Comments | Eastern NC Now

I have seen the fund raising letter that got the school board incumbents panties in a twist, and while it was not structured in the most effective manner, its content seems to be accurate. It is also interesting that the school board majority faction seems to admit that in its resolution by not disputing any of the facts presented.

Why are they so frantic about the public learning those things? Indeed, the letter's content about the county school's lousy scores on the state evaluations are something that the School Board itself is required by law to advertise itself. They do a deliberately poor job of meeting that statutory requirement. A link that goes to those scores is buried on the School Board's website, and even if you find it and follow it, there is still a lot more navigation of the state site necessary to find Beaufort County schools' scores. If the school board really had wanted to level with the public on the lousy scores our schools are getting, they would have taken some of the thousands of dollars they pay for puff piece ads in the Washington Daily News and buy a quarter page ad there revealing the scores. They don't want them revealed, so they don't do that and they get mighty upset when someone else reveals them.

Then there is the issue of local control of local schools which the majority faction on the school board clearly does not favor, based on the wording of their resolution. They clearly take the position that they should be subservient to the state DPI in Raleigh on curriculum, when the state law, on the contrary, gives the local school boards total control of what is in their curriculum. That was underlined when Rep. Kidwell introduced a bill to allow use of the Hillsdale College history curriculum, and the attorneys at the state legislature told him that was unnecessary because local school boards already had absolute control over curriculum and DPI had no authority to tell them what to do. Of course, the out of town attorney used by our school board is connected at the hip with DPI, so should he be expected to do anything other than sing DPI's tune?

With DPI being run by a Roy Cooper appointed majority on the state Board of Education, anything coming out of there is going to tilt to the left, often heavily. Therefore it is critically important to elect a school board that believes in local control of local schools. The current majority on the Beaufort County Board of Education clearly does NOT, and that is a huge issue IMHO.

Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 9:22 am By: Steven P. Rader

Charles Hickman is someone I will always vouch for doing what is right, simply because Charles already knows what is right.

If I had time for an ongoing "inner circle," Charles would be in it, and I would wager that he would have me in his "inner circle," should he likewise have the time for it.

Neither of us, for different reasons, have that time.

Many of the folks that revolve around Commissioner Hood Richardson, orbiting in his gravitational pull, do so because Hood truly expends the effort to hold that Conservative voice here in Beaufort County together.

Also, these people respect the Commissioner's integrity and honesty and wisdom to know right from wrong, Left from Right.

Charles is in that camp, along with myself, because we do not shrink from these ideals of finding the proper pathway to effective representation of integrity.

Speaking for myself, if I had more time I would offer more help. Since I have created this platform from nothing, it is something that people of integrity can use.

Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 8:53 am By: Stan Deatherage

Big Bob, if you are talking about an inner Republican Party in Beaufort County - its heart, its soul - there is none.

The "people" you speak of will ultimately decide what happens to their schools. That is how self-government works.

Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 8:47 am By: Stan Deatherage

I did have concerns with the resolution because it was framed in politics. This is precisely why I was so adamant about not signing on to it. I'm trying very hard to stay off the political frontlines during this primary season and most certainly do not want to add it to county business in an official meeting.

Despite my efforts, I do recognize how determined certain ones are to drag me into it. Some of the untrue charges directed at me and others in the comments here do need to be addressed. Several things to consider:
1. No one writes my words for me. Anything I'm reading is either written preparation by me or is from a relevant document I am reading from.
2. The only political committee I am on is my own individual candidate committee.
3. Not conservative?? Check my credentials.
4. Racist member of a hate group??? That is preposterous as well as highly insulting.

This is going to be a very spirited primary and election campaign season that may even spill over to those of us not in races this year. Don't believe everything you hear. Check your sources and the motives of those involved. The truth matters.

Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 8:40 am By: Charles Hickman

BC- For the love of God, don’t let MAGA lunatics destroy the public schools in the county.

Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 7:55 am By: Big Bob

Will: The Hillsdale Curriculum will probably never occur. It makes too much sense. That is its bane.

From what I have learned from Beaufort County politics, the RINOs have wrested control from the Democrats only to power share with the Democratic Socialists. This is the deep thoughtless hole, where good ideas go to die.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 11:58 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Other than the few, the rest of the board seems incapable of understanding the issue is not whether or not the teachers are doing a good job.

Teachers should be empowered to become masters of their profession, and allowed to teach in the best way they see fit to yield the learning of the material. I’m sure all of our teachers truly care for the children and want them to learn. All of my schooling was done in this school system and all of my teachers were wonderful.

The issue is with the programs and ideas that seem to need to be force fed because they are inedible by themselves. Through many words and much fluff they are disguised and washed down. If you ask a chef to make a filet mignon, but the only ingredients you supply him with are horsecrap and bread; then it’s going to take a lot of water to wash down the sandwich that is produced. This is like what we are doing to our great teachers. We must give them sound doctrine as a foundation to their teaching and allow their ingenuity to take the reins in their own classroom.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 11:21 pm By: Will Simmons

Conservatism is based on principles not who you personally like or don't like. One has to look at school policies and how board members vote on them. Curriculum is huge right now all over the country, as parents reject the public school establishment's woke curriculum. All three Republican candidates for governor have made fighting these woke curricula an issue, and all three are challenging the public school establishment. The nominal Republican school board members who are up for election this year are way out of step with the Republicans running for governor. Ditto all of the Republicans running for Lieutenant Governor who I have seen take a stand on education. They are also out of step with the leading Republican candidates for president.

On the other hand, the three conservatives elected to the school board last election are right in tune with our GOP candidates for these statewide and national offices.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 9:53 pm By: Conservative Voter

Van Zant: You will not have to concern yourself with NLR any longer, That fake person, but a real coward has been banished from ENC NOW for perpetuity.

I am truly considering making ENCNOW a coward-free-zone.

No one in Beaufort County celebrates and encourages Free Speech in Beaufort County more than myself; however, when Fake People, using Fake Emails bloviate in a manner not conducive with any manner of constructive behavior, the value of a coward's speech, as a fake person with a fake email, is limited, and then one wonders: If you limit a fake
person's non intelligent, and completely valueless Free Speech, what has been lost?
The answer can only be nothing ... nothing can be lost from nothing ... mathematically, it is like subtracting 0 from 0.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 8:27 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Not Ray Leary is also a fake person, with a fake alias because of their fake email.

If you are an alias, you will have to use a real email, and if you attack anyone's personal business, you will be limited on this platform in terms of access.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 7:28 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Rino Hunter, Wrong guess. Try again.

Commented: Friday, January 19th, 2024 @ 6:14 pm By: Firebrand