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At the Dare County Board of Education (BOE) meeting on January 13, the board unanimously approved the naming of the Manteo High School (MHS) gymnasium after former Dare County Schools (DCS) teacher, coach and superintendent Stephen G. Basnight Jr.

Board member Justin Bateman shared that the Facilities Naming Team met on December 19, 2024 to discuss the new name for the MHS gym. After receiving several letters in favor of naming the gym after Basnight and reviewing DCS policies, Bateman said the team agreed that the late superintendent met the criteria for such naming. He took the time to read excerpts from a few letters to the board at their meeting, including one from his own father, Mitchell Bateman.

“If it wasn’t for Steve Jr., I likely wouldn’t have had the honor and privilege of growing up in Wanchese, much less Dare County,” Bateman explained. His father worked as a psychologist for DCS for almost forty years, and it was Basnight who gave him his job back in 1977.

In an emotional exchange, BOE Chairman David Twiddy presented Superintendent Steve Basnight and Hugh Basnight, sons of Stephen G. Basnight Jr., with plaques in honor of the upcoming celebration of the newly named gymnasium. They were joined by MHS Principal John Luciano and Assistant Principal Mary Bridgers.

The celebration will be held on Monday, February 3 at the MHS gym prior to the women’s basketball game.

The packed agenda for the evening included a presentation by Dare Community Housing Task Force (DCHTF) on its 2024 report. Donna Creef and Malcolm Fearing headed the presentation, which centered around available, attainable, sustainable and acceptable housing in Dare County. Their findings indicated that the median home sale price has risen by 63% from 2020 to 2024, after only a 17% increase from 2003 to 2020, leaving about 30% of households in the county “cost-burdened.”

After reviewing salaries for teachers and local government employees in comparison to current average home prices, Creef spoke to various housing options, including accessory dwelling units. “What we find is that accessory dwelling units are something that is proven to be a successful way for housing options to be expanded,” she said. “They also can be used for family members and they provide additional income for those folks who have accessory dwelling units.”

In addition, back in 2004, legislation was adopted to grant the BOE the ability to build teacher and local government housing. There are currently 24 teacher apartments in Kill Devil Hills (KDH) and 12 in Buxton. DCHTF has recommended further research and use of this legislation for additional housing in areas such as KDH and Roanoke Island/mainland Dare County.

Creef reported that DCHTF is working with East Carolina University (ECU) on a study about workforce housing. Public community meetings will be held in the spring and online studies are being conducted through ECU. DCHTF has also been chosen as one of fourteen teams to partake in the University of North Carolina’s “Our State Our Home” initiative. The task force will be receiving in depth and extensive training over the course of 18-months on how to respond to and make decisions about local housing needs through this program.

Fearing noted that the unanimous support from local government boards of the task force working through the housing issues has not gone unnoticed. “That ain’t done very often in the political arena in Dare county, to get everybody together and to agree.”

Board member Matt Brauer asked if it was possible to expand the scope of research to include Currituck County. “Lot more land over the bridge,” he noted. Creef responded, “That seems an obvious solution. I don’t know if there is the political will to do so in Currituck County.” She noted the struggle with growth in their northern communities, and said there “doesn’t seem to be an opportunity at this time.”

The board also heard from Denise Fallon, director of secondary education, in regard to the Dare County Early College (DCEC). Rising 9^th grade students and parents are welcome to attend upcoming information session to learn more about the early college, set to start classes August 2025. Student presentations were set for Cape Hatteras Secondary on January 16, First Flight Middle School on January 21 and Manteo Middle School on January 24. Parents meetings will be held at Manteo Middle School on January 27, First Flight Middle School on January 28 and Cape Hatteras Secondary School on January 29.

Fallon shared that DCEC is looking to enroll about 50 students to start. “We’re really excited about moving forward with admitting students.” For those with questions regarding recruitment, Fallon can be reached at fallonde@daretolearn.org or 252-480-8888 ext. 1928.

Other agenda items included the recognition of Emerson Mann, a First Flight High School senior who was selected by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Presidential Scholars Nomination Committee to move forward as a state nominee in the next round of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, the adoption of the traditional school calendar and the Early College calendar for school year 2025-2026, and a presentation on the impact of literacy on student success. In addition, the board heard from several school principals regarding revised school improvement plans. They tabled a final decision of approval for their next meeting, leaving time to review all revisions.

The next BOE meeting is scheduled for February 10 at 5 p.m. More information can be found at daretolearn.org.

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