Wayne Week — March 17, 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

M A RCH 17, 2 024

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

CONTENTS 4 Goldsboro Police Department pay increase is bearing fruit

MARCH 17, 2024 Volume 1, Issue 31

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EDITORIAL EDITOR Ken Fine EDITOR Renee Carey DESIGN DIRECTOR Shan Stumpf PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Casey Mozingo

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GPD Chief Mike West said officers are in good spirits and applications for his manyvacancies have been pouring in since the Goldsboro City Council voted to adopt Plan A salary increases.

7 Yes, Cox has signed a plea deal

It is unclear what charges he has agreed to plead guilty to, whether or not he has agreed to cooperate with the federal government, or how long he will spend in prison, but a new document filed a few days ago confirmed a March 3 Wayne Week report that suggested former Wayne County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox has made a deal with prosecutors to avoid a jury trial.

10 Tent City relocation is coming

Local leaders are optimistic that some members of the homeless population currently living beyond the tree line off Royall Avenue will use their eviction from Tent City as motivation to take advantage of resources being offered by non-profits, but others fear the crime and drug problems associated with the Goldsboro encampment will simply move a few miles down the road.

14 Cover story

The meeting was contentious at times, with Board of Education member Chris West and County Commissioner Joe Daughtery going back and forth, but in the end, members of the two Wayne County boards agreed to continue discussions about the future of the local school district.

20 Spectator

A loss by Goldsboro High School to Farmville Central in the NCHSAA 2A Regional Championship Wednesday evening officially ended Wayne County's 2023-24 basketball season.

© 2024 NEW OLD NORTH MEDIA LLC All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission.

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. Wayne WEEK . 3

NEWS +VIEWS GPD pay increase is bearing fruit

From boosted morale among officers to a “barrage” of applications coming in, City Council’s decision has made meaningful change, police chief says.

B Y K E N F I N E / Goldsboro

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t has been less than a month since the Goldsboro City Council delivered on what was, for many members of the board, a cornerstone of their respective 2023 campaigns, by increasing the salaries of the men and women serving in the city’s Police Department — and the unanimous vote is already paying dividends.

GPD Chief Mike West said there has been a noticeable boost in morale among those currently working the beat.

“I can see it and I can feel it. Even I have a bit more of a smile on my face,” he said. “Their mood has changed and they’re just anxious to get more bodies on the street so they can get out there and do their job and do it well.”

But West said the palpable deflation of stress among his ranks is only part of the story.

Applications from those wanting to join the force are flooding in, too, he said — posturing the city for a much-needed fortification of what had, in recent months, become dangerously thinning ranks amid a dramatic increase in gun violence inside the city limits.

“Last week, we did three straight days of interviews,” West said, adding that those sessions included discussions with 15 potential officers. “And we’ve just gone through another barrage of applications.”

Compare that to what his experience has been in recent years and the change is impossible to ignore.

“Prior to the pay increase, I was lucky if I had three interviews in a 12-month period,” West said. “So, yeah. It’s definitely made a huge difference.”

But he was quick to note that he wants the public to understand that the vast majority of those pursuing careers with the GPD are newcomers to law enforcement — that even if he hires them to fill his vacant positions, it will take time to get them on the street.

“The only thing with the pre-hires is numbers-wise, I can fill my vacancies probably within the next three months, but then those will be in school,” he said. “So, realistically, I probably won’t get (them) on the street until December.”

That means residents will have to be patient, as what West characterized as a “long process” of getting the GPD “staffed up” continues.

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

Goldsboro Police Department Chief Mike West says his officers have been in much better spirits since their salaries were increased by the Goldsboro City Council.

And so will his officers.

“They want to get out there and be more proactive with the community policing so we can engage the community and really get this crime under control,” West said. “But they can feel that it’s coming and that’s absolutely been a positive.”

The council’s February move to officially adopt what has been known, since last summer, as “Plan A” — the raise recommended by West to ensure he could compete with neighboring departments to make whole what had become a depleted and exhausted force — came several months after the previous council declined to approve it in favor of a smaller increase that did not prevent more officers from defecting to other communities, leaving the GPD with fewer than 80 officers and without a fully-staffed gang prevention unit, selective housing unit, or vice squad.

Instead, West’s officers have been, primarily, working patrol — unable to complete the preventative measures they said kept guns and drugs off the streets and violent crime at bay.

Many of those running for seats on the

council stressed that they were not satisfied with the defeat of Plan A and vowed to pass it if elected.

Then, after gun violence data that reflected a jarring number of shots fired incidents and rounds fired in Goldsboro — each representing a nearly 50-percent increase from 2022 — was published in the Jan. 7 edition of Wayne Week, the men and women elected to the board in November went on the record saying they were working toward the goal of getting the pay package across the finish line.

The community, however, lost its patience after a series of headlines — a 17-year-old shot to death on Hugh Street; a corpse found on Sunburst Drive; a group of teenagers engaging in a shootout inside Berkeley Mall.

And when the council voted to delay its decision on Plan A until its Feb. 12 meeting, officers sounded off — one telling Wayne Week they were “disgusted” by what they perceived as a lack of urgency and wanted the board to give the GPD a chance to take the fight to those in the city who were making local residents scared to go out in public.

“It kind of feels like a lot of these people got elected because they said they had our backs and it’s been what, six weeks or something since they were sworn in, and nothing,” the officer said. “Every meeting it’s, ‘We’re doing it the next meeting.’ I don’t want to say I’m done, but I’ve definitely lost faith.”

District 2 Councilman Chris Boyette, District 3 Councilwoman Jamie Taylor, District 1 Councilwoman Hiawatha Jones, and District 5 Councilwoman Beverley Weeks, were among those who took that statement to heart and spoke out — vowing, at the first opportunity, to ensure the raise went through.

And now that they are seeing the fruits of that decision, Boyette, a former lawman, said being a part of transformative moments in the city that raised him is why he ran for office in the first place.

“I’m ecstatic, and I’m proud to be a part of getting it done,” he said. “And I’m incredibly proud that we’re restoring our police department back to where it needs to be and making our citizens and our community feel safe again.”n

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. Wayne WEEK . 5

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

Yes, Cox has signed a plea deal.

A recent court filing confirms that former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox has made a deal with the government.

Now, Chief District Court Judge Richard Meyers II must decide whether or not to accept it.

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

A

signed plea agreement that would “resolve” the United States government’s case against the former head of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office’s Drug Unit has been submitted to a federal judge, but the contents of the deal remain under seal.

The filing confirms a March 3 Wayne Week report that suggested the existence of a “Plea Agreement Supplement” that was sealed by Chief District Judge Richard Myers II Feb. 22 pursuant to Standing Order 22-SO-1 meant Michael Cox would be pleading guilty to at least some of the charges levied against him nearly seven months after a grand jury handed down a sprawling indictment back in August 2023 — a document that has made the rounds in Wayne County and captivated both the local law enforcement community and the public.

Among the charges spelled out in the 15-count indictment are drug conspiracy offenses, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and “substantive” mail and wire fraud offenses related to an alleged bidrigging scheme the government says was orchestrated by Cox and WCSO Maj. Chris Worth, who has also been charged by federal officials.

And while it remains unclear what Cox will plead guilty to at the end of the month in order to avoid a jury trial — or what sentence Meyers will ultimately hand down — the following are, word for word, how the charges have been defined by prosecutors: • From a date unknown, but no later than in or about June 2017, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, and elsewhere, defendant, MICHAEL KENNETH COX, did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate, agree and have a tacit understanding with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with the intent to distribute quantities of cocaine and oxycodone, Schedule II controlled substances, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 841 (a)(1).

• Beginning no later than on or about February 1, 2016, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in

Chief District Court Judge Richard Meyers II will soon decide whether or not to accept a plea agreement reached between the U.S. government and former Wayne County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox. the Eastern District of North Carolina and elsewhere, defendants, MICHAEL KENNETH COX and CHRISTOPHER C. WORTH, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with one or more persons to commit the following: Mail fraud, that is, to knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, and for the purposes of executing and attempting to execute the scheme to artifice, to knowingly place and cause to be placed in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, any matter and thing whatever to be set or delivered by the United States Postal Service, and to take and receive therefrom, any such matter and thing, and to knowingly cause to be delivered by mail and such carrier, according to the direction thereon, and at the place at which it is directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.

Wire fraud that is to knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and for obtaining money or property by means of materially false and

fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, for which one or more conspirators transmitted and caused to be transmitted by means of wire communications in interstate commerce certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, and sounds, for the purposes of executing the scheme and artifice, in Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

• From a date unknown to the Grand Jury, but beginning no later than in or about February 2016, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in the Eastern District of North Carolina and elsewhere, defendants, MICHAEL KENNETH COX and CHRISTOPHER C. WORTH aiding and abetting each other, did knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, and for the purposes of executing and attempting to execute the scheme and artifice, knowingly placed and caused to be placed in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, any matter and thing whatever to be set or delivered by the United States Postal Service, and took and received therefrom, any such matter and thing, and knowingly caused to be delivered by mail and such carrier,

according to the direction by the person to whom it is addressed, that is, official checks from the County of Wayne to the parties as described.

• From a date unknown to the Grand Jury, but beginning no later than in or about February 2016, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in the Eastern District of North Carolina and elsewhere, defendants, MICHAEL KENNETH COX and CHRISTOPHER C. WORTH, aiding and abetting each other, did knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and for obtaining money or property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, for which one or more conspirators transmitted and caused to be transmitted by means of wire communications in interstate commerce and certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, and sounds, for the purposes of executing the scheme and artifice, that is, email and text message communications described. (3 Counts) • On or about September 21, 2021, defendant, MICHAEL KENNETH COX ,in the Eastern District of North Carolina, did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, that is, COX falsely stated to an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that WORTH never informed COX of a competitor’s quote in order to allow COX to bid lower. The statement and representation was false because, as COX, then and there knew, WORTH routinely provided COX with information pertaining to the quotes of COX’s competitors in order to allow COX to underbid his competitors.

• On or about September 21, 2021, defendant, MICHAEL KENNETH COX ,in the Eastern District of North Carolina, did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, that is, COX falsely Continued on page 8 newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 7

Continued from page 7

stated to an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that during a telephone call on February 25, 2021, Drug Trafficker One informed COX that he discovered a GPS tracker on his car and then stated that “… if it’s the Sheriff’s Office, let them know I got it and I’ll give it back.” The statement and representation was false because, as COX, then and there knew, Drug Trafficker One stated in the call, which was intercepted by law enforcement, that he had the GPS device in his hand and he hoped law enforcement tried to come get it so he could cuss them out.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 3 , 2024 The Maxwell Center 3114 Wayne Memorial Dr. Goldsboro, NC 27534

Should Meyers accept the plea agreement reached between Cox and the government, the former deputy would avoid a trial that, were he to be convicted by a jury on all 15 charges, could land him in jail for the rest of his life and cost him millions of dollars in fines, as, for example, each of the seven wire fraud counts carries with it a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

Whatever the result, both sides agreed

to request that the judge expedite his decision — an ask that was granted by Meyers, who had recently continued Cox’s arraignment until April 23.

Federal legal experts close to the case told Wayne Week on background that the agreement could mean several things, including a potential scenario in which Cox has agreed to cooperate with the government in ongoing or future investigations. But they were quick to note that it is also possible that a guilty plea from the former deputy on some of the charges — and, as a result, a guaranteed conviction — could represent enough of a victory for the government to make dropping some of the charges and reducing its sentencing request “in exchange for the win” viable.

For more details on this case — and the case against Worth, who is still set to be arraigned in early April despite a recent delay granted so he could, in part, continue conversations with the government relating to a possible pre-trial disposition — follow Wayne Week and the New Old North Facebook and Instagram accounts.n

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Tent City shutdown begins March 26

Residents of the Goldsboro homeless encampment to be told they have 10 to 15 days to move out of the woods or face arrest.

B Y K E N F I N E / Goldsboro

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f everything goes according to plan, the residents of Goldsboro’s Tent City — a sprawling homeless encampment located beyond the tree line behind the railroad tracks that line Royall Avenue — will be off the property by the second week of April.

And should those who camp there refuse to vacate the woods, Goldsboro police are prepared to charge and arrest them, as the owners of the land have signed trespass agreements — signaling they have, at long last, run out of patience with the men and women occupying the grounds.

GPD Chief Mike West said Wayne County non-profits that serve the city’s homeless population have, for the last several weeks, tried to impress upon members of the Tent City community that local leaders are serious this time. But he would not, he added, be surprised if they are skeptical.

“What we’re hearing is they’ll believe it when they see it. They’re preparing to move, but they’re not going to believe it until we go down there and actually tell them they have to go,” he said. “We’ve cried wolf several times in the past.”

City police have been in a precarious situation with regard to Tent City for years, as local residents complained about the sight of garbage, piles of clothing, broken furniture, used needles, and shopping carts just outside the encampment’s entrance and down the street.

All the while, officers were also responding to a dramatic uptick in calls from Walmart, Target, the Wash House, and other area businesses about everything from violent crimes and thefts to in-the-open drug use among the homeless living near their establishments.

But whenever they would take action inside Tent City, West said police were criticized for what was characterized by some as law enforcement “targeting” the community’s most vulnerable.

“It was a PR nightmare for some of the city leaders. It didn’t look good,” the chief told Wayne Week last year. “So, we backed off.”

And after a young Tent City resident was killed on the railroad tracks on New Year’s Eve 2021 and the GPD, during an ensuing walkthrough of the encampment, seized a large quantity of opioids and made arrests, District Attorney Matthew Delbridge declined to prosecute.

“The information I got back from the D.A.’s office is that they weren’t willing to prosecute because we violated a search (protocol),” West said. “We think, we’re in

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

City officials have been told it would cost at least $250,000 to clean up the Tent City site.

“What we're hearing is they'll believe it when they see it. They're preparing to move, but they're not going to believe it until we go down there.”

Tent City walking around and see dope and stuff. It’s in the open. But, aha. It’s not in the open. It’s in Tent City. They have a certain expectation of privacy.”

This time around, however, with trespass agreements signed, charges can be filed, and

arrests made — a reality officers will share March 26 when they deliver their 10- to 15day warning.

And that, West feels, will likely be enough to compel those currently living beyond the tree line to leave.

But will it solve the problems of homelessness and the crime and drug use the data shows is associated with their activities?

The chief is not sold.

In fact, he has already heard that many Tent City residents are simply planning to move their encampment to another property.

“I’m optimistic that there will be a small percentage that will actually take the assistance, relocate, and take advantage of some of the opportunities that may be afforded to them, but I think a majority of them, I fear we are just going to be relocating the problem,” West said.

“So, we’re just going to have to keep tracking, and trailing, and moving. Some have already moved throughout the city to other private property and set up camps.”

That means the process — notifying property owners, getting signed trespass agreements, and then threatening arrest —

PHOTO BY CASEY MOZINGO

will start all over again.

“I’m a realist that says a majority of them are probably going to be right back out there doing the same things,” West said. “Unfortunately, this going to be a long, hard process.”

And it is one that, for the current Tent City location, will require additional steps beyond simply relocating the homeless population that lives there — mainly, cleaning up the site at an estimated cost of more than $250,000.

“That will be a discussion we have with the district attorney as far as, do we charge them with not only trespassing, but also littering or damage to property? Who is going to cover the monetary cost of having to clean this up?”

West said. “Some say it’s going to be falling back on the property owners, but I don’t think the property owners are going to be able to come up with $250,000-plus to clean that site, so the city might have to have some involvement. But we’re working through that and trying to make a plan, because it doesn’t do us any good to clean them out but leave everything else behind. That’s just going to invite other individuals to come out and (repopulate) Tent City.”n

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. Wayne WEEK . 11

{our TAKE }

I

f you have been around as long as we have, with nearly two decades spent watching Wayne County politics, you have seen this same scenario before — many times before.

The county commissioners offer their opinions on the performance and money management of the county school district, and the school district points out what it characterizes as extremely low local funding levels.

The district talks about how improvement doesn’t come without spending money, and how the commissioners don’t understand how schools work.

The commissioners talk about how tired they are of throwing taxpayer dollars at a problem that doesn’t seem to improve and how the school district seems to think that there is a magic wand that prints money.

Impasse. Hard stop. Nothing changes.

And it happened again Tuesday. Well, sort of.

The first meeting of the County Commissioners and Wayne County Public Schools officials was not a tea party with cucumber sandwiches, raised pinkies and impeccable manners. There were more than a few places where a “bless your heart” or worse could easily have followed the “questions” and “responses.”

It was a fight — and sometimes a catty one — with clashing egos and challenges that came with words that were the equivalent of crosses and jabs.

It might have ended with a kumbaya and a promise to continue to work together, but the two sides do not yet see eye to eye on the issue of what to do about Wayne County Public Schools.

And if anyone who covers this county or who cares about this county tells you they know what the solution is, run.

They don’t.

And neither do we, and we have seen at least three superintendents, a revolving door of principals, and a whole heck of a lot of commissioners and school board members talk, promise, and bicker.

But we have some thoughts.

First off, it is time to put the boxing gloves away. This is not a fight we need right now.

No public bashing is going to make this go any better.

Firm opinions do not need to be followed by catty swipes and one-upmanship.

It is unbecoming, and quite frankly, counterproductive.

And no loading the deck. Bottom line is county residents do not care who has the better gift of gab, or the best slide deck of statistics.

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS CONTINUES ADOBE STOCK

They want their schools fixed — as soon as possible.

But just because we want a real discussion doesn’t mean either side should sit on their hands.

There should be questions — and a lot of them.

One of the most amusing parts of sitting back and watching a meeting like the one Tuesday is how the roles have changed.

We remember sitting with then school board candidate Chris West as he railed about the fact that no one really knew how the school district spent its money, how there was too much nepotism in hiring and promotions, and how determined he was to get the schools back on track to spend more wisely and to be more accountable for performance metrics.

And yes, he was very concerned then about taxes.

Fast forward to Tuesday.

There he sits — all in the grill of former county commission chairman Joe Daughtery — demanding to know why the county can’t use more county tax dollars to fund the schools.

Fuming and sputtering about revaluations.

This is, of course, just a couple months after he approved a $25,000 payment to his own son, and as he sits right next to the school district’s million-dollar attorney, Richard Schwartz, whom he championed and pushed to extend his contract.

Must have been pretty hard to sit there if you were County Attorney Borden Parker and his “legal team,” whose combined salaries representing the entire county are not even close to Schwartz’s retainer.

Are we ever going to drop those comparisons?

Nope.

And here’s why.

If this county school district was serious about cutting back expenses, it would have listened to the myriad of consultants whose expertise, like it or not, is why Wayne County is not in financial ruin.

Too many expensive consultants. And yet, there sits Schwartz.

And then there is the hypocrisy of the nepotism. No apology. No, “Gee, this really looks bad, I meant nothing by it. I am sorry, it will not happen again.” Of course, returning the funds would have been the right thing to do — but not practical since the work had already been completed.

But there should have been an acknowledgment.

We will save you the suspense.

The former board chairman and a few of

his supporters in the Central Office have been working overtime to support the claim that the payment to his son was by the book.

Not the point. And hypocrisy from the man who made it his business to call out former school board members whose legacy of keeping hiring in the family has damaged the county schools.

But you see, that is what happens when you play the political game. To keep power, you make concessions — sign underperforming employees to new jobs and contracts even though you know they should go because you might be able to use them later. And you certainly don’t end your relationship with a power-broker from Raleigh — who knows what influence and connections he might be able to provide.

So, while the school district has made some changes and might very well be on the track to a new beginning, the problem is the same bad decisions that got us to the other place are not quite gone yet.

And the commissioners are right to point that out.

But there is something else to consider.

We are still on the fence about the new superintendent. We like what he says and some of what he has already done. And we think he is sincere about creating the kind of partnership that will turn around the school district’s abysmal test scores and graduation rates.

And we think there are some key members of the Central Office team who want the same.

We know there are many teachers who want better for their students.

And we believe that current board chairman Craig Foucht means it when he says that the district has to set challenging new goals to live up to its charge to take care of the county’s schools and to serve the residents who put the school board members in office.

But there are clearly problems in curriculum and in leadership at some county schools. Moving forward, those must continue to be addressed.

No worries about “political connections” or any of the other blacklash. If we need to make changes, let’s do so.

The commissioners are right to ask that there be a plan, with measurable outcomes.

And then there is the elephant in the room.

Communication and control.

We have never been big fans of the idea that the county government should have its nose firmly planted in the school district’s business.

That’s what we have a school board for.

But we are in crisis mode.

We are a low-performing district — and the number of schools in that window has increased dramatically.

Bad schools thwart county development and investment — and it could actually have been a major reason why there are concerns about the

future of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

If the county and the school district want to work on turning that around, there can be no more “us” and “them.”

All hands on deck means all hands — no more turf wars, no more bruised egos. And no more power plays.

And, please, no more public budget meetings strategically planned one week before there is a primary election with two candidates with school district ties on the ballot. Even if it was purely a coincidence, it looked bad.

And no more decisions made at the beach that affect county families. Talk in public, hold information sessions and, for goodness sake, speak up and answer questions, and not just the ones that come from your public information officer.

And that goes for both sides.

There must be real discussions in public about money and how it has and will be spent.

No back door deals. No secret handshakes.

The commissioners have to work harder to understand the challenges our county schools have to deal with, to see where more money invested can really make a difference.

They have to be leaders in helping create a reasonable agreement that spends county tax money wisely, but has a vision for making the changes necessary to see this community continue to grow.

That is what we all want — strong schools and a thriving economic future for our county.

Want to know what happens when leadership puts aside bickering and fingerpointing and “can’ts” and “not possibles?”

Just look at what a raise has done to the number of applications to the Goldsboro Police Department — and what seeing the support and promise of improvements in working conditions while facing the hard facts about the challenges they face has done to morale of the officers who are already there.

There is a lesson there. Really.

There are going to be more joint meetings and increased communication between the commissioners and the county schools.

That’s the right course.

Talking it out and addressing the problems head on matters. It clears the air.

The commissioners have a right to question, but not to stonewall.

The school district has a right to make observations, but not to stack the deck.

The goal is to make the schools better, commission chairman Chris Gurley said.

So, let’s get about doing that.

And, don’t worry, those of us who have been here and done that over and over again will be watching closely.

We won’t let anybody get away with doing nothing.

We promise.n newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 13

BOXING match presents

Wayne County Board of

EDUCATION

Wayne County Board of

COMMISSIONERS

THE WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MET MARCH 12 TO DISCUSS, IN WHAT DEVOLVED, AT TIMES, INTO HEATED BACK-AND-FORTHS, FUNDING FOR THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR.

by Ken Fine and Renee Carey

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

T

here was finger tapping.

There were heavy sighs.

There was inaudible mumbling.

There were eyerolls and winks.

And officials from both sides of the table, out loud, seemed to relish in what they perceived as “gotcha” moments.

But beyond the drama — and if you were in the room, it was, at times, palpable — both the Wayne County Board of Education and Board of Commissioners revealed significant information as they sparred over a question that has been debated by the two elected bodies for decades: Is Wayne County Public Schools being adequately funded by the county that houses the district?

From abhorrent academic performance numbers and a decrease in enrollment that could lead to the loss of $2 million in lowwealth funding to back-and-forths about everything from tax increases to the pending revaluation of property in Wayne County, what started off, Tuesday, as a calm repeat performance of WCPS Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard’s Feb. 29 Maxwell Center budget reveal turned, at times, into a heated exchange between the boards’ two former chairmen and longest tenured members, Chris West and Joe Daughtery.

But ultimately, despite agreeing to continue the funding “conversation” beyond the joint meeting, the sides’ positions were fairly clear.

On the one hand, the commissioners said they are willing to listen to WCPS leaders about the needs of local schools — and even entertain increasing local funding levels — but those discussions, they said, must be accompanied by demonstrated performance improvement among students.

In other words, they expect a “return on the investment” they believe the county is already making.

On the other, the school district asserts that local spending is not high enough and is, in part, responsible for the difficulty in hiring and keeping teachers and managing the upkeep of facilities.

B

ack at the Maxwell Center, albeit in a much smaller room, Whichard began the meeting with a repeat of the presentation he delivered Feb. 29 — down to the last slide.

He pointed to a comparison of Wayne to other school districts in the region to illustrate what he believes is a notgood-enough per pupil spending level. And while he conceded that several of those on the list were in coastal communities that had beach attractions that provide extra funding opportunities, he noted that Jones County, which he characterized as most similar to Wayne, spent $1,708 per student to Wayne’s $1,215 — a factor, he said, that significantly impacts the services WCPS is able to provide to its students.

Whichard also talked about the local childhood poverty rate — 22 percent — which, according to the data he presented, was eight points higher than the state average.

He admitted he was not OK with WCPS’ recent “lowperforming district designation,” but assured county leaders he was confident it won’t happen again.

Whichard also, again, took a swipe at two of the county’s charter schools — Dillard Academy and Wayne Preparatory Academy — both of which, he said, have lower performance scores than WCPS. Yet, the county taxpayers “are paying for that, too.”

The superintendent laid out many of the district’s funding needs — from capital projects, like roofs at several schools and what he said were much-need parking lot repairs to improvements at athletic facilities and a new waste management truck.

And he also pointed out that recent increases in support at the state level for teachers and school personnel as a result of legislative efforts in Raleigh, while welcome, also come with more costs to the district — that salary increases and corresponding benefit hikes also must become a part of WCPS’ spending plan.

The bottom line?

The district’s ask this coming year — $24,219,880 as well as an additional $5,150,000 for capital projects — is, he said, a necessity not a luxury.

“I know resources are tight,” Whichard said after acknowledging that WCPS’ expenses have increased exponentially over the last few years because inflation has

“cleaned the district’s clock.”

But he assured the commissioners that should the county make such an investment, they would see a “significant return.”

D

aughtery, by far the most outspoken commissioner in the room, said there was another option — for WCPS to cut expenses.

“This side of the room does not have a money tree that we can shake,” he said.

And of the ways to increase revenue, the most obvious being a property tax increase, the board’s longest tenured member said the district’s ask amounts to a $4 million increase in expenditures and a $2.5 million increase in capital funds, which, if translated into a tax increase, would mean about a 7-cent hike — not insignificant for county taxpayers, he added.

That is when the back-and-forth with West began.

“I heard you say you don’t have a money tree. Nobody does, I don’t think. I wish I had one,” West said. “But is that the only place … you’ve got to get money from is a property tax increase?”

And then, he attempted to answer his own question, asking Daughtery about the pending revaluation the county has planned for this year — if that couldn’t raise some additional funds.

“How much revenue is that going to bring?” he said.

But Daughtery snapped back, insisting that a revaluation itself would not necessarily result in higher tax bills — that there are procedures and requirements that must be taken into consideration and that a tax increase would ultimately have to be voted on by the board.

“So, what you’re saying is great news to my ear because when I go through a revaluation next year, my property taxes aren’t going to increase,” West said.

“No. I did not say that,” Daughtery replied. “I said I’ve got to tell you what your property tax rate would be to be neutral.

In most cases, yes. In most cases, during revaluation, there is an adjustment. … But I didn’t say it was going to be approved by this board.”

Whichard jumped in — interjecting that the county’s property tax rates are among the lowest in the area, and Continued on page 16

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION?

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners contend that the per pupil spending number Wayne County Public Schools has shared with the public does not include millions of dollars of spending on everything from school resource officers to WISH health care centers on public school campuses. Here are the numbers each entity says is the real number:

PER STUDENT SPENDING

WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WAYNE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

$1,215 $1,382 newoldnorth.com

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Continued from "Boxing Match," page 15

that low tax rate hurts WCPS when the state calculates its share of funding.

Not charging a higher property tax rate, he said, “leaves money on the table,” which the N.C. Department of Public Instruction takes into consideration when determining the county schools’ allotment.

But Daughtery, who said he was “proud” that Wayne County had a low tax rate, said that several years ago, when commissioners voted to decrease taxes, it was done along with legislative leadership in Raleigh to get an exemption for the county — that the tax reduction would not negatively impact the district’s low-wealth funding as long at WCPS’ enrollment did not dip below 17,000 students.

And since then, as more and more families flee local public schools in favor of privates and emerging charters, “we are close to losing our low-wealth funding,” the commissioner said.

But the debate did not stop there.

Commissioners also asked about federal COVID funds (known as ESSR) for which, in the latest round, WCPS received $24 million.

Whichard explained that those funds were encumbered and could only be used for certain school projects — like, for instance, improvements to HVAC systems. “(ESSR funding) was a blessing,” he said.

“Those were one-time dollars that really helped you out.”

The money, he added, gave the district an opportunity to complete numerous projects it “couldn’t have afforded otherwise,” but it will soon be gone.

“We are trying to get all of our projects finished,” Whichard said, adding that WCPS did not intend to have to “send back” any of the federal funds.

A

s part of what he has said, several times publicly, was one of his strategies, Whichard attempted to show commissioners how the district was trying to cut costs — to tell the story of a school system that was being good stewards of the money the county has provided.

So, he talked about the recently approved facilities consolidation plan — one that will see, among other measures, students at Edgewood Community Developmental School moved to the Eastern Wayne High School campus.

The savings he believes will be realized from that plan — $750,000 annually — exemplifies his commitment to giving the county the best bang for its buck.

“We have got to do better,” Whichard said.

“And we have got to do better faster.”

But Daughtery, who has been a

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“I went to the mat and we were able to get the 1-percent increase.

How can I ask again?

I think you all have to accept that it is not only the money that is affecting these teachers.”

commissioner for more than a decade, said he has heard the same claims before — that more money would keep teachers and improve the quality of the district’s then-six lowperforming schools.

“I went to the mat, and we were able to get the 1-percent increase (in teacher stipends),” he said, adding that since then, the number of low-performing schools in WCPS has more than doubled. “How can I ask again? I think you all have to accept that it is not only the money that is affecting these teachers. Money is not the only factor in student performance and teacher (retention).”

But Whichard cited, again, that the county’s level of local funding is ranked in the bottom half of the state — a number that several commissioners disputed, saying that it did not take into account “extras” that the county has funded over the years, including technology, school resource officers and other items that reflect millions in additional spending.

“I have a real problem with the numbers you are using,” Daughtery said.

And that is another problem between the boards — that both have their own set of data they believe tells the “real” story.

But the bottom line, Whichard said, is that if the county wants to attract and keep good Continued on page 18

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Continued from "Boxing Match," page 16

teachers in what is a well-documented shortage of available professionals, it is going to have to sweeten the deal.

“We have to be more attractive,” he said. “All I’m asking for is what can we do to compete? I am not saying that we are perfect. … The point is that we have got to do something locally to move the needle.”

Whichard said that the discussions about funding levels was not meant to embarrass the commissioners, but was simply an opportunity to provide a real-time look at the stats and the expenses the district is facing and what it will really take to make the improvements the district needs.

“I want to have as many arrows in my quiver as possible,” he said.

But Daugherty said moving forward, the district and the commissioners must have complete and accurate numbers to look at and a solid plan for improvement with measurable metrics.

“We have some serious issues with regard to public education in Wayne County and we have got to find some solutions,” he said. “If that is increasing funding, it has to be tied to performance. Once we move the needle, then we provide more funds.”

O

ne thing, Commission Chairman Chris Gurley said, was clear — and it is something that he and other county leaders are hearing loud and clear from their constituents.

And getting there, he added, will require exchanges that might get heated at times, but that should be centered on that goal.

“We have got to work together,” he said.

“All of us have got egos that we have got to get

BUDGET BREAKDOWN Wayne County Public Schools’ projected capital needs for 2024-25: Modular Movement and Set Up

Athletic Facility Needs

Facility Utilization Movement Cost

Waste Management Vehicle

Roofing Projects (Charles B. Aycock, Norwayne, Southern Wayne)

Asphalt Paving/ Sealcoat Projects

over and do the right thing.”

Gurley added that he has had discussions with BOE Chairman Craig Foucht about the next steps forward and that he and other commission members are intent on continuing those talks.

Improving teacher retention is one of those topics, he added.

“There are some teachers who need more money and some to whom we could never pay enough … because of what they do for our children,” he said, adding that there are others who need to “move on down the street.”

But the bottom line, he said, is that

Total Request

$5.15m

everyone’s goal is make the county schools better for the students who attend them — a mission Gurley said he has been told Whichard shares. “(I have been told) that you are taking care of business,” he said.

Gurley added that Whichard is the new guy who inherited a mess, adding that the district did not get into this condition overnight and that the fix will not be overnight either.

Whichard said that decisions like the consolidation plan, and other cost-cutting measures and temporary fixes like the online teachers for some Wayne County classes,

are tough for some community members to understand, but necessary to get the district back on track.

And while they didn’t want to dwell on it, the commissioners also discussed the impact the announcement of the changes on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will have on the future of the schools — including decreased enrollment should airmen and their families leave Wayne County that could cost WCPS $2 million in low-wealth funds.

Whichard said the particulars are not known yet, but that the loss would have a significant impact.

But his hope, he said, is that whatever the challenges, the county’s leaders could find some common ground to meet them as a unified force.

Many in the room, ending the meeting on a conciliatory note, seemed to be in agreement — with Foucht saying he, the board, the WCPS leadership team, and staff are committed to a significant improvement plan that is “measurable, achievable, and challenging.”

“I think we owe it to the citizens of this county as taxpayers to perform better than what we have been performing,” he said. “If we don’t challenge ourselves to be better, we won’t be better.”

And Gurley said that, being better, should be everyone’s focus.

“I think both boards’ No. 1 priority is to remove our school system from lowperforming and bring them up — bring our graduation rate up, you know, higher than what it is. That’s our No. 1 priority and we as local leaders … our community, that’s what they expect,” he said. “We’ve got to work together.”n

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the SPECTATOR

Moving beyond the hardwoods For the second consecutive season, the Goldsboro High School varsity boys basketball team made it to the NCHSAA 2A Regional Championship game, and for the second consecutive season, the Cougars came up short against Farmville Central.

With the loss, Wayne County's 2023-24 basketball season is officially over, but it was our great pleasure to cover the young men and women who competed this year. We'll see you hoopers and fans in the fall!

Photos by Ken Fine

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