This reporting was made possible in part by a grant from the Fourth Estate Fund.
Board member Pat Bradford introduced the motion, which she described as “unpleasant,” and was quickly seconded by Chair Melissa Mason.
Bradford said her motion was about Perry’s ethics, accountability, and his actions, which were “negatively reflecting on our school system,” arguing that it was a part of a consistent pattern.
Perry then asked for more granularity on these accusations, to which board member Judy Justice responded that she was concerned about inappropriate outbursts. Perry has previously apologized for a hot mic moment where he used profanity after a vote that didn’t go his way.
His recent comments at a July policy committee were previously denounced by some members, including Justice; Perry said that district policies surrounding student assignments were punishing families who were “going the extra mile” instead of “sucking off welfare and expecting preferential treatment.” He also decried DEI efforts, sharing an anecdote about his college roommate — who Perry described as being of Puerto Rican descent — who Perry said received a “special scholarship” simply based on his socioeconomic status and ethnicity, not merit.
While those examples weren’t specifically brought up on Tuesday, Perry did let the public know what the alleged breach of confidentiality was about — and he admitted his mistake.
According to him, the issue concerned a parent who had a hearing about their student’s assignment appeal. Perry said that the parent was anxious about whether it was going to be granted or not, so Perry texted him the date and time of the meeting.
“This was information that obviously I should not have given this parent. This should have been left up to Dr. Barnes, but this was information that this parent was nonetheless entitled to know. I am going to freely admit that I stepped out of line,” he said.
But Perry added that he felt like this case was overblown.
“You're making a capital offense out of trying to help a parent I know who's feeling very anxious about something. I didn't think the least of it. It wasn't like I was disclosing other information; this is information they were going to eventually hear. I won't do it again, but I think this is just an honest mistake,” he said.
Before Perry’s appeal, board member Josie Barnhart asked Mason if she tried to address his behavior before pursuing the special meeting.
Mason said, “There have been phone calls, emails, and individual conversations, as well as consequences that have been given.”
She didn’t specify what those consequences were. She has previously referenced unspecified “consequences” for other board members, including fellow Republicans.
Democratic board member Tim Merrick said he was reluctant to agree to Perry’s special meeting, but said, “This is not just one thing that you're talking about, and we will litigate this later, but there have been multiple instances, and today, just now, has put me over the edge.”
Bradford maintained that even if it was just the sharing the date and time for the appeal, it was still a problem.
“In the closed session after we had just said, make sure you don't share this information with anyone, and then before the meeting was even over, it was shared with the parent,” she said.
Perry’s hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 4 at 1 p.m.
NHCS still not sharing agenda documents
Currently, while board members have access to documents before agenda meeting, the public does not. (By contrast, other local government bodies, like the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County, make many documents available online prior to their agenda review meetings.)
After many months of asking the district to post agenda review documents so that the public can follow along with the meeting — the district and the board leadership are doubling down.
Mason said this was because the agenda has not been approved nor are the documents complete, but Merrick pushed back and said that drafts are public records. Perry agreed with him about showing the public transparently what files they are discussing. And some of the documents that staff prepare for agenda review are transferred over to the regular board meeting without changes.
Barnhart agreed with Mason and said that by not showing the documents they review during the meeting would contribute to “deciminat[ing] accurate information.” She added it’s better for the board to come together and discuss those items and documents before the public sees them.
Barnes agreed that talking about ‘unofficial’ documents would contribute to miscommunication and would cause greater confusion. However, while the board reviews agenda meeting documents, they put them on the screen, showing them to the public during the discussion. It’s also common that Chief Financial Officer Ashley Sutton reads aloud what’s contained within the document — for example, from the district’s Title One application.
NC public records and case law both show that once a document is created it is then subject to disclosure unless there is confidential information within. This also includes drafts of documents. If there are both public and confidential sections, then the district would redact the information that’s confidential.
Typically, documents the board discusses in open session, like an agenda review, would be subject to disclosure.
Other items
The board decided to table Perry’s motion to create an ad hoc committee that would create an evaluation system to award teacher bonuses. Most members agreed it was not an ideal time to create this committee, since the state budget is being worked out and the New Hanover County Commission has not signaled they would be giving additional money to the district.
Barnes also asked the board to consider renaming the JC Roe Center to JC Roe Academy at the request of its new principal, Michelle Kornegay. The board is deciding how to proceed, complying with their policy about naming schools and facilities.
The board did extend Barnes’ contract until 2029. The district sent his last contract, which started March 1, 2025, with an annual salary of $256,927. The agreement stipulates that he will receive the state increase amount — and that the board may increase his salary at any time. WHQR did request the new document to see if it included any other changes.
