At Monday night’s meeting, the commissioners passed a motion not to approve the pay raises that Hyde County Schools superintendent Dr. Randolph Latimore requested on behalf of the Board of Education.

“The school board is requesting this for the current year, and we need approval from the commissioners,” Latimore said. “The school board approved me to make this request. I’m not here to belabor the point – as commissioners you can say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ and move on to the next agenda item.” 

“I make a motion we say ‘nay’!” said Ocracoke’s commissioner, John Fletcher. 

After a short discussion, the motion was seconded, and chairman Barry Swindell said, “All in favor of a no vote for the increase say ‘aye.’” It was convoluted syntax, but it worked. There will be no raises for the school board this year. 

But will we have art? More on that here.

The issue of raises for school board members has been a hot topic since it was first introduced at the December commissioners meeting and discussed again in January. Latimore asked the commissioners to approve an increase in pay for school board members from $42 per meeting ($50 for the chairperson) to $353 per month ($475 for the chairperson). (The school board members average two meetings per month.)

This request was less popular than the school board might have imagined. Ocracoke residents who are upset that Ocracoke School has lost its art program and three teacher assistant positions came out to protest. Parents and community members spoke at the January commissioners meeting and also at the December and January school board meetings. 

In their packets for last night’s meeting, the commissioners received 17 identical letters signed by Ocracoke residents. The letters state that the signees do not support pay increases for the school board members. (Unfortunately, the letters open with an erroneous statement: "I am writing to express my concern over the request for salary raises by the Hyde County Board of Education superintendent, Dr. Randolph Latimore, for himself and other BOE members." Actually, the raises were for the five school board members only; Latimore, as superintendent, is well-compensated for his job, and did not request a raise for himself.) 

The letters closed with this statement: “If there are extra funds available, they should go toward the reinstatement of an art program or other program that directly benefit our children, and therefore, our future.”

The only thing decided by the commissioners is that the school board members won’t be getting raises. What will they do with the extra money? Perhaps they will discuss it at today’s Board of Education meeting. It’s at 4pm in the Ocracoke School information highway classroom. There will be time for public comment at the beginning of the meeting.