Residents urge Pitt County to protect school nurses, domestic‑violence services and adopt budget‑transparency steps

Several residents used the public‑comment period at the Pitt County commissioners meeting to press officials for funding and transparency on social and education services.

Erica Turner, identifying herself as a Pitt County school nurse, said the district has 24 nurses and one manager and that student enrollment has risen about 7% while registered-nurse visits increased by roughly 190%, health-counseling sessions by about 201%, and the number of students requiring medicine by about 93%. Turner urged the commissioners to fund three nursing positions at risk of termination, citing the recommended ratio from the North Carolina Department of Instruction of one school nurse per 750 students and saying additional nursing presence reduces unnecessary EMS calls and is a safety investment.

Bethany Smith spoke about the Center for Family Violence Prevention, saying the organization lost most of its funding and staff and now has only one remaining worker; she said counseling, case management and transitional housing services have been curtailed and said the center could close without county assistance. Smith described being a client of the center and urged any available county funding be directed to preserve services.

Multiple speakers, including Rev. Anne Harrington and community organizer Carlos Alfonso, urged the board to adopt the Down Home North Carolina budget-transparency resolution. Alfonso outlined six elements of the resolution — including clear explanations of how federal and state funding disruptions affect county services, regular plain-language updates on funding for county-administered programs, contact information for responsible state/federal officials, historical context of funding trends and a public hearing — and asked that the county hold a public hearing to document impacts on schools and social services.

Commissioners acknowledged the public comments, and the manager later placed on the agenda a county resolution opposing proposed modifications to county property-tax authority; the board moved and voted to adopt that resolution for transmittal to the state House Select Committee. Multiple presenters said they would expect the county to pursue transparency and advocacy at the state level as part of protecting local services.

Speakers quoted in this story are drawn from the public-comment record: Erica Turner (school nurses), Bethany Smith (Center for Family Violence Prevention), Rev. Anne Harrington and Carlos Alfonso.