Friday, June 6, 2014 - 10:09 Sundae Horn

Ocracoke students won’t have art classes next year – and it could get worse!

In a community meeting at Ocracoke School yesterday, Hyde County Schools superintendent Dr. Randolph Latimore discussed budget cuts with concerned parents and teachers. He also encouraged the community to call and email our elected representatives as soon as possible about this issue.

Earlier this spring Latimore announced that three instructional aides (in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade) will have their positions eliminated at the end of the school year.

Two weeks ago, the Ocracoke School community was shocked to learn that the latest loss in the round of budget cuts was the school’s beloved art program. Kitty Mitchell, who has taught art at Ocracoke School for twenty years, will have to leave that position at the end of the school year. Kitty taught art to all the grades, pre-K through High School, and organized the annual Arts Week.

Mattamuskeet School, which is on the mainland and is the other school in Hyde County, is also losing instructional aides, their art program, and two academic teachers who won’t be replaced when they retire. Mattamuskeet School also lost staff positions due to budget cuts two years ago.

Sadly, unless we act fast, more staff positions will be cut after July 1st.

Ocracoke School depends on small school supplemental funding. This is state money given to counties with small populations, in addition to the standard per-pupil allocation. It’s very helpful to school districts with fewer than 3200 students, and amounts to about 3% of North Carolina’s education spending. The legislature has drawn up a new formula to determine school funding that does not include the small school supplement. In 2013, the new formula was delayed for a year, but could go into effect at the beginning of the fiscal year in July.

Losing the small school supplement would mean that Hyde County Schools would have to cut over $300,000 from the budget for the 2014-15 school year.

Recently, the NC Senate passed a budget that re-instates small school funding. The NC House of Representatives still needs to do so.

Latimore handed out a copy of an email that he sent to all his staff and teachers. It reads:

“There is push back in the House on the language regarding the restoration of small county supplemental funding that the NC Senate has included in its budget. If you are so inclined, please send an email or call the members listed below with the message that is in bold. Feel free to share the message with others that you feel would send an email in support of the restoration of small county supplemental funding.

Please keep the Small System Supplemental Funding provision in the state budget as proposed by the North Carolina Senate. Without this new language Hyde County School System will take a loss of $332,532 next year. The total loss after the harmless provision expires in two years would be $884,424 or 51% of our current year’s allotment. Such a substantial loss in funding will have a drastic effect on our ability to retain quality teachers and provide our students with the same education as provided in other larger school systems throughout the state.”

The Current will follow up with more information gleaned from last night’s meeting, and concerns that parents and teachers still have, but I want to get these names and numbers out as soon as possible. Ocracoke School needs your help. If the small school supplemental funding does not pass the House, then we will lose much more than art.

Rep. Paul Tine and Rep. Bob Steinburg (representing Hyde and Tyrell counties, respectively) have been especially helpful in getting the small school supplement discussion back on the table. Thank them, then remind the others that a school's a school no matter how small.