AEDC mulls school ex officio member

Harris: Schools vital to aviation work force

The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education may not want ex officio members, but the area’s premier industry-recruiting group wants plenty — including someone from the school district.

The Albemarle Economic Development Commission began discussions Wednesday on adding an ex-officio member from the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools to its 18-member board.

Coincidentally, the Board of Education voted Monday night not to add an ex-officio representative from the U.S. Coast Guard to its board.

AEDC Director Wayne Harris suggested having someone from the school district attend the AEDC’s monthly meetings would help further the AEDC’s push for aviation education. He also suggested the AEDC form an education committee.

Harris said if North Carolina’s aviation industry is to grow, it’s vital that educational institutions provide trained workers.

The AEDC board recently approached two area school districts, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank and Edenton-Chowan, to encourage early hands-on programs designed to spark schoolchildren’s interest in the mechanical side of aviation.

Referring to a recent study by the Golden LEAF Foundation on the state’s aviation work force needs, Harris said it “talks about the need to establish a culture of aviation in the community … as early as elementary school.”

Harris said the AEDC also is a forum for community leaders to swap valuable information.

“The great thing about the AEDC as it’s currently structured is it really becomes a sort of community nexus for economic development information,” he said.

Betty Meggs, AEDC board vice chairwoman, said she would be happy to have the school district represented on the board.

Meggs, who worked in youth development and education for about 30 years, said vocational education needs to be an integral part of the school curriculum along with reading, writing and arithmetic.

“We have to grow, and we have to develop the industry and the work force,” she said.

Pasquotank County Commissioner Cecil Perry, also an AEDC board member, called having school district representation on the AEDC board “a great idea.”

“I think it would be a great idea because it would give the school system probably a better idea about how to train the citizens of the future ... for aviation jobs,” Perry said.

He said it’s vital for children to be exposed to careers that their parents may not know much about. He gave the example of his grandson who lives near an aviation school in Tennessee and is interested in becoming a pilot.

“That would not have probably been a part of his information bank if he had not had the exposure and the experience of seeing it and hearing about it,” Perry said.

Mark Small, chairman of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education, said it would “absolutely” be worthwhile to have a school district representative serve on the AEDC board. He wants to see the proposal in detail before giving it his full support, however.

“I think a lot of us know what’s at stake and what’s needed, and it’s certainly good to have a realization of what might be happening in terms of employment needs for the area,” Small said.

The AEDC, which is funded by both the city, county and the Albemarle Area Committee of 100, currently has nine voting members, three from City Council, three from the Board of Commissioners and three from the private sector. The AEDC also currently has nine ex officio members, including College of The Albemarle President Lynne Bunch, Elizabeth City State University Chancellor Willie J. Gilchrist, Elizabeth City Mayor Steve Atkinson, Pasquotank County Commission Chairman Marshall Stevenson, U.S. Coast Guard Base Support Unit Capt. Carol Bennett, U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center Capt. Edward Gibbons, Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Palestrant and Elizabeth City Downtown Inc. Director Peggy Langley.

Charlotte Underwood, director of the Elizabeth City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, has been a de facto ex-officio member of the board. Her role will become official after City Council gives its approval. City Manager Rich Olson and Assistant County Manager Rodney Bunch also regularly attend the AEDC meetings.

In a related matter, Harris suggested that with the AEDC board growing, it might be better if an executive council of key city and county representatives was appointed to discuss sensitive industry recruitment matters. Harris said breaches of confidentialty haven’t been an issue with the AEDC, but the smaller group discussions would be a good precaution.

The AEDC will likely discuss the proposals again when it meets on Dec. 9.