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To no one’s surprise, school board member Anita Sharpe went out fighting for her schools Thursday night.

The regular board meeting was the last for Sharpe and fellow board members Walter Childs and Dot Kearns.

Sharpe questioned inequalities between similar middle schools, specifically asking why Southern Middle appears to have been shortchanged.

“It all started with dead trees,” Sharpe said.

Trees were not planted at Southern when it was built in 2005. Central office staff said the drought would kill them. The trees were promised for later, but when

Sharpe went back to Southern to see if the trees were planted, they weren’t.

Sharpe said she also found numerous other omissions, including a lack of handicapped-accessible athletic fields, irrigation for those fields and stage lighting. All were items Sharpe said exist at Northern Middle and Hairston Middle, which were built about the same time as Southern.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Ozment noted that at the time of planning and construction, the system was under difficult financial constraints. She also noted a regime change among those responsible for the construction.

“This is not an excuse, but we had many of the principal players involved in this that are no longer with us,” Ozment said.

Several board members shared Sharpe’s concerns, with board chairman Alan Duncan saying the system needs policies in place to ensure it does not occur again.
Kearns said it was unacceptable that there are no field houses to serve the school’s athletic fields.

“Imagine not having bathrooms. That’s just not acceptable,” Kearns said.

Sharpe said $1.4 million remained in the Southern construction budget and the disparities at Southern should be addressed up to that amount. Her motion passed 10-0. Board member Kris Cooke had left the meeting early.

The top levels of school administration also got a little more crowded Thursday night. The school board approved the hiring of a new chief of staff and the reassignment of another administrator.

The school board hired Nora Carr, the district spokeswoman for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, to take over the chief of staff position here. Carr is a career public relations professional with six years in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and a brief stint as vice president of Luquire George Andrews , one of the state’s largest public relations firms.

Carr will be responsible for legislative affairs, expanding business partnerships, facilitating change management, community relations and assisting with the implementation of the district’s strategic plan. Her base salary is $150,000.

Carr replaces Eric Becoats who will be reassigned to chief administrative officer. Becoats came to Guilford County in 2005 and served as co-interim superintendent this summer while the school board conducted its search for a replacement for former superintendent Terry Grier.

The board voted 8-2 in favor of the changes, with board members Sharpe and Garth Hébert voting against hiring Carr.

Sharpe later said she supported the hiring but not the funding for the position. That money comes from a fund repaid to the district for providing services to special-needs students. Hébert agreed.

Carr’s hiring was listed along with dozens of other new hires and resignations that need the board’s approval, as is common practice.

Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green had high praise for Carr, whom he had worked with in Charlotte.

“I’m excited about bringing her on the team,” he said.

In his new job, Becoats will be responsible for three divisions within the school system as well as recruitment and retention and testing, among others.

He also will continue working to implement the four-year strategic plan.

Becoats was a finalist for the St. Louis Public Schools superintendent position in September.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com