) STOKES COUNTY GOVERNMENT
COUNTY OF STOKES ) DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA
) JUNE 9, 2008
The Board of
Commissioners of the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, met
for a Public Hearing regarding the proposed fiscal year 2008-09 County
Budget in Courtroom
“A” in the Government Center located in Danbury, North Carolina on
Monday, June 9, 2008 at
7:00 pm with the following members present:
Chairman
J. Leon Inman
Vice-Chairman
Jimmy Walker
Commissioner Ron
Carroll
Commissioner
Ernest Lankford
Commissioner
Stanley Smith
County
Personnel in Attendance:
County
Manager K. Bryan Steen
Clerk
to the Board Darlene Bullins
Finance Director Julia
Edwards
Chairman Inman called
the Public Hearing to order and delivered the invocation.
Chairman Inman opened
the meeting by inviting the citizens in attendance to
join the Board with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chairman Inman
welcomed those in attendance and expressed the Board’s appreciation
to those who have taken their time to come to take an interest in
county government.
The following spoke during the public hearing.
Mr. John Hedrick
111 N Front Street
Elkin, NC
Re: Library Support
(Joan Sherif, Northwestern Regional Library; Ann Nichols, King Public
Library; Betty Smith, Walnut Cove Public Library, and Nora Lankford, Danbury
Public Library were in attendance for the Public Hearing)
Mr. Hedrick expressed his appreciation to the County Manager for
proposing the funding for the second part of the salary pay plan in next year’s
appropriation, for proposing funding for additional staff at the King Public
Library and to the Board for considering the proposed library funding. Mr. Hedrick also expressed his appreciation
to the Board for the allocated funding for the renovations at the Walnut Cove
Public Library.
Mr. Wayne
Flippin
1040 Elastic Plant Road
Westfield, NC 27053
Re: CoOp
Mr. Flippin requested funding for the CoOp, which would enable the CoOp
to assist farmers with the new dripped irrigation system and market produce to
larger chain stores. Mr. Flippin noted an educational grant provided the
funding for the implementation of the drip irrigation system last year.
The following spoke regarding funding for a salary adjustment and pay
scale based on years of experience for teacher assistants employed by the
Stokes County School Administration:
Doris Meachum
2162 Taylor Road
Westfield, NC 27053
Ms. Meachum noted the following:
¨ Urgent need for a
salary adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher
assistants in Stokes County
¨ Worked for Stokes
County Schools for 29 years
¨ Salary adjustment
and pay scale long overdue
¨ Importance and
duties of a teacher aide
¨ In 2002, No Child
Left Behind Program mandated teacher assistants must become highly qualified,
years of experience was not considered
¨ After teacher
assistants became highly qualified as required, there was no additional salary
compensation
¨ In 2005, other
employees who did not have to obtain additional training were placed on a new
salary pay scale that was based on years of experience and school size
¨ Requested the
Board provide funding for a salary adjustment and pay scale based on years of
experience for teacher assistants
Tonya Fulk
101 Princeton Court
King, NC 27021
Ms. Fulk noted the following:
¨ Urgent need for a
salary adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher
assistants in Stokes County
¨ Value of teacher
assistants
¨ Duties have
changed with no salary increase
¨ Assistants work
one on one with students
¨ Assistants are
vital to the overall function of the school
¨ Support funding
for a salary adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher
assistants
Pam Hall
PO Box 724
King, NC 27021
Ms. Hall noted the following:
¨ Need for a salary
adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher assistants in
Stokes County
¨ Worked for Stokes
County schools for 30 years with very little salary adjustment
¨ Set up a new
classroom and actually taught the class for the first six weeks of school due
to no teacher available
¨ Request the Board
the support the salary adjustment and pay scale
Kara Yates
209 Kensington Drive
King, NC 27021
Ms. Yates noted the following:
¨ Need for a salary
adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher assistants in
Stokes County
¨ Supports teacher
assistants in the classroom
¨ A teacher
assistant is a valuable support to the teacher
¨ Teacher assistants
make a difference in the classroom and do so much for Stokes County children
¨ Need for a salary
adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience
Shannon Boles
105 Fox Brook Court
King, NC 27021
Ms. Boles noted the following:
¨ Need for teacher
assistants in the school system
¨ Teacher assistants
are expected to do some of the same duties as the teacher
¨ Teacher assistants
duties are constantly changing
¨ Vital to the
classroom
¨ Teacher assistants
teach students, they are student assistants
¨ Duties of a
teacher assistant have changed drastically, so should their pay
¨ Request the
teacher assistants receive the respect they deserve and the recognition
required to keep these valuable players in our game called “school”
¨ A salary
adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher assistants is
at the top of the list for funding this year
Erin Lynch
113 Pineview Drive
King, NC 27021
Ms. Lynch noted the following:
¨ Need for a salary
adjustment and pay scale based on years of experience for teacher assistants
¨ Duties of teacher
assistants have changed over the years
¨ Expressed
appreciation to the teacher assistants at King Elementary School for their
dedication to the students
¨ Requested the
Board support teacher assistants who support Stokes County children and their
community
Pam Warren
110 Elinor Court
King, NC 27021
Ms. Warren noted the following:
¨ Request the Board
approve funding for a salary adjustment and pay scale based on years of
experience for teacher assistants in this year’s county budget
¨ Job descriptions
and requirements have changed, but pay levels have not changed
¨ Have lost valuable
teacher assistants due to low wages, some work two jobs to pay the bills
¨ Request support
for a salary adjustment and pay scale
Crystal Vinyard
134 Jefferson Church Road
King, NC 27021
Ms. Vinyard noted the following:
¨ Supports a salary
adjustment and pay scale
¨ Valuable duties of
a teacher assistant
¨ Teacher assistants
are very hard workers and very dedicated
¨ Teacher assistants
have a passion for their job, if not, they would not work for the low wages
¨ Request support
for a salary adjustment and pay scale
Ms. Betty Smith
PO Box 706
Walnut Cove, NC 27052
RE: Walnut Cove Public
Library Renovation Project
Ms. Smith noted the following:
¨ Presented an
update on the Walnut Cove Library Renovation Project
¨ Slightly behind
schedule on the completion of the renovation project
¨ Walnut Cove
Library’s Summer Reading Program will be held at London Elementary School this
year
¨ Anticipate a grand
opening in early September
¨ Expressed
appreciation to the Board for their support
¨ Invited the Board
visit the new renovations
Mr. Tom Southern
203 Faye Court
King, NC 27021
RE: King Senior Center
Mr. Southern expressed his appreciation to the Board for funding in the
2007-08 budget for the King Senior Center.
Mr. Southern noted the Center was up and running and off to a very good
start.
Mr. Devin Rhodes
Stokes Rockingham Vol. Fire Chief
Pine Hall, NC
RE: Grant Funding
Fire Chief Rhodes spoke on behalf of Stokes Rockingham Vol. Fire
Department, Francisco Vol. Fire Department, Sauratown Vol. Fire Department, and
Northeast Stokes Vol. Fire Department, which were recently awarded the 2008
Volunteer Firefighter Grant (NC Office of State Fire Marshal) totaling $57,712.20.
(Francisco = $9,660; Northeast Stokes = $6,420; Stokes-Rockingham = $29,787;
and Sauratown = $11,845.20)
Fire Chief Rhodes noted the following:
Chairman Inman
requested those in attendance who support a salary adjustment and pay
scale for teacher assistants continue their quest with the Board of
Education for they are the
ones who make the specific decisions on the use of funds appropriated
by the county to the
schools; Board of Commissioners does not line item the school’s budget.
Chairman Inman expressed appreciation to those
in attendance.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before
the Board, Chairman Inman
adjourned the Public Hearing.
_________________________
_____________________________
Darlene M.
Bullins
J. Leon Inman
Clerk to the
Board Chairman