THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170349
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Long : 149 lines
At the Pasquotank County Commissioners meeting, about 15 4-H'ers expressed concern Tuesday over what they said was unequal funding among club members, inadequate disclosure of committee activities and expenses, and the unjust dismissal of a 20-year agent.
In general, they said, programs and participants most closely associated with former 4-H agent Pat Shepherd were either mistreated or ignored. And Shepherd, they said, was placed in a quit-or-be-fired situation last fall that resulted in her departure from the service.
Later Tuesday, however, Pasquotank Cooperative Extension Service Director Donald Baker said the group had it all wrong. The 4-H operation, he said, is wide open and fair to everyone. And, Baker said, only a small percentage of people involved in 4-H are upset.
``If you can find any discrimination from here, I'd love to find out about it,'' Baker said. ``We are very people-oriented, very conscious of serving all the people.''
4-H members like Cora Evans told commissioners they have been asking questions about committee structures, agency finances and funding priorities since late 1994 and have never received answers.
Despite annual contributions of $5,000 by the Albemarle Area United Way, they said, participants in the several 4-H clubs they have led over the years have seen little or no United Way money - while participants in other clubs were favored with funding.
And they said that Baker, who has directed the Pasquotank County branch of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service for more than 21 years, has virtually ignored them.
``In my 12 years of association with 4-H, he has never taken time to come and talk to me, to meet me,'' said Jo Ann Herron, who from 1984 to 1990 led a 4-H Club for exceptional children and is treasurer of the Pasquotank County Special Olympics.
Baker disputes the unsatisfied group's assessment.
``This door is always open. And I try to attend as many of the 4-H activities as I possibly can,'' Baker said. ``I average 15 hours a day, five days a week, and am always available.''
Baker said he has talked directly with the group twice about their concerns, without positive results.
``That didn't seem to satisfy them,'' Baker said. ``They've asked about some of these same things.''
The frustrated group said they have tried to go over Baker's head to get answers from North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service higher-ups, but have been referred to county officials.
``We would like for you to help us answer these questions,'' Evans, president-elect of the northeastern district 4-H Leaders Association, told the commissioners. ``Who are the 4-H extension officers accountable to?''
Commissioners told the 4-H participants that the county has little control over the Extension Service, which is primarily a state operation. But they did agree to help provide public-record information the group had asked for.
Baker, who reports to the commissioners every month, had not been scheduled to attend Tuesday's meeting. County officials, caught by surprise by the 4-H speakers during a public comment period, could not reach Baker to comment at the meeting.
Among the questions that Evans says have been asked and not answered are:
What are the expenses and income from the annual awards banquets? And why isn't more funding made available so participants don't have to pay for their dinner?
Who decides how money from the United Way is distributed? And where does it go?
When and where does the finance committee meet? And how do they define spending priorities?
What is the status of the account for the Endowment Foundation, which raised thousands of dollars several years ago for 4-H activities and scholarships?
Who serves on other 4-H oversight groups, such as the advisory board and the Volunteer Leaders Association? And how are they organized?
``We think it's rather strange that they don't want to tell us these things,'' Evans said.
But Baker said it was strange that the questions were at issue. The makeup of governing bodies is available to anyone who asks, he said - and is printed in 4-H literature.
The finance committee's only role is to oversee the $5,000 in United Way money and funds taken in from events such as the awards banquet, Baker said. Folks have been paying $3 or $4 for the banquet dinner as long as he can remember, he said.
While most expenses go through county offices, authorized checks from United Way-donated funds are signed by a volunteer, and the records are kept at the extension office, Baker said.
``They can sure see it. It's all there and nothing hidden,'' Baker said. ``Every bit of it is available for audit.
``I don't recall a request being made of me to look specifically at the expenditure records. . . . All that's public information as far as I'm concerned.''
Baker said the Endowment Foundation account, part of a statewide fund-raising effort for 4-H years ago, remains untouched until enough money is generated to supply funds off the interest. He said he didn't know how much was in the account but that statements on the fund are also available for scrutiny.
Most of the speakers Tuesday morning also rose to commend veteran 4-H agent Shepherd for her work with their groups. Shepherd resigned in late September, several months after supervisors placed her on an extended probation.
In an Aug. 29, 1994, letter that Shepherd released for the county commissioners, then-District Extension Director Susan Y. Lyday said that Shepherd had failed to achieve her work goals, had communicated poorly with Baker and his staff and had not taken responsibility for problems caused by the strained relations.
Baker said Tuesday that he could not comment on Shepherd's departure for personnel reasons, but that ``everything that has transpired has been done strictly according to state personnel policy.''
Shepherd said Tuesday night that she had worked under a lot of stess for several years and decided to quit when presented with a dismissal letter last fall.
``It was just a personality conflict with me and the boss,'' Shepherd said, referring to Baker. ``It was a constant battle . . . lots of politics involved, and when you rock the boat, you'll get it.''
The dissatisfied 4-H participants, many of whom wrote letters supporting Shepherd to county and 4-H officials after she resigned, said Shepherd was a great 4-H agent.
Shepherd concentrated on disabled children and on equestrian-related events, the group members said. With her departure, many clubs offering services for handicapped children either suffered or were disbanded, leaving a significant gap in service for those children, they said.
Working with Shepherd often led to being shunned by higher-ups in the extension service, the 4-H participants told commissioners.
``The more I associated with Pat Shepherd, the less I knew of the meetings that were being held,'' said Anita Staples, a 4-H leader of Going My Way, a club for physically and emotionally challenged children.
Staples said she had served as secretary of the local 4-H Adult Leaders Association's executive board. She learned she had been replaced during an awards banquet a couple of years ago, when she looked down and saw someone else's name on the officers list.
``Pat Shepherd went above and beyond her duty as an agent for the children of our club,'' said Staples, whose son has cerebral palsy and benefited from Shepherd's work. ``Without her being there and providing the activities, my son has lost.''
Baker said the extension service acted as quickly as possible to fill Shepherd's position. Agent Susan Perry began work this month.
``It takes a little time to identify some needs and get organized and get things going,'' Baker said. ``All of the programs that were in question there will be available to the county, regardless of race or gender.''
As far as the dissatisfied group is concerned, ``We'd certainly like to have them as leaders, focusing their attention and their efforts toward the benefit of our youth,'' Baker said. ``Sounds like we have a lot of people there who have an interest, and, hopefully, would be willing to continue serving in a very positive way.
``That's what it's all about: What does our youth program look like?'' said Baker. ``Not what is this group disgruntled about or that group disgruntled about. We have, at this point in time, one of the most dynamic youth programs in North Carolina, and, possibly, in the nation.'' by CNB