
policy.
Board members Lyn Andrews,
Michelle Antoine, Jeff
Sullivan, and Terry
Tippett joined Mr. Donovan
in approving the policy.
Kay Carroll sided with Ms.
Lee in voting against it.
Entitled "Use of Wireless
Communication Devices,"
the policy applies to
pagers, laptops,
headphones, and "similar
cellular/wifi/bluetooth-enabled
devices of any type not
owned by Johnston County
Public Schools." It goes
on to note that the school
system "has provided
computers for every
student to use
individually" for
instructional purposes.
"Administrators may
authorize individual
students to use personal
electronic devices for
communicating during a
crisis, or for unforeseen
needs," the policy states.
When students violate the
policy, an administrator
may confiscate the device
and hold it in the
school's main office to be
picked up later by a
parent or guardian. For a
second offense, a student
may receive a three-day
suspension from school;
for a third office, up to
10 days out with long-term
suspension also possible.
READ the
entire policy posted on
the Johnston County
Public Schools
website>
Contracts
for exceptional
children's services: $8
million
The
Board of Education
approved multiple
contracts Tuesday for
exceptional children's
therapy services during
the upcoming school year.
Total cost of those
contracts: $8,027,922.
Assistant Superintendent
Jill McKenna said about
6,200 students are covered
in some way by the various
services. The contractors,
listed by category of
service:
• Speech-Language –
Kinetic Pediatric Therapy
$4,525,000; Venture
Rehabilitation Group
$475,000.
• Nursing – Maxim
Healthcare Services
$285,000; Team
Select/Professional
Healthcare, Inc. $140,000;
Bayada $140,000.
• Interpreting – American
Sign Language, Inc.
$500,000.
• Behavioral – Positive
Behavior Supports
Corporation $400,000.
• Vision Impairment –
Equalize Sensory Service,
LLC $575,000; Sania
Mahmmod $150,000;
Dragonfly Vision $150,000.
• Hearing Impairment –
Invision Services, Inc.
$150,000; Equalize Sensory
Service $150,000.
• Vocational Training –
Johnston County Industries
$387,922. (Ms. McKenna
said the school system has
a long-term relationship
with JCI for those
services.)
Lunch
fee going up for staff;
all students still eat
free
The
board approved an annual
schedule of fees for
school services that are
mostly unchanged from the
past year, Mr. Britt
noted. One change is an
increase in the lunch fee
charged teachers and other
staff from $4 to $4.75.
All students will continue
to eat breakfast and lunch
free of charge, Mr. Britt
confirmed.
Still
no news on county's new
property-tax rate
Monday
evening's budget session
of the Johnston County
Board of Commissioners
lastly barely half an
hour. Only two requests
were heard.
Retired District Judge
Addie Rawls, speaking in
her new role as board
chair of
Johnston-Lee-Harnett
Community Action, asked
commissioners to
appropriate $50,000 to
$100,000 in the coming
year's budget for the
anti-poverty agency, which
received no funding in the
current year's county
budget.
Liz Lynn of the Johnston
County Chapter of Down
Home North Carolina, a
citizens' advocacy group
focused on small towns and
rural communities, asked
commissioners for "at
least $15,000" to help
launch a local campaign
promoting a national
"Double Up Bucks" program
for SNAP recipients.
(SNAP, short for
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, is the
successor to food stamps.)
At the end of Monday's
session, Commissioner Ted
Godwin brought up the
question he gets
"everywhere we go": What
will be the county's
property-tax rate in the
wake of this year's 70%
overall increase in
real-estate valuations?
"I've done some number
crunching on my own," said
Mr. Godwin, a retired
banker. "We ought to be
able to achieve something
in the upper-40-to-50-cent
range."
County Manager Rick Hester
is recommending a 64-cent
tax rate in his proposed
budget – a reduction of
three cents from the past
year's 67 cents per $100
valuation. Commissioners
have stated their goal is
to set the new tax rate
and adopt the 2025-26
county budget when they
meet again at 6 p.m. next
Monday.
County
renews annual audit
contract
Commissioners
followed Finance Director
Chad McLamb's
recommendation to renew a
contract with the
Whiteville-based
accounting firm of
Thompson, Price, Scott,
Adams & Company to
perform the required
annual audit of the
county's financial
records. The cost is
$89,750 – a 3.8% increase
over the past year's
contract. Mr. McLamb said
the increase is justified
because of "mandates and
everything that's required
now" by the state.
County
names its new Fire Marshal
Travis
Johnson is
the County of Johnston's
newly appointed Fire
Marshal. He succeeds Ryan
Parker, who was recently
promoted to the role of
Emergency Services
Director following the
retirement of Kevin
Hubbard in April.
Mr. Johnson began working
with the county in
December 2011 as a
telecommunicator with
9-1-1 Communications. In
July 2018 he was hired by
Johnston County Emergency
Services as a fire
Inspector.
He was named Assistant
Fire Marshal in August
2022 and Deputy Fire
Marshal last September.
Smithfield
sees start of several
major road projects...
The N.C. Department of
Transportation's project
to replace the US 301
bridge across the Neuse
River has begun. ABOVE:
Right-of-way is being
prepared for a new bridge
beside the existing
structure. BELOW: Travel
lanes have been cut from
three to two to keep the
old bridge in service
while the new one is
built.
Meanwhile . . .
Outlet Center
Drive's resurfacing
by the Town of Smithfield
has begun, with the
contractor working at
night to minimize traffic
congestion. The southbound
lane between the Harley
Davidson store and the
Selma town limit was
"milled" and repaved with
asphalt earlier this week.
South Third
Street's resurfacing
is up next – from Johnston
Street Downtown to US 301
(Bright Leaf Boulevard).
Town Manager Mike Scott
said the plan is "to get
them (the contractor)
going by the end of June."
Johnston
employment stable; jobless
rate at 2.8%
The
latest monthly report from
the N.C. Department of
Commerce showed 124,446
Johnston County residents
were employed in April,
close to the record-high
124,452 holding jobs in
March. The number of
Johnstonians filing for
unemployment benefits
declined from 3,923 in
March to 3,640 in April,
producing a jobless rate
of 2.8% – slightly above a
rate of 2.7% a year ago.
Meanwhile, the statewide
unemployment rate for
April improved to 3.4%
while the national rate
remained at 4.2%.
VIEW
the N.C.
county-by-county report
for April>
WHAT'S COMING UP
Downtown's
revamped farmers market
opens Saturday
Billed as the
"Smithfield Signature Fresh
Market," the first in this
summer's series will be staged
in the Courthouse parking lot
at South Third and Johnston
streets from 8 a.m. till noon.
The Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation is
partnering with Johnston
Community College's Small
Business Center to organize
the event, which is scheduled
every other Saturday through
October. "Residents and
visitors alike can shop a
vibrant selection of seasonal
produce, locally raised meats,
fresh flowers, handmade goods,
and more," reads the DSDC
announcement.
16th
annual "Shred Event" at
Rose Manor this Saturday
The
Johnston County Register of
Deeds document-shredding
event is set for 9 a.m. till
noon at West Smithfield's
Rose Manor Shopping Center.
There's a limit of three
boxes or trash bags of
"sensitive and personal
documents" per vehicle,
advises Register of Deeds
Craig Olive. "For prompt
service, please have your
items prepped and ready;
otherwise, you will be asked
to adjust your items and
re-enter at the back of the
line," he said. There's no
charge for the shredding
service.
Saturday's
triathlon means road
closings around SRAC
It's
the 14th annual 3 Little
Pigs Triathlon that starts
and ends at the Smithfield
Recreation and Aquatics
Center. From 7 a.m. till
10:30 a.m. Durwood
Stephenson Parkway will be
closed to motor vehicles
from Buffalo Road to
Kellie Drive, which will
be reserved for bicyclists
during the event. The
triathlon – including
consecutive swim, bike,
and run segments – is a
fund-raiser for the
Central Johnston Rotary
Club and Smithfield
Friends of the Parks. VISIT this
website if you want to
sign up>
Commissioners
may adopt the new county
budget Monday
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will meet at
6 p.m. Monday at the
Courthouse, primarily to
discuss and possibly adopt
the 2025-26 county budget
with a new property-tax
rate. VIEW the
complete agenda for
Monday's session>
Town
Council will continue
budget deliberation
Tuesday
The
Smithfield Town Council will
meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at
Town Hall, primarily for
further discussion of the
town manager's proposed
budget for 2025-26. Adoption
of the budget is possible,
yet the council has until
the end of the month to do
so.
VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday's session>
TOWN
WARNS RESIDENTS ABOUT
FRAUDULENT E-MAILS:
"The Town of Smithfield is
alerting residents to a
recent scam involving
fraudulent
e-mails that falsely appear
to be from our Planning
Department. These e-mails
may reference invoices or
request payments and are
designed to look official.
Please be aware that the
Town does not issue invoices
via e-mail for planning
services or any other
departments. If you receive
such an e-mail, do not
respond. Instead, forward it
to info@smithfield-nc.com
and delete it immediately."
GREAT SELECTION OF GIFTS, CARDS,
JEWELRY &
OTHER UNIQUE ITEMS
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM
THE EDITOR
What's
the status of newspapers
across our state?
The
status of "community
journalism" in North
Carolina comes up often in
conversations this
reporter has with folks I
know. And I'll admit in
most cases it is I who
brings up the subject
because I can't get off my
mind the travesty of
corporate elimination of
our Smithfield Herald
a decade ago.
Yes, there are newspapers
like the Herald
we once knew still alive
in smaller towns across
the state. Two of my
favorites carry similar
names: The Pilot in
Southern Pines and The
State Port Pilot in
Southport. Both are
locally owned and operated
by a new generation of
families that have been in
control for some time now.
Both of those newspapers,
as many others, today
publish electronic
editions. Yet they still
print and distribute
traditional newspapers you
can hold in your hands.
And guess what: Those
newspapers are full of
advertisements, the
lifeblood of any
publication, whether print
or digital. The reason:
They've got loyal readers
because they still have
staffs that produce a full
range of news you can't
get on Facebook!
We ought to have those
kinds of robust newspapers
here in one of the fastest
growing counties in North
Carolina....
If you want to check out
the communities that still
have newspapers, visit the
"North Carolina Newspaper
Directory" on the
website of the N.C.
Press Association>
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,612
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
You'll find
it in the Weekly
Sun archives>
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
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