PENDER COUNTY — The Pender County Board of Education took up several items of note last week, including approval of high school parking fund budgets that sparked critique from one board member.
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Brent Springer motioned to delay approval of the parking fee budgets, which he dubbed a “slush fund,” of Pender County’s three high schools. He took issue again with Topsail High School’s use of its proceeds to cover the salary of its parking attendant, who also works as a bus driver and coach. Springer expressed dissatisfaction with it a few weeks ago during a vote to add parking spaces to the school; he voted against it.
Students at each school can purchase a $50 pass to park on campus with the money going toward parking maintenance and learning enhancements, such as award ceremonies and tutoring. The school board must approve the principal’s spending every year, but Springer wanted to table a vote and direct staff to move the parking attendant’s salary, roughly $30,000, to the district’s general fund.
“We’re double charging the taxpayer,” he said.
Springer argued Pender County citizens were already contributing to PCS salaries with their taxes and for parents to pay $50 to contribute to an employee salary would be “double taxation.” Countering that view, board members Beth Burns and Ken Smith pointed out the pass was an optional fee not a tax.
No vote was taken on Springer’s motion, as the board agreed to have the high school principals present their budget plans.
Among the three plans emerged several common items paid for with parking fees — supplies for academic award ceremonies, senior celebrations, school events or testing and training. Both Heide Trask and Topsail high schools are planning to use proceeds to pay out $500 per semester to student tutors; the two schools have also dedicated funds to assist students with small needs they may not be able to afford.
Pender High’s projected revenue totalled $6,450 and Heide Trask High’s is $21,793; both schools have spaces leftover when passes are sold. Topsail High on the other hand has more students applying for a pass than spaces available; its revenue, including the parking attendant’s salary, is $39,481.
Board member Phil Cordeiro said, altogether, the parking budgets total around $50,000 and motioned for the district to forgo charging students and cover the budgets with general funds.
“This body’s obligation is not to formulate policy based on the affluent family who can easily cough up the $50 and it doesn’t matter to them — that’s not who I’m going to formulate policy around,” Cordeiro said. “I’m going to formulate the policy around someone who’s trying to make ends meet where $50 is either putting money in the gas tank this week or not and they also want to go to Cape Fear Community College.”
Cordeiro pointed out it is more of a necessity for dual-enrolled students needing to drive themselves to and from Cape Fear Community College. He added he’s had several parents reach out to him with children in this boat.
Board member Smith said he has not been approached by any parent with complaints about the fee. Burns said she heard from only one parent who was leasing space at a storage unit across from Topsail High due to the limited parking.
“It is a privilege,” Smith said.
He asked if there are options for students who could not afford the fee.
Pender High School Principal Nick Paquette said he waived the fee for three students who came forward last school year.
Cordeiro ultimately amended his motion to charge the fee but waive it for students with financial hardship, though the parking policy covers this and the motion failed to get a second. The principals’ plans were then approved unanimously.
Growing pains
The board also voted on a resolution requesting a joint meeting with the Pender County commissioners and planning board to address growth in the county.
“I just grow ever increasingly concerned every day with the number of additional residential projects being approved in the Topsail area,” Cordeiro said, putting forth the resolution.
Cordeiro then read from a growth study completed for Pender County Schools. He said there are a projected 5,334 students in the K-8 cohort for the year that the district’s new school is supposed to open. It’s already over the district’s capacity at 4,774. The high school projected for the Topsail area is around 2,400 students, while Topsail High only accommodates 1,400 students.
He then said he analyzed, from planning board documents, the number of total residential units approved for construction but not yet built in the Topsail area, to exceed 7,500 units.
“And even at a 2.11, which I think is the industry standard, 2.11 residents per unit, that’s 17,000 additional residents that we’re expecting in the Topsail area alone,” Cordeiro said.
Cordeiro suggested “large apartment buildings, Section 8 housing and other similar high-density developments” be paused while the three governing bodies develop a plan to accommodate projected population.
“We are required by state statute that if a child’s here, we are required to to give them a public education,” Smith said. “So if that’s the case, and we do not have any taxing authority, then we do need to have these conversations.”
The resolution passed unanimously.
Meeting transparency
The school board also voted down changes to board meeting agenda policy, brought forth by Smith.
Smith said several people have raised concerns that the board could add an item to the agenda without the public knowing it was going to be discussed beforehand. This occurred last month, when discussion of an electric bus contract was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting and the board eventually voted to nullify the EV charging station contract with Duke Energy.
The policy amendments would change when meeting agendas are made public from when board members receive the documents — four days prior to the meeting — to 48 hours before the meeting. This gives the board more time to make adjustments to the agenda in time for the public to be notified.
Another amendment would require unanimous approval to add items to the agenda day-of a school board meeting. The current requirement is a majority vote before the meeting and two-thirds of the board after the meeting has begun.
“What this does is get the public to be more involved and know what’s happening,” Smith said.
Board chair Don Hall pointed out nothing would prevent two members from calling a special meeting to discuss an item that didn’t make it onto the regular meeting agenda. Cordeiro said he was opposed to the policy changes because he thought it more efficient to deal with the matter immediately rather than scheduling another meeting.
“If your opinion as an individual board member is that we shouldn’t approve it because we need to allow the public more comment,” Cordeiro said, pointing to Smith, “then you can just state that and try to influence the other board members and/or just vote no.”
Smith disagreed,. If a board member wanted to amend an agenda, he believed they would know as much before the meeting and, thus, the public should too. At the expense of convenience, Smith said the move was worth it to prevent the appearance of “back room deals.”
Smith’s motion failed 2-3, with Hall, Springer and Cordeiro voting against it.
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