NASHVILLE, N.C. — Several Nash County Public Schools employees used the public‑comment period at the Aug. 11 Board of Commissioners meeting to urge immediate action to raise local salary supplements for classified staff.

Speakers including Wilma Jones DeRosa, Thelma Harris and Christina Walters said the county budget approved in June provided no new locally funded supplement for public‑school classified employees and that pay raises have not kept pace with inflation. “We say we put students first. That’s not what’s happening,” Thelma Harris told commissioners, describing crowded third‑through‑fifth‑grade classes and high vacancy rates in the county’s schools.

Speakers pointed to neighboring Wilson County, which they said provides a 7% classified‑staff supplement, and asked Nash County to match that supplement immediately rather than waiting for studies or future budgets. “If you believe in putting students first, prove it. Raise the supplement now, not promises, not studies, action,” Christina Walters said.

Speakers distributed a county‑commissioner “report card” to show where each commissioner stood on school funding; their appeals were framed as urgent for recruitment and retention of staff, including bus drivers and classroom assistants. Commissioners acknowledged the comments, reiterated that school funding decisions are set by the Board of Education but said they would take the concerns into account when communicating with the school system and during future budget work.

Why it matters: Classified school employees—paraprofessionals, clerical staff, custodians, bus drivers and others—play a daily operational role in schools. The speakers argued that local supplements and retention are now pressing problems for the county school system.

What’s next: Commissioners and the county manager said they would discuss the staffing and funding questions with school leadership and consider options, but any county funding would need to be coordinated with the Board of Education and reflected in future budget decisions.