Wayne Week — Feb. 25, 2024

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR E SE N T S A W E E K LY N E WS M AG A Z I N E

F E BU R A RY 25, 2 024

Wayne

WEEK BREAKING NEWS

Sealed court documents filed Thursday suggest that a plea agreement might be in the works between the U.S. government and former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit Chief Mike Cox. For details, as soon as they become available, follow New Old North on Facebook.

“I don’t care how y’all spin it. ” Wayne County Public Schools superintendent told Edgewood Community Developmental School "family" the school is moving. It didn't go well.

OUR TAKE p.16

COVER STORY p.18

N E WOL DNORT H .C OM

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FEBURARY 25, 2024 Volume 1, Issue 28

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CONTENTS 4 City asks judge to throw out

former councilman’s lawsuit

Former City Council member and current Wayne County Commissioner Antonio Williams is seeking a minimum of $125,000 for, among other things, “defamation” and “malicious prosecution.”

8 Worth arraignment set for Feb. 28

Another delay has been requested for one of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office’s highest-ranking deputies — who is expected to enter plea on federal bid-rigging charges in the coming days.

12 School board candidates make their cases

Richard Taylor and Bridgette Cowan want to replace Patricia Burden on the Wayne County Board of Education.

18 Cover story

The Wayne County Board of Education unanimously approved the relocation of several schools, including Wayne Academy, Edgewood, Goldsboro High School and Wayne School of Engineering. Many local residents, students, and parents are not taking the news well.

22 Spectator

From the Paramount Theatre to the Arts Council of Wayne County, music took center stage in downtown Goldsboro over the last few weeks.

COVER: ADOBE STOCK

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NEWS +VIEWS

City asks judge to toss Williams’ lawsuit Former City Council member and current Wayne County Commissioner Antonio Williams is seeking a minimum of $125,000 for, among other things, “defamation” and “malicious prosecution.”

B Y R E N E E C A R E Y / Goldsboro

T

he city of Goldsboro and one of its former department heads have asked a judge to forgo a jury trial and instead dismiss a lawsuit filed Sept. 20, 2022, by former City Councilman — and current Wayne County Commissioner — Antonio Williams that claims, among other things, that he was subjected to “defamation” and “malicious prosecution” during his tenure representing District 1.

In a “Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgement,” the city and former Community Relations Director Shycole Simspon-Carter claim there are “no genuine issues of material fact” in Williams’ sprawling grievance — and that his claims are “time-barred.”

The following are among the arguments they asked the court to consider: • (Williams’) claims against the City should be dismissed because they are time-barred and cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) due process claims against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) has not established he has a protected liberty or property interest and, as a result, (Williams’) claims fail as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) due process claims against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) has not established he was deprived of a liberty or property interest or that the process afforded him was inadequate and, as a result, (Williams’) claims fail as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) equal protection claims against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) has not established he was treated differently from others with whom he is similarly situated, or that the treatment he received was the result of intentional or purposeful discrimination and, as a result, (Williams’) claims fail as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) failed to raise some or all of these claims through his Complaint thereby barring him

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Antonio Williams from adding them through discovery and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) cannot establish any violations to his constitutional rights and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claim against the City should be dismissed because (Williams) has expressly withdrawn the claim, which is binding on (Williams).

• (Williams’) claims against all Defendants of conspiracy for malicious prosecution should be dismissed because they are timebarred and cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims against all Defendants of conspiracy for malicious prosecution are barred by the doctrines of governmental immunity, public official immunity, and/or legislative immunity and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims of conspiracy for malicious prosecution against all Defendants should be dismissed because (Williams) failed to raise some or all of these claims through his Complaint thereby barring him from adding them through discovery and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims of conspiracy for

malicious prosecution against all Defendants should be dismissed because (Williams) has not established malice, the lack of probable cause, or special damages among other elements and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims against all Defendants of conspiracy for abuse of process should be dismissed because they are time-barred and cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims against all Defendants of conspiracy for abuse of process are barred by the doctrines of governmental immunity, public official immunity, and/or legislative immunity and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims of conspiracy for abuse of process against all Defendants should be dismissed because (Williams) failed to raise some or all of these claims through his Complaint thereby barring him from adding them through discovery and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims of conspiracy for abuse of process against all Defendants should be dismissed because (Williams) has not established an ulterior motive by Defendants, or that process was abused and, as a result, cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) claims of defamation against Ms. Carter should be dismissed because they are time-barred and cannot proceed as a matter of law.

• (Williams’) defamation claims against Ms. Carter should be dismissed because (Williams) has failed to prove Ms. Carter made the statements about which he complains or, even if she had made the statements, that he suffered any injury.

In Williams’ original filing, he made a staggering number of claims — and asked for a minimum of $125,000 in damages.

The following are among the nearly 100 “Factual Allegations” that detail what the commissioner said happened after he was elected to the council. (Note: This is the ac-

tual text from the filing. Spelling and grammatical errors have not been corrected.)

• (Williams) was subjected to repeated harassment, mistreatment, deprivation of due process, and abuse as City employees continuously relegated his voice from councilman to nothing more than a nuisance.

• Almost immediately, (Williams) began to be harassed and discriminated against by city employees including then-Mayor Chuck Allen, several council members, the city manager, and the city attorney. All of whom are white males.

• Over the course of the next several years, (Williams) continued to endure defamatory attacks from city employees, and discriminatory treatment as he advocated for the constituents of his district.

• In 2017, (Williams) received a permit to upgrade the storefront of a business he owns and operates within the city. Several other business located on the same street were also upgrading their storefronts and making improvements.

Upon information and belief, in or around the summer of 2018, the mayor and a councilman were put on notice that (Williams’) store being upgraded.

Subsequently the City of Goldsboro’s Historical Board, revoked (Williams’) building permit. (Williams) was forced to reapply for the permit and was told he could not submit supporting information in his application. Ultimately, (Williams’) application was denied, and he was directed by the city to tear down the newly improved storefront.

• Upon information and belief, a Historical Board member and employee of the City stated to (Williams) that his “… business was not the look [we] wanted for downtown.”

• (Williams) reported his concerns to the mayor, city council, and city manager, but his concerns were ignored.

• Despite his concerns falling on deaf ears, (Williams) still appealed the decision to the oversight board several weeks later. In response, (the city) hired an outside attorney to support their decision to deny his permit.

• Upon information and belief, a councilmember was directed via email by his wife, both of whom are or were Historical Board members and employees of (the city),

on how to vote to deny (Williams’) permit.

• Upon information and belief, the email stated she gets “very happy” every time (Williams) suffers at the hands of the City. Such overt behavior is malicious and intentional.

• In or around April of 2018, (Williams) continued to suffer when the city received an “anonymous letter” (emphasis added) complaining of (Williams) that he did not live within the district which he represented.

• Prior to inquiring of (Williams) regarding the false allegation, then mayor Chuck Allen disregarded (Williams’) assertion that he did live within his district, and directed the city attorney to conduct an investigation of Plaintiff Williams.

• The mayor stated he did not believe (Williams), and required (Williams) to submit proof of residency within his district, or lose his seat on the city council.

• (Williams) was forced to hire an attorney to represent his interests.

• Upon information and belief, the mayor and councilmen stated to (Williams) “this is all your fault, why are you making us do this to you” before being informed the process to challenge (Williams) residency was improper.

• (Williams’) residency was challenged shortly following this exchange, by a local citizen who brought the matter to the election board.

• The election board held a preliminary hearing on July 10, 2018, whereby the board determined there was insufficient evidence proving (Williams) lived outside of his district and the residency issues was ultimately settled when the board declined pursuit of a full hearing.

• Despite the repeated attempts to tarnish (Williams’) name and reputation, (Williams) continued to advocate for his constituents by introducing several community-oriented events and/or programs.

• The program entitled “24 Hours of Peace and Wellness” was dismissed by the mayor and council due to their belief the event would make the “minority community violent.”

• (Williams) also introduced a summer youth development program to help impoverished youth develop and learn soft skills. The program directly impacted the

“The city and former Community Relations Director Shycole Simpson-Carter claim there are no genuine issues of material fact.”

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citizens Plaintiff represented.

• Again (the city), by and through the authority wielded by its mayor and manager, dismissed (Williams’) program saying “these types of kids have no desire to work.”

• Quite to the contrary, (Williams) was able to gain the support of the community and approximately four hundred (400) youth inquired about the summer employment program.

• When (Williams) voted in favor of the program, City officials including the mayor and city manager, decried his vote was a conflict of interest.

• (Williams) was accused by the city council that he just wanted financial benefits from the program and he was using these summer youth to complete previously denied construction on his personal, residential property.

• The accusation was entirely and utterly false, and city officials were again attempting to disparage and discourage (Williams) from serving his community.

• By way of his role as a councilman, (Williams) located money that was not previously earmarked and inquired about it.

• Upon information and belief, the very next day he was contacted by a community organizer and/or leader. The leader espoused she had partners and if (Williams) inquired about the money again, her partners would make him look like a monkey. The partners were the mayor and city council.

• This behavior continued to plague Plaintiff Williams for his entire duration as a city council member.

• (Williams) had a well documented and contentious professional relationship with (the city’s) community relations director, Shycole Simpson-Carter.

• (Williams) filed a written complaint with the mayor regarding Mrs. SimpsonCarter and her behavior towards (Williams) following a meeting with the Goldsboro Wayne Transportation Authority (GWTA).

• Shortly after filing his complaint, (Williams) happened upon a meeting whereby the mayor, Goldsboro-Wayne Transit Authority board members (“GWTA”), and Simpson-Carter were discussing what they had planned to do to (Williams).

• Carter retaliated by filing a complaint seeking a temporary restraining order against (Williams) in Wayne County District Court, case number 18 CVD-2006.

• Upon information and belief, the city mayor and other city councilmembers desired to have Plaintiff Williams removed from his seat, and exploited the relationship between Simpson-Carter and (Williams) to do so.

• Ultimately, the complaint was resolved in his favor, and dismissed on November 13, 2018.

• Upon information and belief, Defendant Simpson-Carter stated her action seeking relief against Plaintiff Williams, was caused by the mayor and she had received help on her complaint against (Williams) from several city employees.

• Following the dismissal, the mayor and councilmembers made a public statement explaining the dismissal “meant nothing” and (Williams) had “not been cleared” of anything pertaining to Simpson-Carter.

• In continuance of (the city’s) deprivation of his rights, on or about October 10, 2018 an investigation was opened and conducted in hopes of removing (Williams) from the city council. The investigation was conducted by Valerie Bateman, who at the time worked for the Forrest Firm.

• Bateman’s investigation took several months during which she conducted interviews, including of (Williams), and reviewed documents from various sources.

• At the conclusion of her investigation, on or about May 28, 2019, Bateman brought the information before the city council.

• Prior to the council meeting at which she was to present the results of the investigation, she espoused if there was inaccurate information, it could be corrected.

When (Williams) voiced concerns over errors, including those specifically regarding himself, but the errors were not corrected.

• Upon information and belief, the mayor and white city councilmen were able to review the report and make changes to it, but (Williams) was taunted with being told he could view it, and ultimately having those statements rescinded for no proper cause.

• The investigative report was nothing more than a fishing attempt to extract information that would aid in (Williams’) political demise.

• Following the release of the report, (the city) pushed forward with a decision to censure (Williams), restrict his access to city hall, and recall his duly earned 2015 election.

• (Williams) was never provided with the ethics violation leading to the censure hearing despite asking the mayor and councilmembers for the same.

• (Williams’) censure hearing was held before the council, where councilmembers were the judges, jury, and executioners regarding his censure. The council provided information to Bateman, held the hearing regarding that same information, and ultimately were the final authority who decided on that information.

(Williams) was forced to hire an attorney for his voice to be heard.

Continued 0n page 8

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• Simpson-Carter ultimately filed an EEOC charge against (Williams) and (the city) for retaliation and discriminatory treatment. She alleged (Williams) harassed her and created a hostile working environment.

• Amid all of the turmoil within the city, (Williams) began to seek documentation as proof of his assertions.

• (Williams) made an initial request for public records in accordance with NCGS Chapter 32, from current city manager Tim Salmon as early as October 23, 2019. (He) followed up with (the city) several times for information regarding the numerous complaints and/or personal allegations against him that he had been subjected to through in his dealings with the City.

• On or about February 4, 2020, (Williams) emailed a second request for public records to Mr. Salmon, this time seeking information to dispute allegations he, along with (the city), participated in wrongdoings alleged by Defendant Simpson-Carter.

• The documents requested were not produced to (Williams) in a timely manner as required by NCGS 132-6 which governs public records requests. In fact, the documents were not produced at all. Instead (the city) engaged in further attempts to deny (Wil-

liams) his rightful access to the public information by enacting a new policy to prevent (Williams) from obtaining records.

• On or about April 6, 2020, after approximately six (6) months the city council voted to charge Plaintiff upwards of $100,000 to complete his records request in accordance with the newly adopted policy. At the time of (Williams’) records request, there existed no policy governing the cost of records requests with the City of Goldsboro.

• Defendant Carter accused (Williams) of harassment and retaliation against her.

The claims were exaggerated, as (Williams) never had any dealing with Defendant Simpson-Carter outside of their professional settings within the City.

• (Williams) was repeatedly forced to shut down his business to defend himself and attend special meetings that he would not be provided notice of in a timely manner.

• As alleged in the state court complaint against Defendant Simpson-Carter, (the city) was a central and instrumental piece in orchestrating the removal of (Williams) from his position as a member of the city council.

It is unclear when the judge will rule on the motion, but Williams’ attorney has been given until Feb. 28 to respond. n

Wayne County Sherrif Larry Pierce and Maj. Chris Worth.

Worth arraignment, set for Feb. 28, might be delayed — again

Deputy is expected to enter plea in federal court in coming days.

B Y K E N F I N E / Wayne County

M

ore than six months after he was indicted by a federal grand jury, a high-ranking member of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is asking for his arrainment to be delayed — again.

Maj. Christopher Worth, who has been charged with conspiring to defraud the Wayne County government via alleged bid-rigging, is set to appear before Chief Judge Richard Myers II Feb. 28, but has asked for a continuance.

The government claimed, in a sprawling indictment handed down in August, that the major, while moonlighting for Eastern Emergency Equipment, benefitted financially by ensuring the company was awarded contract after contract from the WCSO to upfit vehicles, including Sheriff Larry Pierce’s 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe.

EEE is owned by former WCSO Drug Unit Chief Mike Cox, who was also indicted and remains in custody after several attempts to receive pre-trial release failed.

Unlike his former colleague, Worth was granted the opportunity to prepare for trial at home, but has been bound to several conditions that include: • He must submit to supervision by the U.S. Probation Office.

• He must not travel outside the Eastern

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District of North Carolina.

• He must avoid all contact, directly or indirectly, with any person who is or may be a victim or witness in the investigation or prosecution — including former or current Wayne County employees, except for his son “with whom he shall not discuss the case.”

• He must not possess a firearm, destructive device, or other weapon.

• He must “not destroy any firearms he owns and shall provide the government a current inventory of them.”

• He must “turn over to the FBI any files or physical evidence taken from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.”

At the heart of the government’s case against Worth are accusations that he rigged the bid process and failed to follow protocol to ensure Cox’s company had an unfair advantage over would-be competitors.

The following are among the allegations Worth is expected to answer for Feb. 28 if the delay is not granted and the judge reads him a list of the charges and asks him how he will plea: Worth was required to submit documentation to county finance officers for approval for any new vehicles as well as for the installation of after-market equipment like radios, Continued 0n page 10

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sirens, lightbars, decals, etc. — also called an “upfit.” Those installations also included brackets to hold computers as well as partitions, push bumpers, and customized front center consoles/adjustable arm rests.

Although Worth was required to make decisions on contracts with the best interest of the county in mind, the indictment alleges he also had a great deal of latitude when it came to selecting bids for jobs costing less than $1,000.

In this case, the invoice was sent to the county Finance Department, which, in turn, sent a check directly to the vendor.

For jobs costing between $1,000 and $2,500, Worth was required to obtain three independent quotes and award the contract to the lowest bidder. He was not required to submit the quotes to the county, but he was supposed to keep them in a file in case there was a question, investigators said.

For equipment costing $2,500 or more, Worth was not allowed to award a job until a purchase order was approved and signed by county officials. There were some limited exemptions in the manual for cases in which there was a sole supplier or if there was a public exigency, investigators said, but even then, the paperwork had to be approved.

To start the process, Worth was required to get three quotes on “the same item and

specifications” from vendors and to prepare a memorandum of award, listing the three quotes, with the lowest bid listed first. The entire packet was then submitted to the finance office for review, which was not an exhaustive process, according to the indictment.

“Because of the volume of purchasing packages received on a daily basis, County Purchasing did not have the resources to do a detailed review of each package or to call vendors to confirm the validity of the quotes provided,” the indictment reads. “Instead, County Purchasing relied on the honesty and integrity of various departments and offices that submit the documentation, including WCSO.” And according to the rules outlined in the manual, those who are taking the bids are not allowed to discuss any of them with other participants in the process. That’s where Cox’s business, which he had been operating since 2003 — and where Worth had been moonlighting from 2006 to at least 2021 — came into the picture.

The indictment alleges that while Worth worked at EEE, he supervised the bid process — that because of his position and his relationship with Cox, he and Cox were able to “fraudulently manipulate Wayne County’s bid process to financially benefit Cox and Worth.”

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Here’s a timeline of the alleged offenses: • Feb. 1, 2016: Worth and Cox communicated by text about a $29,055 balance owed for all the camera and radio installs. After Cox, who was head of the WCSO drug unit at the time, inquired about what kind of letter he would need to write “to get drug money moved,” Worth responded that he needed a quote on the radios since he would “have to pay for it through another account.” Worth than asked Cox to backdate the quote.

• Aug. 9, 2016: Worth and Cox texted regarding work that had already been completed

by Cox but that had not yet been authorized by a purchase order. Cox said he was sending an invoice for work done on “the 8 Chargers so you can go ahead and get a po.” Worth then said of the purchase order, “hopefully they will do a blanket PO. Does the invoice have to match the quote? Item for item?” Worth then asked if Cox would have to bill the county for one set of work done and deliver another, with Cox responding that “he had already changed it and emailed it. But I can change it back.”

• May 5, 2017: Worth asked Cox to resend a bill for work done on a Tahoe, saying that “each bill needs to be under $2,500.” By splitting the bill, Worth was able to avoid having to obtain three quotes, which he would then have to submit to county finance officers.

Later that day, Cox split the $4,613.28 charge

for the single Tahoe upfit into two invoices — which the WCSO received on the same day — but backdated the approval dates to match the invoices.

• May 8, 2017: The Sheriff’s Office received split invoices from EEE for the sale of eight TLR-1 gun lights — also a manipulation to circumvent county purchasing rules, according to the indictment.

Although the invoices were stamped “received” on May 8, Support Services backdated the approval dates to match EEE’s backdated invoice dates.

• Sept. 6, 2017: WCSO’s K-9 Team supervisor sent an email to Cox at EEE with copies to Worth and his second in command at Support Services for three Havis Shield K-9 Insert Crates, adding, “I’ll get the other two from the internet somewhere and get them submitted for the PO. As soon as I get everything back, I’ll get you to order them.” It was predetermined, the indictment alleges, that the bids would go to EEE — even though because the amount was over $2,500, three bids were required. “To meet this requirement, the K-9 supervisor used two internet printouts, with fictitious information added for labor and freight costs, as the competing quotes.”

• Nov. 13, 2017: Worth texted Cox to negotiate pay owed to him for 20 vehicles on which

he had done work for EEE. The indictment alleges Worth was not paid on a weekly basis.

He and Cox typically negotiated an aggregate payment due after Worth completed work on a number of cars.

• June 7, 2018: Worth texted Cox and ordered a K-9 crate and electronic door popper from Cox without any attempt to comply with the three-quote requirement.

• June 11, 2018: Worth texted Cox about an invoice done for work on a WCOS boat.

When Worth realized that County Purchasing had approved $2,200 but Cox planned to invoice only $1,400, the two men discussed how to add additional equipment to pad the quote to get the price closer to the invoiced $2,200, including deciding unilaterally to add “golight spotlights,” with Worth adding that “If they don’t want it we will put it on something else.”

• Sept. 26, 2018: Cox texted Worth and asked him if he needed to keep Bill Travis’ car under a thousand (dollars). Worth responded, “(I)t would be easier on me.”

• January 2019: Cox installed a truck vault on Sheriff Larry Pierce’s 2019 Chevy Tahoe. The total charge was $2,147.92, which according to the rules, required three bids.

To avoid triggering the three-bid requirement, Cox split the cost into two $1,073.36 invoices and then applied a 10 percent discount to bring the amount on each invoice to $972.96. To disguise that the invoices were for the same truck, Cox used different invoice numbers and dates, the indictment alleges. Worth approved both invoices and backdated his approvals to match the dates on Cox’s invoices. The payment was sent as part of a larger check written to EEE, which was sent on Jan. 17.

• September 2019: Cox asked the West Chatham sales representative to provide him with a fictitious quote for a Dodge Charger for EEE to use to get WCSO’s upfit contracts. To curry favor with EEE, the sales representative who considered Cox a friend and a valued client, provided the quote. Cox gave the sales rep a copy of EEE’s quote, so she “was able to inflate the fictitious quote to ensure EEE’s quote would win the contract.” Although the quote was addressed to the WCSO, it was sent directly to Cox at EEE on Sept. 16. The third bid used by Worth to justify WCSO’s award of 14 upfit contracts to Cox was taken from Performance Automotive, the car dealership that provided many of its new vehicles. Worth obtained the one-page printout from the website for the upfit of a 2019 Dodge Charger and used it throughout the year, “whether the upfit contract was for a Dodge Charger or not.”

• In 2019, Worth used the West Chatham and Performance Automotive quotes to justify the award of 14 upfit contracts to EEE. “Although the quotes covered parts specific to

a Dodge Charger, the awards related to four Dodge trucks and two Chevy Tahoes” for a total of about $61,545.93.

• April 29, 2020: Worth texted Cox and directed him to prepare a false invoice by stating, “(m)e and Brian got a phone holder each.

Will you bill as a pair of shoes.”

• June 4, 2020: Worth sent a text asking Cox to backdate an EEE invoice.

• Aug. 31, 2020: Worth shared the sign-in and password to Performance Automotive’s website, which allowed Cox to check to see if his bid was lower than Performance Automotive’s submission. When he found out his bid was higher, he altered EEE’s bid for adjustable flip armrests to 0. This allowed EEE to beat Performance Automotive’s quote by $31.05, according to the indictment. “In order to recoup the cost of the armrests, Cox would later present WCSO with a separate (bill) for nine of the armrests.”

• Sept. 16, 2020: Cox sent the West Chatham sales representative a copy of EEE’s competing bid for the 2020-21 WCSO upfit contracts. The sales rep used this information to make sure that the fictitious West Chatham quote was higher than EEE’s bid. The bid was sent directly to Cox’s email. It was then sent to Worth’s WCSO email account from Cox’s Yahoo account.

Cox and Worth used the false quotes from Performance Automotive and West Chatham to win bids for 11 upfit contracts in 202021. Although the upfit awards were for nine Dodge Durangos and two Chevy Tahoes, the proposals were for a Dodge Charger. In total, EEE received $49,658.43.

• April 26, 2021: To recoup the cost of the armrest installations EEE removed to win the bid, $968.22 (before taxes), Cox billed for payment for labor used to install decals on the nine Dodge Durangos. To avoid documentation requirements, Cox split up the cost of the decal-related expense into two invoices for $900 and $450. The check was mailed on April 30.

• June 28, 2021: Worth and Cox discussed troubles they might have in competing with the Performance Automotive bids. When he learned that Performance Automotive was no longer listing prices on its website, Worth suggested that Cox get the information from an upfit subcontractor. And if that didn’t work. Worth said, “I may have to get one (a competing quote) from somewhere else.”

Worth’s arraignment should have already happened, but the deputy has been granted multiple extensions to, among other things, review the “voluminous” discovery file and to continue “good faith discussions between defense counsel and the government.”

It is unclear whether another delay will be approved by the judge before Wednesday. n

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MARCH 5, 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE • 27 Years as a Public School Employee

LOCATIONS

• Coach, Teacher, Assistant Wayne County Public Library Principal, Principal, Director, 1001 East Ash Street, Goldsboro, CTE NC 27530 Assistant Superintendent The Maxwell Center • Bachelor of Science Agriculture 3114 Wayne Memorial Drive, Goldsboro, NC 27534 and Extension Education, Masters Mountof Olive Train Depot SchoolAdministration, 110 West Main Street, Mount Olive, NC 28365 Doctor of Education, all from North Town Carolina State University Fremont Hall

HARRELL 126 East Main Street, Fremont, NC 27830 • Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency (WAGES) BoardOur President SCHEDULE: “Empowering Community,

Thursday, February 15 8:00am – 7:30pm Building Tomorrow Together!”

Friday, February 16 8:00am – 7:30pm Monday, February 19 8:00am – 7:30pm MARCH 5, 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION Tuesday, February 20 8:00am – 7:30pm EARLY February VOTING Wednesday, 21 SCHEDULE 8:00am – 7:30pm Thursday, February 22 8:00am – 7:30pm Friday, FebruaryLOCATIONS 23 8:00am – 7:30pm Saturday, February 24 Public12:00pm Wayne County Library– 5:00pm Sunday, February 25 12:00pm 5:00pm 1001 East Ash Street, Goldsboro, NC –27530 Monday, February 26 8:00am – 7:30pm The Maxwell Center Tuesday, February 27 8:00am – 7:30pm 3114Wednesday, Wayne Memorial Drive, 27534 February 28 Goldsboro, 8:00am –NC 7:30pm Thursday, February 29 8:00am – 7:30pm Mount Olive Train Depot Friday, March 1 8:00am – 7:30pm 110 West Main Street, Mount Olive, 28365 Saturday, March 2 8:00amNC – 3:00pm

Fremont Town Hall 126 East Main Street, Fremont, NC 27830

SCHEDULE: newoldnorth.com . Wayne WEEK . 11

Thursday, February 15 Friday, February 16 Monday, February 19

8:00am – 7:30pm 8:00am – 7:30pm 8:00am – 7:30pm

ELECTION

E

very Primary candidate who has responded to our request for an interview has been given an opportunity to make their case for why they should make it beyond March 5.

This week, that means two of the three people vying for the Wayne County Board of Education’s District 3 seat — the post currently held by Patricia Burden — are represented.

Early voting remains an option for those who want to head to the Wayne County Public Library and check their ballots ahead of Election Day, but whenever you decide to make your voice heard, there are a few things to remember.

North Carolina’s new Voter ID law is still in effect and requires that all voters present photo identification at the polls.

And while grace will be given for those who forget to bring one, there will be a process to follow — and an extra stop to make — to ensure their ballots are counted.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we will, one last time, remind you that several of the races decided in November 2023 came down to a handful of votes.

That means that every vote does, indeed, matter.

And in Primary contests where incumbants are being challenged by members of their own political parties, we feel it is well worth the effort to do your research as you determine whether to back those who currently hold seats and believe they have made notable contributions or the challengers who feel strongly that new blood could help move the community in a better direction.

But know this. We will keep an eye on whoever wins — and will continue conversations with them as November approaches. There is, in our view, simply too much at stake to sit this one out.

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

ELECTION 2024 WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

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Bridgette Cowan

hroughout her years as an elementary school assistant principal, Bridgette Cowan was motivated by one very important mission — guiding the children in her care and making sure they got the best chance at a productive future.

And now that she has retired, Cowan is ready to take on a new challenge — speaking up for those same children, and all Wayne County children really, as the representative for District 3 on the Wayne County Board of Education.

If she is successful in her primary campaign, Cowan would run to take the seat of longtime board member Pat Burden, who has decided not to seek re-election.

Cowan said she had been thinking about a school board run for a number of years, with the encouragement of family, friends, and colleagues and with prayerful reflection.

Retirement, she said, seemed to offer the perfect time to take on the campaign.

And those years at local schools, including Carver Heights Elementary, have given her a perspective she thinks will help the board make the decisions it needs to improve the prospects for all children.

“I think there needs to be more inclusion in general and more diversity definitely,” she said.

And that means recognizing that students from all walks of life, but especially those from minority and disadvantaged households, need choices.

If the district had them, she said, there would be more students moving forward into successful post-graduation lives, Cowan said.

“There ought to be other options, especially for our young black males,” she said. “College in classrooms and in the hallways are and is not for everyone.”

Trades are the key, she said, adding programs meeting the students and the teachers they like construction, brick laying, and other high were elected to serve.

Visibility, she said, will be important to school classwork that results in training can lead to a career — the way it used to be when vocational her as a board member. It is something that she and her colleagues have not seen much of education was a big part of school systems. from the current board members and others “It worked,” she said.

It is all part of meeting children where over the years.

“We don’t see them come visit very often,” they are — and creating a welcoming learning she said. “Maybe if there is a program or environment.

“Race, gender, socio-economic something like that. They need to come see for circumstances, sexual orientation — every themselves what is going on in our schools.” person the Lord made ought to have the It is a show of support — and interest — opportunity to be successful,” she said. she added.

Cowan said she would like to see more And what they might see is what Cowan board members at the schools — seeing said she has learned during her decades in for themselves what the circumstances school systems and her many, many years as

“Race, gender, socio-economic circumstances, sexual orientation — every person the Lord made ought to have the opportunity to be successful.” an assistant principal.

Students, she said, need discipline — kind, fair and firm direction. And if they get it, Cowan said, they will respond.

She never wanted the administrative and other duties that went along with the principal’s job, she said.

“I love being with the kids,” she said.

And that hard work, that firm yet loving and supportive hand, made a difference — a sentiment she has heard from decades of students who have come back later to thank her (and other teachers and administrators like her) for giving them the start and the direction they needed.

“That’s what makes it all worthwhile,” she said.

Cowan said discipline — and more of it — is what is needed in the county schools. It is what students crave.

“If it is done properly, kids receive it and parents receive it,” she said.

And the adults, she added, need to be in charge.

“Children are not supposed to run institutions of any kind,” she said.

But she said the students have to know that the direction they are getting and the consequences they might face for mistakes are applied fairly and with a belief that they are respected and loved.

“They know the difference,” she said.

Cowan said she is aware of the school district’s plans to restructure several local buildings, including Goldsboro High School and Wayne Academy.

Change, she said, isn’t easy. And if there are necessary shifts to improve the quality of education for students in the district, Cowan said she is willing to consider them.

But she will insist, she said, that all students’ needs are given equal importance.

“I know something needs to be done,” she said.

“But it needs to be done fairly and inclusively. I am open to change, but I want all kids to be considered equally in the conversation.”

And that means that if the proposed changes do not have the desired result, that a new plan is created.

Finding the right solution, she said, will take more than pronouncements from the board and administration. It will take communication.

“People matter. Period. And when people start talking to one another like they do matter, and when they listen and respect other people’s perspectives, I or another person might say, ‘I never thought of it that way,’ and might consider a new way of accomplishing the same result,” she said.

Cowan said she hopes to be a part of many discussions just like that if she is elected to the school board, and to bring the lessons she has learned from years of interactions with parents, students, and staff with her.

“It is not about me, myself and I,” she said.

“We are supposed to be serving here. I am going to be willing to listen, but I hope others will be willing to open an ear, too.”

After all, she said, it all goes back to why she became an educator in the first place.

“It is finding what is best for the kids — all the kids,” Cowan said. n newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 13

ELECTION 2024 WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

R

ichard Taylor talks to a lot of people.

His phone rings every day — at all hours — and on the other line are friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers.

They talk about what they want for the community and from their schools, but most importantly, they tell him they don’t think anything they say will make a difference.

“Some people feel like even if they speak, their voices will not even be considered,” he said.

So, part of the reason he has decided to seek a seat on the Wayne County Board of Education is to be a voice for the residents of District 3 and others in the community who are concerned about the conditions in their schools.

Taylor said he would use his position on the board to learn more about its workings and to better understand how the district operates.

It is knowledge — like the district’s vision for the schools and how to get involved — he said he will then share with the public.

“We should be more informed about the plans so we can have a say,” Taylor said.

Getting involved is personal.

Wayne County, he said, is home.

“I went to and graduated from Goldsboro High School,” Taylor said. “To see the deterioration of the building, the academics, and the performance of the school is sad.”

He remembers when GHS was in its hay day.

“It was more like a family,” he said.

Teachers, he added, were there because they were dedicated to changing the lives of the students they taught.

“They made a difference,” he said.

So, Taylor has educated himself on the plans to reorganize several schools in the district, including moving current GHS students from the old portion of the building to the part that is currently housing Wayne School of Engineering.

And that reorganization issue is exactly the sort of discussion that requires input from the community.

“A lot of people are not happy with it. They are wondering what it means for Goldsboro High School,” he said.

He added that it seemed like getting public input was not a top priority.

“I did not see anything about the board accepting any opinions from others,” he said.

“I think this was a done deal.”

Taylor said he was in the meeting when the 14

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Richard Taylor

“I want to offer a fresh perspective.

I would be, I believe, the youngest member of the board. I might be able to offer a different viewpoint.”

issue was voted on. And as soon as he left, he put up a video on his YouTube channel, letting the community know about the change — and the potential concerns.

That’s just another example, he said, of why he is running for the board — to give the community both information and a chance to make their wishes heard before decisions are a “done deal.”

As a board member, Taylor said he understands that he will have access to information he cannot share on a YouTube video — that some of the discussions he is privy to he will not be able to release to the community.

“It is very important to protect the

integrity of (executive sessions),” he said. “It allows for the authenticity of certain decisions and discussions.”

So, he said, he will be able to differentiate from his YouTube channel, which covers public meetings, and his work on the board, which might include discussions that must remain out of the public view.

And he thinks he can add some significant insight to those discussions from conversations he has with the people of Goldsboro and Wayne County.

“I will be able to bring an outside perspective,” Taylor said. “I may know people they don’t know or who they have never talked to.”

And their voices will guide him as he tackles

the issues he considers critical.

Transportation is one of them.

“This district serves (a lot of) underprivileged students,” he said. “If there is a problem with the buses, these parents can’t get their children to school.

They can’t get the education if they can’t get there.”

Taylor said he is tired of hearing the excuse that “other districts are having the same problems.”

As a board member, Taylor said he will push WCPS to do better.

“We are supposed to do the best we can in our area — even setting the example,” he said.

And that is what he says he will fight for — the best he can get for the students, staff, and parents he serves.

“I want to make sure District 3 gets what it deserves,” he said.

Often, Taylor added, it is the squeaky wheel that gets the attention and the funding. “(District 3) hasn’t been getting oiled,” he said. “It must not have been squeaking loud enough.”

Taylor said he is also concerned about the lack of communication between the county schools and the county commissioners.

Re-establishing that relationship is what the community and the schools need to move forward.

“It has to be repaired,” he said.

And, he added, he would like to see more leaders and employees with ties to the community in charge of directing the future of the district.

“There is a vested interest,” he said. “When you are from a place, you want it to succeed.”

Taylor, who will soon turn 46, said it is time for some new voices on the board.

Long-tenured representatives in any organization can sometimes get complacent.

“I want to offer a fresh perspective,” he said. “I would be, I believe, the youngest member of the board. I might be able to offer a different viewpoint.”

But Taylor said that if he is chosen to sit on the Board of Education, that he will never forget why he is there.

It’s the same reason he answers his phone every time it rings — day or night.

“I would be working for the citizens, the students, and the teachers of the district as well as the citizens of District 3,” he said. n

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. Wayne WEEK . 15

C

hange is never easy.

It’s true.

No one, and we mean no one, could possibly have expected that parents hearing the news of the Wayne County Public Schools’ plans to relocate four schools would have erupted into a round of applause, pats on the back, and cheers all around.

And school leaders, board members, and Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard could not possibly have believed that a press release announcing $750,000 in operating expense savings and a speech with words like “facility optimization” would make the news any easier to hear.

Because, in the end, this is not about bricks, mortar, and tax dollars.

It just isn’t.

So, when dozens of family members filled the Edgewood Community Developmental School auditorium Tuesday evening for a meeting with Whichard and a surprising quorum of school board members — which made it a public, official meeting, by the way — emotions ran high.

Not because the parents wanted it their way.

Not because the board has no credibility when it comes to making the right decisions, and the new superintendent cannot possibly erase in a moment the bad feelings and management that have plagued this district for years.

It mattered because this was about their kids.

And what they wanted to know was that those kids mattered, and that someone was listening.

The same will be true if and when the district tries to explain the plan to move Wayne School of Engineering to Wayne Academy and Wayne Academy to the Eastern Wayne High School campus and Goldsboro High School from the historic building into former WSE classrooms.

It will not be about temper tantrums and willful parents then, either — although it might seem like it when the words start to fly.

And it won’t be about control or a battle of wills either, although there will be some of that, too.

It will be about fear.

It will be about respect.

It will be about trust.

And you don’t get the latter when you make a momentous decision like the one that district leaders announced this month and you drop it on the community like it is a done deal — because, well, it is.

And if you are going to do that, if you are going to hand down a pronouncement from on high and then hold public meetings to sell it, you better make sure you have done a few other things first.

You must have done absolutely everything you could to have done something else, and made sure you communicated with parents, students, staff, 16

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

{ our TAKE }

Facilities failure?

ADOBE STOCK

and the community along the way.

You can’t afford “no comments” or radio silence from board leaders who don’t like it when their decisions are questioned.

You can’t afford to have paid your attorney more than the entire legal department of the County of Wayne, and then sign him up again — in the face of public outcry — for another fancy-schmancy contract.

You can’t work your way through a

massive deficit, spending money that could have gone to make other choices, and tell the community that there will be massive class sizes, and leave the dwindling supply of teachers exhausted from trying to manage the workload without understanding clearly that you have used up some good will.

You can’t announce you are spending a couple hundred thousand dollars to spruce up campuses — and act shocked

and defensive when the community reacts badly when one of the people who got just under $25,000 of those funds was the former board chairman’s son.

And you can’t jet off to Ocracoke Island for a board retreat “to plan the school district’s future” while your teachers are doing GoFundMe campaigns for school supplies. And while you are there, you better not be discussing very controversial topics like “facility optimization” and shuffling schools with the caveat that the meeting is “open to the public” without having a good excuse for why this discussion was held five hours away and not right here at home.

Because, you see, if you do, it will look like you wanted to make it as difficult as possible for the citizens to actually be there.

And, most importantly, you cannot announce a decision of this magnitude, with this many potential upsets like a bull in a china shop with a one-liner in a board agenda packet and in a public meeting with no discussion, questions, or debate and not look like you just don’t care what the community thinks.

There are many reasons why this latest decision is ill-advised.

But first, we have to start with some hard truths.

Wayne County Public Schools has limited resources.

Sure, the money might have been mismanaged in the past.

Sure, there have been — and still are — some questionable personnel and curriculum decisions.

But it is also true that there is not an endless supply of money, and some tough decisions, some that nobody likes, will have to be made.

And that means some schools might have to change — no matter how hard the decision might be. And if we want better facilities, smaller class sizes, more experienced teachers, and fewer classified vacancies, we might have to think about spending a little more money and biting the bullet and paying higher taxes.

But this sort of decision cannot be handled with press releases and fancy charts and in executive sessions.

And had the district asked the community for that input, that feedback, they would have heard a few things that might have suggested a slow-down and a more tempered approach.

Let’s look at a few: • Moving Wayne Academy to the “modular suites” at Eastern Wayne High School — a facility that is having massive discipline problems of its own, including a fight club type social media presence — is beyond ill-advised. It is putting gasoline on a fire and crossing your fingers that no one

is going to get burned.

There is no reason to believe that the structure and leadership are in place to make sure that the alternative school students will get the rigid discipline they need and that the disruptions that took them away from general classrooms in the first place will not manifest on the Eastern Wayne campus.

And, “a fence” around the Wayne Academy students?

Really? That’s the plan? Oh my.

We can’t tell you how bad that sounds — especially when it is the reassurance that comes out of the school board chairman’s mouth in what was supposed to be a confidential meeting.

That, Craig Foucht said, was how the district would “protect” EWHS and Edgewood students.

Read that again.

He actually said it.

We were shocked. And so, too, were many who heard it — fellow Republicans by the way, who turned on one of their own and shared it with us because the statement shook them to the core. Bad look?

That characterization doesn’t even begin to describe it.

And by the way, if those are the measures that need to be taken, Wayne Academy has no business on a traditional school campus.

• The move of Wayne School of Engineering from the Goldsboro High School building seems innocent enough.

WSE is thriving and a draw for the district.

Students are leaving WCPS in droves, and if there are more spaces for them at the Wayne School of Engineering, they might stay. Lost students mean lost dollars — a risk Wayne County Public Schools can ill-afford. That’s no secret.

But here’s the thing.

Saving the district — and solving its enrollment leak — is centered on the three jewels: WSE, Wayne Early/Middle College High School and Wayne School of Technical Arts.

We have already told you how we feel about this one.

Where does that leave the other more than two dozen schools in the county?

Not a priority.

Not on the recruitment brochure.

We think that’s a shame and a shortsighted vision.

“If we fall, we will fall together.”

Remember that anthem from For King and Country and other Christian artists during COVID? Well, the opposite works, too.

“If we rise, we rise together.”

• And then there’s Goldsboro High School — the move out of the old portion, the historic part, of the building. You can understand why this is an emotional trigger. The memories.

The history. The evolution of that school.

The history of segregation and the concerns that Goldsboro High is just an afterthought and that the next step is to disperse those students all across the county.

How this is handled will set the tone. And if we are not careful, we will open the door to the race-baiters — those who take advantage of discord and differences to turn fissures into canyons of misunderstanding and hate.

We don’t want that, but there are some truths here, too.

Goldsboro High School is struggling.

There are facility concerns and problems with low test scores and scary reading levels.

All of that and discipline problems to boot means we have to talk about a next step.

Something needs to be done. It just does.

What that will be will require leaders who are willing to talk, to listen, and to ignore those who want to make this about race. (And make no mistake, those opportunists are getting ready to strike).

But dropping a bomb on the school and the community that populates it with no preparation and no discussion, that’s how you get exactly the opposite.

The district needs a coalition of black and white leaders with the courage to have discussions and say the tough stuff — a group that has the vision to get community buy-in.

Goldsboro High School’s history is full of leaders — black and white — who would expect nothing less.

We need a better idea.

• And then there is Edgewood.

There are members of the current Board of Education who should know exactly why this is such a volatile and important discussion.

It is not just about electric bills.

It is about a group of students who need special care — for whom change, any change, is a massive disruption that could very well lead to their parents pulling their children out of school altogether.

And it is about a facility that has been a gem in this community for decades — and a draw for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base airmen and their families, who asked to be stationed here because their special needs child would be able to find a home at Edgewood.

With recent news about the base’s “evolving” mission, do we really need another black eye by shuttering one of the only WCPS schools that is on Washington’s radar in a good way?

No. Moving Edgewood to Eastern Wayne is a missed opportunity to develop a different kind of “satellite school” — to think big.

And it is a let-down for the parents who told board members Tuesday that they have not felt heard, supported, or like the care had been given to the needs of their children.

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Can you blame them?

Of course they feel like they had no say.

They didn’t.

Of course they feel like their concerns weren’t taken into consideration. They weren’t.

Of course they feel blindsided. They were.

This decision was bungled. Badly.

One parent turned, her voice breaking, and asked former board chairman Chris West and current chairman Craig Foucht, “What if it was your kid?”

Their silence said it all.

So, we ask you, “What if it was yours?”

We think we know what the answer would be.

There is a theme in all this, another cautionary tale.

Silence — discussion in closed sessions and in impromptu gatherings to avoid the quorum that would trigger the open meetings laws — doesn’t work, not if you want the community to rally around the school district and to try to understand when the tough decisions have to be made.

Patience is in short supply these days. And so, too, is trust of public institutions.

Trust-building takes emotional intelligence and open, honest communication.

The days of citizens who just accept the pronouncements of people who think they are smarter than everyone else just because they won an election or have a fancy title after

their name are gone.

It mattered here.

But instead of changing course — admitting this went very wrong and looking for other ways to save that $750,000 a year — we know what will happen.

“The big, bad media is nothing but purveyors of criticism and sharp-tongued retorts.”

“Nothing nice to say. No solutions. Just more criticism.”

That’s what they’ll say.

But we can tell you that more and more people are getting tired of the way their leaders are operating.

The fact that Foucht’s “fence” idea was outed by numerous members of his own party is another sign that the tide is turning in this community.

And more and more of those leaders are listening — exchanging silence for communication — and are opening their minds to a new way of setting a course and, in the process, changing the definition of service.

It is not an easy path.

It takes courage and requires people to leave their egos at the door.

We hope Wayne County Public Schools and its board will choose it.n newoldnorth.com

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D

“I DON’T CARE HOW Y’ALL SPIN IT ”

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Wayne County Public Schools superintendent told Edgewood Community Development School "family" the school is moving.

It didn't go well.

BY KEN FINE

eann Poirier turns to face both the chairman of the Wayne County Board of Education and its longest tenured member.

Her voice is trembling.

“Honestly, you cannot look me in the eye and say if you had a kid that was in this school, if these were your children, that you would think this is the right decision,” she said, almost in a whisper. “You just can’t. I know you have a budget, but this isn’t right.”

Craig Foucht and Chris West remain silent.

For Poirier, the “decision” unwrapped moments earlier by Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard was, at once, shocking, devastating, and “wrong.”

The Edgewood Community Developmental School student body is, come August, being moved to the Eastern Wayne High School campus.

And the “home” many have known for more than a decade will likely be sold as surplus after they’re gone.

“I almost want to say, ‘Pick on somebody else, please,’” Poirier said. “We have something that’s more precious than any amount of money. That is our beautiful, wonderful children. And this is their home.”

She knows that now, she is going to have to figure out a way to explain the transition to her daughter, Charlotte — an 18-yearold who was born with RubinsteinTaybi syndrome, a condition characterized by short stature, moderate to severe intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, and eye abnormalities.

She wasn’t alone.

I

n fact, most of the metal folding chairs lined inside the Edgewood auditorium Tuesday evening were taken by teachers, staff, and family members of those who will soon be moving to Eastern Wayne as part of a unanimouslyapproved “facility utilization” strategy broached by Whichard at the School Board’s retreat in Ocracoke back in August and formalized earlier this month without any comments from members of the board.

Toya Williams, whose 17-year-old daughter, Angel, was born with autism and has been attending Edgewood since she was 3, was among those taken aback both by what she feels was the lack of an opportunity for parents and school advocates to address the superintendent and the board before the decision to move the school was made and what she characterized as their lack of understanding of just how much such a significant change would impact the school’s students.

“I flipped out. (Whichard) doesn’t understand. If you move these kids, it’s going to be a disaster. The way my daughter is, when she gets mad, she breaks things,” she said. “When her routine is broken, she’ll destroy everything. She already put a hole in the wall. She ripped the seats out of my (car). Do they want to see pictures of what she’ll do?”

Lisa Hadley agreed, telling the superintendent what happened the last time her daughter was thrown off her routine.

“It got to the point where she would not go to school. It got to the point where she would not leave her bedroom. It took me two weeks to get this baby out of her room,” she said, before pausing to collect herself. “No more laughing. No more smiling. She didn’t want to do anything. Nothing. It took me a month after I got her out of her room to just get her to go outside and play.”

This is not the first time Edgewood has made headlines — nor is it the first time the Board of Education has come under fire for making changes to the school.

Back in 2019, the school faced potential closure, but thanks to then-board members Jennifer Strickland, Dr. Joe Democko, and the late Rick Pridgen, it was spared, although dozens of the student body’s youngest students were transferred to Meadow Lane Elementary School.

Then, in 2021, the board voted to require Edgewood’s sixth- through eighth-grade students to move to Greenwood Middle School.

But unlike what unfolded five and three years ago, respectively, this time around, the subject was, as one parent put it, “hidden” to “avoid a scene” at the board’s Feb. 5 meeting.

According to the agenda sent to members of the media as part of the district’s requirement to notify the press — and public — ahead of official meetings, there was no mention of Edgewood.

In fact, there was no specific mention of any of the four schools impacted by the decision formalized Feb. 5.

Instead, there was a line item called “Facility Utilization Plan.”

“The school board is trying to pull the wool over our eyes,” Hadley said.

T

he end of Edgewood as the community knows it has been in the works since at least late August when Whichard, at the board’s retreat in Ocracoke, said taking steps to properly utilize the space the school district currently has would take out of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners’ “arsenal” the argument that the school district should not ask for more funding for facilities until it maximizes use of what it already has.

“Don’t give me anymore, ‘We’re not using what we’ve got,’”

WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOL CAMPUS SHAKE UP 795

1. Goldsboro High is moving to the Wayne School of Engineering building 2. Wayne School of Engineering is moving to the Wayne Middle/ High School Academy campus.

222 111

581

Edgewood Community Developmental School

3. Wayne Middle/High School Academy is moving to the Eastern Wayne High School campus.

4. Edgewood Community Developmental School is moving to the Eastern Wayne High School campus.

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Goldsboro High School

117

Wayne School of Engineering

GOLDSBORO

13

70 BYPASS

Wayne Middle/High Academy

13 117

Seymour Johnson Airforce Base

Eastern Wayne High School 70 111

13

117

WAY NE COUNTY

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5 MILES

he said at the meeting. “Here’s how we’re righting the ship.”

From potentially relocating Wayne School of Engineering and moving modular units onto Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to bussing Central Attendance area students to the soon-to-be-completed Fremont Elementary School, the superintendent said everything was on the table and that in his perfect world, a facilities plan would be ready

by Spring 2024.

“This is going to require a lot of, in some cases, soul searching in what we want to do and how we want to do it,” Whichard said.

“We have a lot of property that can be better utilized. All it takes is a drawing board in terms of how we make those adjustments.”

The superintendent delivered earlier than he expected — and Edgewood is only one piece of what he characterized as a “puzzle.”

Wayne School of Engineering is now set to move to the campus currently occupied by the district’s alternative school, Wayne Middle/High Academy, which will, like Edgewood,

relocate to Eastern Wayne.

But Whichard said Wayne Academy students would still be contained — separated from those attending class inside Eastern Wayne — because they will occupy the campuses “modular suites.”

And despite concerns shared with Wayne Week by nearly a dozen EWHS teachers about the presence of students who, in many cases, have been removed from traditional schools because of serious disciplinary offenses, WCPS has a solution.

According to five people who were in attendance during a meeting of the Wayne County Republican Party Feb. 12, Foucht announced the district planned to build “a fence” around the modular units that will house the Wayne Academy student body.

Whichard, during an interview Wednesday with Wayne Week, confirmed that the measure would, in fact, be implemented.

“We’re going to put up some fencing so the area is secure,” he said.

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Continued from page 19

One of those who attended the GOP meeting said they were concerned about “how we’re going to look.”

“When he said that, I was in complete shock,” said the source, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from party officials. “I just can’t believe anyone thinks, ‘Hey, let’s build what looks like a prison to contain a bunch of kids who, let’s face it, people think are criminals.’ If these kids are so dangerous, why in the world are we putting them at Eastern Wayne? If I was a teacher at Eastern Wayne, I’d be looking for a job outside of the county immediately.”

D

uring his sit-down with Wayne Week, Whichard said he understands that the relocations of Wayne Academy, Goldsboro High School, and Edgewood have created a stir in the community — that change is always met with some level of resistance.

But he also said that he has learned to “tune out the noise” so he can remain focused on the big picture — doing everything he can to fight for more funding from the Board of Commissioners to make WCPS the very best it can be.

And he said he was not surprised by the reaction of the parents he addressed at

"Sometimes, you have to go through it yourself.

You can walk around these classrooms all day long, but you ain't gonna get it until you're there every day."

Edgewood Tuesday.

“I get it. I’m a parent. Every child is important to their parent, regardless of any special circumstances,” Whichard said. “I expected the overwhelming majority to be upset.”

But he also thinks he accomplished explaining the “why” — and reiterated that once the families see how much work has been and will be put into Eastern Wayne to ensure the smoothest transition possible, they will be more at ease with the relocation of the school.

“It’s got to be just right before we push a button on this to happen,” he said. “We’re looking at every single detail. This will not be rushed.”

Williams said she “wasn’t convinced” and vowed to fight the decision.

“This is all my daughter knows. She has been here since she was 3 years old. You want me to move her over there? That’s another change. That’s going to affect my household. I have two autistic kids. I’m already going through stuff,” she said.

“This is a disaster. This is not no program.

This is a school. This is a family. That’s what y’all don’t understand.”

And they also don’t understand just what it’s like to walk in the shoes of those who care for severely disabled children, she added.

“Our children, it’s more than a home to them. Our children are able to come here every day happy —not crying, not being picked on, talking to each other, playing with each other,” Williams said. “I don’t care how y’all spin it. … We know Edgewood is what it has to be for our kids. I just hope and pray y’all don’t wind up with a daughter or a grandchild … with a disability like this one day, because that’s the only way you’re going to understand. Sometimes, you have to go through it yourself. You can walk around these classrooms all day long, but you ain’t gonna get it until you’re there every day.”n EDITOR’S NOTE: Wayne Week will continue to unwrap how the Board of Education’s Feb. 5 decision is being received in the community in the March 3 edition of the paper, in which we will also provide a breakdown of our hour-long interview with Whichard about how he sees each school relocation playing out, his justification for each move, and his response to questions about how previous decisions regarding how money has been spent across the district — and inside Central Office — have impacted the community’s reaction to what he characterized as necessary cost-saving facility utilization measures.

SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS Want to sound off on the issues we’re covering?

Send your thoughts to letters@newoldnorth.com and we just might publish them in a future edition of Wayne Week.

Word count is not overly important, but please identify yourself by name and the city or town you reside in.

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

I AM A LIFE-LONG REPUBLICAN, AND HAVE BEEN HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE WAYNE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY WHERE I SERVED AS CHAIRMAN.

RE-ELEC T

FREEMAN HARDISON JR. County Commissioner District 4

PRIOR TO BECOMING A COMMISSIONER, I HAVE SERVED THE COMMUNITY AND WAYNE COUNTY IN THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: l Wayne County Planning Board - former Board Member l Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority (GWTA) – former Chairman l Wayne UNC Healthcare Hospital - Board of Directors

Executive Committer Board Member - Building and Grounds Committee - Chairman - Quality Committee - Member - Wayne Action Teams for Community

l Health (WATCH) - Board Member

WHILE SERVING AS A COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR THE PAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS, MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND I HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ACCOMPLISHING THE FOLLOWINGZZ l The purchase of Grantham’s EMS station from the Grantham’s VFD. l Finding funding for the town of Mt. Olive. l Construction of a new Department of Social Service

and Health Department.

l Construction of a new jail to support our law enforcement; providing

a safe environment for the officers as well as those confined.

l Purchase of a mobile command unit for the Sheriff’s department. l Construction of a new elementary school in Fremont and plans

for a new Rosewood Middle School.

l Renovation of the Fremont Library.

EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES, WE MUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE. MY GOALS AS COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 4 ARE:

l Continued development of shell buildings for new businesses

1. Continue to support our farmers and the Wayne County

l Continued support to Wayne Community College (a leader in

2. Continue to Improve School Facilities: I will continue to advocate for

coming to Wayne County.

affordable education for North Carolina) for their new Center for Industrial Technology Education (CITE) building.

l Supported competitive salaries and compensations for our county

employees, sheriff department and emergency department.

l Updated equipment and training to emergency stations and community

volunteer fire departments in areas so that they can provide timely coverage for our communities.

l Grants to provide internet service in areas who do not have service,

and improve services in other areas.

agricultural industry.

funding and initiatives that improve school facilities. This includes building a new Rosewood Middle School.

3. Improving Economic Development: we must attract new businesses and

industries to our county, creating job opportunities for our residents, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

4. Developing a Regional Sewer: Access to proper sanitation

is crucial for the well-being of our communities and economic growth.

5. Continue to support mental health initiatives throughout the County.

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. Wayne WEEK . 21

the SPECTATOR

Jam Sessions

Musicians took center stage in downtown Goldsboro last week as Tyler Davis and Company threw down at the Paramount Theatre and the Wayne County Jazz Showcase drew a crowd to the Arts Council.

Photos by Casey Mozingo

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L D AN

SCAPE ESIGN

OF GOLDSBORO, INC.

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