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2 weeks ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
According to interviews and documents reviewed by WHQR, an employee contacted Merrick with concerns about the district’s new restriction on flags—namely the Pride flag—in schools. The teacher didn’t want to remove her flag and didn’t know what to do.After Merrick responded, board chair Melissa Mason disciplined him and removed him from his committees for two months.
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
Ownership of the property is complicated. New Hanover County owns part of the land, which was deeded to the county by Flossie Bryan in a will, executed in 2000, calling for the land to be used as a park or community garden.
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman |Ben Schachtman
Links: Aaleah McConnell's podcast: Exploring 3 Chambers and what it means to be a Blerd UNCW’s Freedom of Expression policies CFCC’s Employee Handbook NHCS 5040 (Media Relations), 7205 (Professional Standards of Conduct) City of Wilmington Employee Handbook Yale Law School: MFIA Clinic Helps Journalist Uncover Jail Secrets Cornell Law Clinic Aids Delaware County News Outlet in First Amendment Case Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, University of Florida, ‘Protecting Sources and...
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is currently receiving $39.5 million in 139 active federal grants, representing funding from over 20 federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to information provided by the University. The Trump administration recently issued an effective cut to “indirect costs” funding for NIH grants.
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
One sex ed course for middle school students: "Family Life" Previously, the district had three options — families could keep their students out of sex ed or opt into one of two programs. The district offered an abstinence-based curriculum called ‘My Life’ and a more comprehensive program called “Stepping Stones,” which included units on gender identity.
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
The Opportunity Scholarship program, launched in 2014, was designed to allow education funding to ‘follow the student’ (sometimes called ‘backpack funding’). The program provides a voucher to families for private school tuition; the subsidy’s value represents a portion of the per-student funding the state typically sends to public schools (including charter schools).
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1 month ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
An amended vote ordered the immediate removal of equity, diversity, and inclusion as one of the six pillars of the district’s strategic plan. The plan, which was supposed to guide the district from 2022-2027, was based, in part, on interviews with over 5,000 community members; 76% rated EDI as a top priority.
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2 months ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
The training is called ‘Reframing Behavior,’ provided by the Crisis Prevention Institute, an international organization that provides evidence-based programs. It’s paid for by $90,000 in Title IV funds, which provide student support and academic enrichment. The core mission of the training is for district employees to understand neuroscience in terms of the body’s response to stress and anxiety, which then affects how they teach and learn.
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2 months ago | 
whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Ben Schachtman
Winslow started his presentation by addressing some of The Endowment’s newest hires, saying that the organization is reconsidering the strategy of running a “lean” staff, as other endowments that oversee funding amounts of New Hanover’s size have more employees. Their recent hirings, he said, will accelerate the number of grants that are approved throughout the community. Winslow also said The Endowment’s community grants program is set to be rolled out in March or April.
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2 months ago | 
whqr.org | Ben Schachtman |Benjamin Schachtman
Kelly Kenoyer: Ok, Ben, you checked in on New Hanover County’s first round of budget talks. What was on the agenda? Benjamin Schachtman: So, this was all pretty high-level, they looked at the economic forecast, and the increase in property tax revenue – and the costs of doing business as a county. KK: Ok, let’s get into it – what’s the economic outlook? BS: So, it’s pretty good.
