[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5978714,"mediaKeyId","5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575","parentId",5809798,"title","Residents ask board to transfer historic West Street School to preservation group","audioSeconds",2215,"startMs",513000,"endMs",2728000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575&start=513&end=2728","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575/thumbnail_513000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5978714/North-Carolina/Residents-ask-board-to-transfer-historic-West-Street-School-to-preservation-group","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978714-2e2adba9d1a9d8c614569d9eba3f79f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1773641334&Signature=HbW1znXYhZIbxW88ub-AbF~HIfllgqIfoiIY~jxQfK-049vpEAZ0OYCk-63~TfjJrRJCYjNbMIPhpU~WuUT7DO~rFISWpa5w8qkWluXNxxnKZjexOrMLiEedByfbAn7uxnbG3U2-J4wedVzZZZKzHnAsZB2j5lxXBrL607DpLR1hO9KKFTYW8jFliPMWtZsEPWE4gzdxqrkQC7tLfiXQLDeFafXMxY2AI2dCE4lsZ57Ex1y5biqDzcKMznUhmPUHE~Yj2PucPS8mt3ND7rD0~AxSe-00aR4RIgcIs-X9DvULcE60U4r53KScOXn1DWEf2r8RU24cg9qfNSpgRqUBdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Craven County Schools","date","2025-09-19T00:00:00Z","article","Cleopatra Hardy Lawton, a New Bern resident and alumna of the West Street School, told the Craven County Board of Education on Sept. 18 that she and a coalition, the West Street Society for Historic Preservation, have submitted a petition asking the board to deed the West Street Historic School property to the society for restoration and preservation. \"We formed this coalition of citizens of New Bern who want to save, restore, and preserve our and your first school for freed slaves,\" Lawton told the board, and she attached historical photographs and a short history to the petition.

The request drew an immediate response from a board member who said the district is not using the property for school purposes and \"we can't donate property. It's not something the statute allows us to do,\" and that the district must put unused property to its \"highest and best use.\" The board member's remarks were made during the public‑input discussion that followed Lawton's presentation.

The petitioner described West Street School as the first school for freed enslaved people in New Bern and asserted the site and surrounding West Street businesses form a unique historical district. Lawton referenced family history and community connections, including local alumni and the Craven Arts Council, and said the society is incorporated to pursue restoration and possible recognition.

Board members did not take formal action at the meeting on the petition. The board member who addressed the item said the property is not presently used for public school purposes and noted legal restrictions on donating district property; the board did not identify a specific statutory citation during the discussion and did not schedule a follow‑up vote or hearing at that time.

The board did accept public comment under its public‑input rules, which limit speakers to five minutes and require statements to be civil. No board motion or vote concerning a transfer or disposition of the West Street property was recorded during the meeting.

The petition and attached materials were entered into the record as part of public input. The board suggested that disposition of unused property must comply with state law and district policy and will be considered under those constraints if formally brought forward for a future agenda.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Craven County Schools Board Meeting 9/18/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Cleopatra Hardy Lawton, a New Bern resident and alumna of the West Street School, asked the Craven County Board of Education on Sept. 18 to deed the West Street Historic School to the newly formed West Street Society for Historic Preservation.","taxTitle","Craven County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14187,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5978705,"Public asks board about remote‑voting policy, audio access and campus maintenance",1297,1129000,2426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575&start=1129&end=2426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575/thumbnail_1129000.jpg","/articles/5978705/North-Carolina/Public-asks-board-about-remotevoting-policy-audio-access-and-campus-maintenance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978705-c4a9676005e3d349efd36b6e8577c564/orig.mp4?Expires=1773641334&Signature=K64AjSZ~Zh3g1YlCclYVmbvCaNnDyV4Nvfx4ukgc1oQ8c0rG-XZ2gTBtfndr99UGMWq-LOJoTpFVevwBKM~a~GasfqA9gJEYV81v~6~oZ9lo8uzXkBhnm59KXK~aDlk3ow1oQVs17fF6wc9sCW6qgf31VRUXWdrlTFiaL1-TXNzxxUJxsSKYrIx-C3uMooF2mZfbPwHhEAK~Fl-zaODCr1OWh2VyybqCROgJs6zW7SCqS426nsbZ1A4QXL89TSmk~JDhuAtEe6YxorxBqAEGn6ncyTd-srNOnPVSbJ4mznxNeCCxKsLPEfAsrK2Z~d~bs8qLHcRhPBMh2ckCGGI-UA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jonathan Davis, a New Bern resident, asked the Craven County Board of Education when the district changed its policy on remote participation and voting. \"When did the board publicly change, I guess the policy when it comes to remote voting?\" Davis asked, noting an instance on Dec. 17, 2024 when a remote participant cast a vote and seeking the date and approver for the current policy.

Davis also criticized audio quality for remote viewers and urged the board’s attorney to \"talk into the mic\" so the public can hear legal advice or answers offered in open session. \"With the volume all the way up on a TV... you cannot hear you other than when you pray,\" he said.

On facilities, Davis asked how many staff are assigned to lawn maintenance and noted that some campuses appeared well kept while others had long, uncut grass. He requested the district report the number of maintenance staff last year versus now. Davis additionally asked whether the board has set a fee schedule for \"4 year requests\" and raised outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests that he said remain unresolved.

Chair Lori Spies told the meeting that the board adopted its remote‑participation policy in March 2025 and that remote participants are allowed to engage in open and closed session but are not counted toward quorum and do not have roll‑call votes. The board did not take immediate action on lawn maintenance staffing, FOIA backlogs, or a fee schedule; those items were discussed as issues raised under public input for future follow up.","Resident Jonathan Davis asked when the Craven County Board of Education changed its remote‑participation and voting policy, complained about inaudible remarks for remote viewers and raised concerns about uneven lawn maintenance and outstanding public‑records requests.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5978710,"Public questions budget transparency, CTE cuts and health reporting at Craven County meeting",530,836000,1366000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575&start=836&end=1366","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575/thumbnail_836000.jpg","/articles/5978710/North-Carolina/Public-questions-budget-transparency-CTE-cuts-and-health-reporting-at-Craven-County-meeting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978710-7b8b849cc4a73ddb580651c63d9260a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773641334&Signature=LHTRVkDV3zz~GQzm4nLw6125mcNvBJ3PivKkqDt3T5vZz2-9ELhZTQp2E4JnHxrNy49CQRRTiFNEOOQZHf5JRstvubQMNXIrHuLlOL5ewH7eaXpSttnXORRzBWw7~1zw8Qnf2qKepx0MYVakDIpgNno5-yjry75Qa58bo3FJbifNrUcLkBqxH5xNAuVnU9S05mC5qosWdcLOZ0ypN6e0hCDDX2ogzgmlEC5dEcCpefk-LiY8Bcgg9rIayQpjf2AoZij1MUtU0PINDxd01budwp6uG3MRtNCzA4lJXQWQD7nx1kzQgIwCYvDVYT-c0Lz-MKyspZjy0knsmSF0AotxtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kelly Muse, a New Bern resident, used the meeting’s public‑input time to criticize the district’s recent financial presentation and staffing trends. \"The local funding that was given by the commissioners for the CTE ag position was not presented as a budget amendment on that first presentation,\" Muse said, and she called the finance presentation \"not the most transparent\" she had seen.

Muse said Career and Technical Education has experienced losses described as \"almost 50 months of employment,\" asked what programs or positions were cut, and urged the board to explain the staffing math behind vacancy percentages. She also questioned a $16,000 furniture purchase for the central office lobby while citing staffing shortages in schools.

On public‑health reporting, Muse said Nurse Forsyth’s most recent health update was far shorter than the prior year’s 26–28 slides and asked who authorized that change. \"There’s a huge discrepancy,\" she said, and asked the board to investigate whether submissions to the Department of Health and Human Services matched what was presented to the public.

A board member responding during public input said the district faces budget challenges that have affected programs such as CTE and indicated further discussion would be necessary; no new budget motions or amendments were offered at the Sept. 18 meeting.

Muse also criticized what she described as the interim superintendent’s responsiveness to staff emails and texts; the board offered general thanks to central‑office staff and did not take formal personnel action during the meeting. The concerns raised by Muse were entered into the public‑input record for the board to consider in future budget and staffing discussions.","A public commenter criticized the district’s budget presentation, cited cuts to CTE employment and raised concerns about reduced public health reporting and administrative spending; the board acknowledged budget challenges but did not make new allocations.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5978695,"Craven County board approves delegates, minutes and consent items; closed‑session motion fails for lack of second",658,2780000,3438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575&start=2780&end=3438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575/thumbnail_2780000.jpg","/articles/5978695/North-Carolina/Craven-County-board-approves-delegates-minutes-and-consent-items-closedsession-motion-fails-for-lack-of-second","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978695-95570d09c134b4c5a75d676fc1ec2a16/orig.mp4?Expires=1773641334&Signature=T60ssquuebZteiGp8X2dFBwAAQdE-tbrbkXnQyIlUdguCyklqcZ8AkEXJn~CzYgdQgTsAFAqzhXZzJAVLk-~my7pQKWoNbK0V3mAS0Ilaz6PZdgrw8UVk7jEsSdLCHItIiOkMkBTqHZQvym78iBwtyHGpse~RSYrLv1qtJcTRU0mnQZlBgT0ZbzOZH~Dox-6UG553Ep9bgI9xdoLPUwROzqf66RolDroGOnCv4oMt-F6DMaydwT~134a987WDEEQ3-WTo~bFEONPXtsTMUsCuZ6jwNgr01pvUPATU8SxfAAq2XucgpSseAa3DOQKhe6WgBNC3O6Vmu1gLvgXlxTChg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Craven County Board of Education approved a slate of primary delegates to the North Carolina School Boards Association annual delegate assembly and named alternates at its Sept. 18 meeting. The board voted yes on the slate in a roll‑call vote; the chair had proposed primary delegates Lori Spies (chair), Patty Mason (vice chair), Amy Davis and Darlene Gibbs, with Lee Kirkman and Jennifer (Daisy/Dacey) named as alternates and an additional alternate added for Lori Kitzinger after a brief discussion.

The board also approved meeting minutes for the Aug. 19 work session, the Aug. 26 special called meeting and minutes from a closed session on Aug. 19; the closed‑session minutes were approved with one board member voting against final approval of the closed record. The board accepted the consent agenda as presented with a roll‑call majority.

A motion to go into closed session during the Sept. 18 meeting was made but failed for lack of a second. The meeting adjourned after a unanimous roll‑call vote on the final motion to adjourn.

No substantive policy changes were adopted in the votes recorded at the meeting; all votes referenced above were procedural actions recorded in the meeting minutes.","At its Sept. 18 meeting the Craven County Board of Education approved a slate of delegates and alternates to the North Carolina School Boards Association, adopted several minutes and accepted the consent agenda; a motion to enter closed session failed for lack of a second.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5978699,"Parent urges board to split combined bus‑driver/teaching‑assistant posts to address TA shortages",289,1380000,1669000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575&start=1380&end=1669","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809798-86dad27244a752a6744012ba41bb6575/thumbnail_1380000.jpg","/articles/5978699/North-Carolina/Parent-urges-board-to-split-combined-busdriverteachingassistant-posts-to-address-TA-shortages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5978699-f32d035a9bb678839fc703c9eb2fccc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1773641334&Signature=TY~I-T8orpAYbe3O0VnDjnvNukzwYy8FEMgVTkOhD17CtQhe4yelbOg63DU9DIJ3tLFQUPsoZlqbg4s~fGNGKHm0FlqeMPvCDfqVIqR55OS3t6agxE0fAow4j2HvzlK48ykQ3JCuHJpWTLdkxTFYppNAb35x37BodQdCaNo6zYi-MAaO~johkN~mclVXrJqOk0V9ns78RGjBuLUsSTDEUudkNe98VpE~lolGKsuLqdPKS~fBEA~rhtnCrZJzn2f~LfNzPb2AXsdd3Bwmjy~O~2KUbAscpD3WmefCgwR0gUPuUzOnI642g3xAW4j3KMmabiCfkYlxhDZdKuQREWNhbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Elena Hubert, a parent of two Brinson Memorial Elementary students and the school's volunteer coordinator, told the board on Sept. 18 that combined bus‑driver/teaching‑assistant positions are contributing to a shortage of TAs in early‑grade classrooms. \"This is something that's been a consistent issue where we're having TA positions that have not been filled,\" Hubert said, adding that at her school one TA is assigned to three kindergarten classrooms.

Hubert said the district's hiring freeze prevents filling vacant positions even when candidates are available and urged the board to consider separating bus‑driver duties from TA assignments so applicants can choose one role. She proposed using long‑term substitutes or a volunteer program for kindergarten lunch supervision as temporary relief, and warned that testing scores can decline without adequate classroom support — she said her school's grade fell from a B last year to a C this year and attributed part of the drop to fewer in‑class assistants.

Board members acknowledged the longstanding nature of combined positions and said other districts also struggle to fill standalone bus driver roles. The board did not vote on hiring policy changes or on exceptions to a hiring freeze at the Sept. 18 meeting but said the issue would continue to be discussed with staff.

Hubert asked the board to prioritize hiring and salary considerations for RTAs (paraprofessionals) and to ensure the next superintendent understands the staffing challenges; board members said stakeholder input on the superintendent search is forthcoming.","A parent from Brinson Memorial Elementary described persistent vacancies in combined bus driver/teaching assistant positions and said one TA is covering three kindergarten classrooms; the parent urged the board to separate roles, allow long‑term subs or volunteers, and prioritize hiring to avoid classroom burnout and score declines.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents ask board to transfer historic West Street School to preservation group

Public asks board about remote‑voting policy, audio access and campus maintenance

Public questions budget transparency, CTE cuts and health reporting at Craven County meeting

Craven County board approves delegates, minutes and consent items; closed‑session motion fails for lack of second

Parent urges board to split combined bus‑driver/teaching‑assistant posts to address TA shortages