At Tuesday's New Hanover County School Board meeting, three new members were sworn in: Republican David Perry, and Democrats Tim Merrick and Judy Justice (who previously served from 2018-2022).
In a pair of 4-3 votes, Republicans Melissa Mason and Josie Barnhart were named chair and vice-chair, respectively. Notably, neither vote broke strictly along party lines.
Republicans Pat Bradford, Pete Wildeboer, and Josie Barnhart all dissented in the vote to make fellow Republican Mason chair. Justice, Merrick, and Mason voted against making Barnhart vice-chair.
Former board members Stephanie Walker, Stephanie Kraybill, and Hugh McManus rolled off and thanked the NHCS community for their support. Kraybill said she would continue to advocate for public schools and investments in them. Walker said she would work for the district as the newest New Hanover County Commissioner. McManus told the audience he spent most of his life in education and was grateful for the staff’s dedication to the district.
Budget discussion and superintendent search process
Interim Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes said he’s having a listening session on Tuesday, January 14. One segment for staff will start at 5 p.m. and a second one for the community is at 6:15 p.m. — both will be held at the New Hanover County Board of Education building. The district’s goal is to have the finalized budget to the county manager by April 15.
Merrick asked if Chief Financial Officer Ashley Sutton could present more information on per-pupil spending from other counties in other states to “elevate” the conversation surrounding funding with the county commission. Last school year, the county provided $4,177 per student; with state ($7,405) and federal funds ($2,211), the total investment is $13,793. New Hanover ranks 13th in the state for its county appropriation and supplemental taxes for education for its 3,572 employees and 25,503 students.
The board also voted 6-1 to have a work session in early January to review the search process for the district’s newest superintendent. They will review requests for proposals for a possible search firm. Bradford dissented because she said that January was already packed full of meetings.
Student and Teacher Voice
Members of the Student Voice presented and said they wanted the board to amend the controversial classroom display policy to allow for international flags in the schools. Former board chair Wildeboer originally wanted to reinstate the flags, but Bradford dissuaded him. The students said they wanted to represent diversity on campus, and flags are a way to honor this.
After the students, two Laney teachers, Jessica Harvey and Megan Surface, presented for Teacher Voice. They said they had started a Laney leader program that invites staff and students to share their thoughts about school safety and wellness.
Harvey, a 13-year veteran, said this program has helped empower their Laney community through obstacles such as high turnover rates, covering classes when there isn’t a substitute, and giving individualized student attention when class sizes are large. She told the board she’d like them to support public education.
MOU with Voyage
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the non-profit Voyage passed in a vote 6-1, with Perry dissenting. He said he didn’t know much about the program except that outgoing county commissioner Jonathan Barfield is a part of it, and he felt like it had “DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] written all over it.” Not waiting to be recognized by the chair, he said that there are other disadvantaged students in different schools, not just the ones identified by Voyage; the non-profit’s mission is specifically to serve public schools in the downtown Wilmington area.
Voyage plans to send six full-time community health workers to Gregory, Snipes, Forest Hills, and New Hanover High.
Other board members, like Bradford and Wildeboer, said they learned that the students were doing well in the program and that the principals liked this support staff in their schools. Barnes added that Voyage is prepared to produce quarterly and yearly reports for the board to measure their outcomes.
*Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the vote for Barnhart for vice-chair.
