No Facility Discrimination!

The Board of Education (BOE) is moving forward with their stubborn attempts to close our 3 best performing schools. The Consent Order that has been submitted to the Judge is based on a false allegation of facility discrimination. The BOE's own Heery Study made a mockery of this claim when it ranked J.P. Law as in better shape than the supposedly "so much better" Askewville. Though still written to support the BOE's desire to close our community schools and build a big new school building, the Heery organization is sufficiently ethical that they could not support the claim that Askewville was in better shape than J.P. Law.

It was this false allegation in an earlier study that has been proposed as justification to close BOTH J.P. Law (for being in such bad shape) and Askewville (as punishment for being in "so much better" shape).

NO FACILITY DISCRIMINATION - That Is The Truth - There Is None - Bertie County Citizens Protest The False Claim In Front Of Elizabeth City Federal Court

The Heery exposure that the facility discrimination charge was false has not altered the determination of the BOE to try and persuade a Federal Judge to order them to do what they so fervently want to do, close the schools and build them a new building. That is the sole goal of this whole process. Get a NEW building. Though we are in the bottom 10% of school systems in North Carolina, it is not because our elementary schools are in bad shape. It is because some in the education administration of Bertie County would much rather play around with new buildings, than spend time fixing the serious education problems. If built, it would leave Bertie County with FIVE perfectly fine buildings, sitting EMPTY as monunments to the lack of fiscal concern of the 3 BOE members who support this Consent Order. We are a poor county. How can we waste these facilities and spend millions on an un-needed new building?




Mike Williams, Mary Jane Tayloe And John Davis, Taking A Break After A Furious 24 Hours Of Organizing The Convoy. Kelvin Outlaw Was There In Spirit After Helping Organize Too - GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

When we found out late Tuesday that the BOE had sent the Consent Order forward overnight, in an attempt to get the Judges signature before he had seen the over 2600 petitions that we have already obtained, we felt we had no choice but to organize a convoy to Elizabeth City to make sure the Judge heard our pleas to SAVE OUR SCHOOLS.

Though the Judge would not accept the paperwork personally in his offices there in Elizabeth City, he did send a U.S. Marshall out to talk with us, and explain his decision. The U.S. Marshall, said the Judge would like us to file the petitons, letters from African-American parents and Heery Study in the clerk's office in Raleigh, so that they would be a permanent part of the case file.

Everyone Has Loaded Up At Waterfront Park - Ready To Come Home

Mike Williams, Kelvin Outlaw, Mary Jane Tayloe and John Davis worked tirelessly all day Wednesday to put together this convoy. They had so little time, really just 24 hours. It was a super effort. 35 people made the trip. At least ten times that many wanted to go, but could not make arrangements on such short notice. They were with us in spirit and we thank them all. We also wish to express a personal thanks to Melinda Eure and Ricky Freeman for their continued support of our Community Schools.