Hyde County Schools to receive $4.9 million to repair damage from Hurricane Dorian
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Hyde County Schools will receive $4.9 million in additional funds to help clean up and repair damages from Hurricane Dorian.
The funds will be divided between Ocracoke School and Mattamuskeet, with the majority being used to cover the costs of the Ocracoke rebuild.
Mark Johnson, superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction, made the announcement today after having visited Ocracoke earlier this month to see the damage done by Hurricane Dorian Sept. 6.
The storm severely damaged Ocracoke school buildings and the main commons building will have to be completely replaced. While repairs continue, Ocracoke students are having classes in three locations.
“The community of Ocracoke has been strong in the face of unparalleled challenges, but they still have a long road to recovery,” Johnson said in a press release. “This money will help them repair, rebuild, and reopen faster so that students and educators can have the learning environment they need and deserve.”
Hyde County Schools Superintendent Stephen Basnight praised the help.
“On behalf of the students, staff, and families of Hyde County Schools and most especially Ocracoke Island, please let me say how incredibly humbled and grateful we are for the ongoing support we have received from the staff at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction since Hurricane Dorian,” Basnight said. “This level of support reaffirms our desire and commitment to improve the educational opportunities for all students in our district because educating our children matters.”
The funds were made available through a 2018 appropriation from the General Assembly to provide hurricane disaster relief.
The General Assembly appropriated $91.5 million in state funds to the DPI to allocate to local school districts that suffered damage from recent hurricanes.
These funds were in addition to insurance payments and federal relief funds. If school districts receive insurance payments or federal relief funds that cover previous costs, they send the state funds back to DPI to be redistributed to other affected districts as necessary.
