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Public Schools of Robeson County recall, North Carolina (2017)
| Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Randy Lawson Brian Freeman Steve Martin Peggy Wilkins Chavis Charles Bullard |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in North Carolina North Carolina recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall six of the 11 members of the Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education in North Carolina was started in January 2017 when a group asked a state senator to introduce recall legislation. North Carolina did not provide for recall through state law.[1] The legislature did not consider recall legislation before the 2017 session ended.
Concerned Citizens of Robeson County sent the petition for the legislation, which contained over 200 signatures, to state Sen. Danny Britt (R-13) after the board voted 6-4 on January 10, 2017, to buyout Superintendent Thomas Lowry's contract and hire Virginia educational consultant Dr. Thomas Graves to replace him. The board rescinded the vote to hire Graves on January 17, 2017, following a North Carolina Superior Court decision to grant a temporary restraining order blocking the hire. Members of Concerned Citizens of Robeson County filed the lawsuit seeking the restraining order, but they agreed to dismiss it after the board rescinded the vote.[1][2][3]
Concerned Citizens of Robeson County would have targeted board members Dwayne Smith, Randy Lawson, Brian Freeman, Steve Martin, Peggy Wilkins Chavis, and Charles Bullard if legislation allowing recall had been approved. They were the six board members who voted in favor of buying out Lowry's contract and hiring Graves.[3]
Recall supporters
Though the petition for recall legislation was addressed to Britt, Concerned Citizens of Robeson County also directed the petition to state Reps. Charles Graham (D-47), Ken Goodman (D-66), Brenden Jones (R-46), and Garland Pierce (D-48).[4] Members of the recall group said they addressed the letter to Britt due to the political climate in the North Carolina State Legislature. They said Britt, as a Republican, would have more success getting legislation passed than the Democratic state House members who represented Robeson County.[1]
The petition to Britt and the other legislators follows below.
| “ | Dear Senator Danny Britt:
As our newly elected Senator, you have the ability to influence positive change in Robeson County. You promised us during your campaign that you would work hard for the people of this County. We are asking that you fulfill that promise. As you are aware, the Robeson County School Board is in the midst of litigation, wherein the complaint alleges a violation of Board policy and North Carolina Law. The community has rallied together to promote change and the resignation of some Board members. Even so, the decisions by the Board have been detrimental to our students. It is clear that the six Board members named in the pending action violated the law. As opposed to admitting their mistake, they have filed a countermotion, seeking a minimum of $245,000 from two minor children and their parents. Other than pressuring these six Board members to resign, we have no recourse. You, on the other hand, are in a position to do something about it. We are requesting that you introduce legislation making it possible recall Board members. This County is ready and willing to stand behind you in these efforts. We are determined to make things better, but cannot do so without your help.[5] |
” |
| —Concerned Citizens of Robeson County (January 2017)[4] | ||
Recall opponents
In reaction to the petition asking for recall legislation, Britt said he was not sure it would be prudent and expressed concerns of a possible ripple effect if recall legislation was passed. “The next time a county commissioner makes a decision that is unpopular does he or she get recalled?” Britt said. “If you do a recall, when do you stop?”[1]
Britt said his position would be different if the board members had broken the law. “In my reading of the statute, it does not seem as if they broke the law. Sometimes you can follow the law and still be doing what is not right. And I think everyone on both sides of this agrees that they made a bad decision in hiring (Graves) in that way,” said Britt.[1]
Background
Lowry's buyout
The board voted to buyout Lowry's contract on January 10, 2017, 18 months before it was due to expire. The buyout totaled $182,700, not including longevity and supplemental pay. Lowry was appointed to the position in August 2015 and previously served as the district's assistant superintendent of instruction and support.[3][6]
Dr. Shanita Wooten was appointed to serve as the district's interim superintendent until Graves was able to take on the role. After the vote to rescind Graves' appointment to the position, Wooten was set up to continue serving as interim superintendent.[3]
Graves' appointment
The board voted on January 10, 2017, to appoint Graves as superintendent in a 6-4 vote. Board member John Campbell was not present at the meeting due to a family emergency. "When I heard about the vote, I thought 'You've got to be kidding me?'" he said. "This was never discussed prior to the vote. I'm heartbroken by it. We have enough ills and negativity and bad publicity and now we pile something else on it."[3]
Information on Graves' background was not immediately available after the board announced his appointment, according to WBTW News 13. Chavis, the vice chairman of the board, said that the members who voted to buyout Lowry's contract and hire Graves felt that nothing was being done to move the district forward. She said low test scores and falling morale moved them to act.[2]
Four parents of students in the district filed the lawsuit to stop the hiring of Graves. North Carolina Superior Court Judge D. Jack Hooks approved the temporary restraining order, and the board of education voted to rescind the hiring of Graves. The plaintiffs then agreed to dismiss the lawsuit.[1][3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in North Carolina
North Carolina did not provide for recall through state law. In order for members of Concerned Citizens of Robeson County to recall the targeted board members, legislation to allow recall would have had to be passed in the North Carolina State Legislature.[1] No such legislation was considered before the 2017 session ended.
About the district
Public Schools of Robeson County is located in southern North Carolina in Robeson County. The county seat is Lumberton. Robeson County was home to an estimated 134,197 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] The district was the 15th-largest school district in the state in the 2014–2015 school year and served 24,090 students.[8]
Demographics
Robeson County underperformed compared to North Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 12.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 28.4 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $30,608, compared to $46,868 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 30.6 percent, while it was 16.4 percent statewide.[7]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Robeson County (%) | North Carolina (%) |
| White | 32.2 | 71.2 |
| Black or African American | 24.4 | 22.1 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 39.9 | 1.6 |
| Asian | 0.7 | 2.8 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.3 | 9.1 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Public Schools of Robeson County' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Public Schools of Robeson County, North Carolina
- Public Schools of Robeson County elections (2016)
- Robeson County Schools elections (2014)
- Recall campaigns in North Carolina
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- School board recalls
External links
- Public Schools of Robeson County
- Robeson County Board of Elections
- Concerned Citizens of Robeson County Facebook page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Robesonian, "Online petition seeks recall of 6 school board members," January 27, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 WBTW News 13, "Robeson County School Board outs superintendent with majority vote," January 11, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Fay Observer, "Judge halts hire of new superintendent in Robeson County; six board members named in lawsuit," January 17, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Change.org, "STANDing Our Ground - Recall Public Schools of Robeson County's Six Board Members," accessed February 1, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Public Schools of Robeson County, "Tom Lowry Named PSRC Superintendent," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Census Bureau, "Robeson County, North Carolina," accessed February 1, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
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