From the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today that Hyde County Schools will receive $4.9 million in additional state funds to help clean up and repair damages from Hurricane Dorian.  The hurricane struck Ocracoke Island last fall and severely damaged the campus of Ocracoke School.  As a result, several buildings suffered considerable damage, and some will have to be completely replaced.  Earlier this month, State Superintendent Johnson visited Ocracoke to get a first-hand look at the damage and the island’s road to recovery.

“The community of Ocracoke has been strong in the face of unparalleled challenges, but they still have a long road to recovery,” Johnson said. “This money will help them repair, rebuild, and reopen faster so that students and educators can have the learning environment they need and deserve.”

“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,” said Hyde County Superintendent Stephen Basnight. “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 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.