The Local Skinny! Teacher Pay And State Budget

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Gov. Roy Cooper signed a dozen or so bills into law on Monday, a couple of which involve education and educators. At a time when most area school children – and teachers – are enjoying their summer vacations, Cooper signed into law small pay raises for educators and extended grants to keep childcare centers open at least in the short-term.

In signing Senate Bill 357, Cooper stated that the legislation “provides critical but limited grants to help keep childcare centers open for the next few months.” He said legislators need to do more for parents, businesses and children to extend the grants through 2025 by

“investing in our nationally recognized NC Pre-K and investing more in quality early childhood education. Our children’s future and our economy depend on it,” Cooper stated.

As for Senate Bill 332, Cooper said it “simply restates the small pay raises legislators already gave public school teachers last year.”

Citing North Carolina’s rank of 38 among the 50 states in teacher pay, Cooper said the legislature should be paying teachers “significantly more.” That ranking, coupled with the fact that North Carolina invests nearly $5,000 less per student than the national average, Cooper said North Carolina should spend more for teachers and students. “Our state has the resources to make meaningful investments to help our public school students and now is the time to do it.”

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Tomatoes

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Spiders

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: Uber-Type Service Will Replace Henderson’s Around Town Shuttle

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Henderson’s Around Town Shuttle worked well for a good long time, but KARTS Executive Director Randy Cantor said it’s time for an upgrade to a more efficient concept that is designed more like the rideshare Uber than a city bus line with set stops.

Cantor, who has been in the KARTS role for about a year, said the four-county service area can be challenging. There are many employees driving many vehicles across a large geographical area, he said on Monday’s TownTalk. He assured rural clients that their services would continue as they have been – residents need only call 252.438.2573 at least 48 hours in advance to arrange transportation for doctor visits or other appointments.

But the closed-loop Around Town Shuttle that had run in Henderson is being replaced by an on-demand group of vehicles that clients can schedule by calling the KARTS dispatcher or by using their Smart phone or app.

Right now, KARTS as a whole operates on a cash-only basis, said KARTS Finance Manager Tonya Moore. But when the new micro transit concept kicks in, payment will then be possible with a card or with a phone app.

Cantor said changing the model has nothing to do with how KARTS is operating and everything to do with providing the best and most efficient service possible to clients. He said he hoped that round-trip fares for the Henderson service would be in the $10 range, but setting the price is not up to him or KARTS.

KARTS gets state and federal funding, and counties also contribute, but it’s never enough to fully cover expenses. Moore said the Around Town Shuttle had cost $1 every time a rider used the shuttle. The once robust ridership, however, had dwindled to about 300 rides a month. Cantor said using an on-demand service would be more efficient than having a shuttle drive around Henderson in a circle five days a week, eight hours a day, 40 hours a week.

Since the ability to call and arrange transportation exists and stressing that the Around Town Shuttle was only one aspect of KARTS, Cantor agreed that there is not really a gap in coverage.

The Around Town Shuttle stopped running June 30.

The newer style transportation offering may be available in as few as a couple of months.

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The Local Skinny! Commissioner Balks At City’s Reimbursement Request For Displaced Families

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In her report to the Vance County Board of Commissioners last week, County Manager C. Renee Perry said she had received a letter from Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon that formally requested $22,000 to reimburse the city for money it gave to families displaced when the place they were living in was shut down back in May.

Perry, however, reminded commissioners that county funds had been used to house the families to the tune of $26,905.67. “My recommendation is …there should be an offset to the cost that the county incurred,” Perry stated during the commissioners’ July 1 regular monthly meeting.

If the city and the county were to split all costs 50/50, the city and county would each pay $22,000 for the $2,000 vouchers provided earlier by the city to the displaced families AND the city would put up $13,452.84 to take care of half of the almost $27,000 that the county incurred while the shelter was in use.

According to Perry’s calculations, 8,547.16 is the more accurate number that should be considered – $22,000 minus the $13,452.84.

The commissioners ultimately took no action at the meeting.

Commissioner Yolanda Feimster expressed concern over the request. When the incident with (Motel) 121 occurred, the county provided the shelter, and all the things that went along with it – water and electricity – not to mention portable showers, toilets and overtime pay for law enforcement officers to make sure the area was safe.

“And we were never reimbursed, not one dime,” Feimster said.

She went on to call the $2,000 payment to the families who had to spend a week in the former Eaton Johnson gym-turned emergency shelter a “band-aid” approach that would have little long-term effect.

Feimster said she was sympathetic to those who had to move out of the motel that they called home, but she expressed concern that the city is asking for reimbursement for something that the county was not first consulted about.

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Vance Sheriff: One Arrested For Growing Marijuana Plants

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– Press Release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

On June 5, 2024, members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit with the assistance of the NC National Guard Counterdrug Task Force located approximately 20 half-grown marijuana plants being tended upon a premise on Lee Lane in Vance County. On July 3, 2024, warrants were served on Carl Lee Aleshire, DOB 9/14/61, for manufacture marijuana, and maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substances. Aleshire was given a $14,000 secure bond.

 

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VGCC Hitting The Road To Bring Enrollment Process To Prospective Students

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– information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

You’ve got ambitions, and Vance-Granville Community College is here to help you reach those goals you’ve set for yourself. VGCC will host several Enrollment Days in July, empowering prospective students to succeed during the upcoming semester and beyond.

College representatives are taking their services out into the community to make enrolling as convenient as possible for potential learners, according to information from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

During each event, VGCC faculty and staff will provide information on the enrollment process, degree options, short-term job training, and student support services, including financial assistance. New financial aid options like the Next NC Scholarship make a quality education more affordable and accessible than ever for many North Carolina learners.

Advisors will also assist students in registering for Fall 2024 classes. The new academic year, which begins on Thursday, August 15, offers the flexibility of both 8-week and 16-week classes, as well as online and hybrid options.

Mark your calendar and join Vance-Granville at one of the Enrollment Days listed below:

 

Tuesday, July 9, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

South Granville Public Library

1550 South Campus Drive

Creedmoor, NC 27522

 

Thursday, July 18, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Franklinton Branch Library

9 West Mason Street

Franklinton, NC 27525

 

Tuesday, July 23, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Richard H. Thornton Library

210 Main Street

Oxford, NC 27565

 

Contact admissions@vgcc.edu or 252-492-2061 for more information, and find additional enrollment resources at www.vgcc.edu/future-students.

Congressman Don Davis Will Have Mobile Office At VGCC Tuesday, July 9

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The office of Congressman Don Davis is setting up a mobile office in Henderson on Tuesday, July 9 at Vance-Granville Community College.

Area residents can come to Building 9 at the VGCC Main Campus between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to request assistance with federal agencies, including VA benefits, Social Security, Medicare, the IRS, Citizens and Immigration Services, among others, according to information from Davis’s office.

Contact the Greenville District Office at 252.999.7600 to learn more.