Southern Jasmine, like this bank of bushes along Sand Dollar Road, is in bloom all over and perfuming the island. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Tuesday, May 12 1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Kate McNally, 7 pm
Wednesday, May 13 Roanoke Island Animal Clinic sees patients in the Community Center. DAJIO: Ray Murray, 8 pm
Thursday, May 14: Ocracoke Planning Advisory Board meets, 5:30 pm. Inside WOVV (across from Ocracoke Coffee). See agenda below. Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) meeting, New volunteers always welcome. 6 pm. 822 Irvin Garrish Hwy. Zumba class, 6 pm. Community Center. DAJIO: Lou Castro & David Tweedie, 6-8 pm 1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Sam & Dallas, 7 pm
Friday, May 15: “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” Sheryl Cornett, author of a new book, “No Secrets in This House,” 11:30 am, WOVV 90.1 FM on the island and wovv.org. Book signing at Ocracoke Preservation Society, 1 pm
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Brooke & Nick, 7 pm
Saturday, May 16: Island-Wide Yard Sale, 9 am to 4 pm. See map below and story here.
Fundraising car wash by FBLA members in the front of Ocracoke School. 1-4 pm.
Sunday, May 17 Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 pm but it is important to confirm because a priest may not be available to visit the island. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960, look for Our Lady of the Seas.
DAJIO: Smooth Jazz Sunday with Sam on Sax, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
A southeastern five-lined skink. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
By Peter Vankevich
If you’ve read novels by Carl Hiaasen, you’ve likely come across Skink—his eccentric, one-eyed former governor turned environmental vigilante. While the character is pure fiction, the name itself comes from a very real animal.
Skinks are reptiles—members of the lizard family Scincidae—found across the globe, including North Carolina. Unlike Hiaasen’s larger-than-life character, real skinks are small, shy and harmless to humans.
On Ocracoke Island, however, the most likely lizard to encounter is the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), frequently seen basking on porch rails, tree trunks and branches. Despite being called “chameleons” by some because they can change their color rapidly between green and brown, they are not true chameleons.
Skinks are present as well, though they tend to be more elusive.
The species most likely found on Ocracoke is the southeastern five-lined skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus).
It closely resembles its relative, the five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), which is more common on the mainland. Juveniles of both species are nearly identical, with dark bodies, five pale stripes and bright blue tails designed to distract predators.
A juvenile southeastern skink. Photo by Jeff Beane
As noted by Jeff Beane, collections manager for Herpetology of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, the southeastern five-lined skink is likely the only striped skink species found on Ocracoke.
Another species, the ground skink (Scincella lateralis) —North Carolina’s smallest reptile—may occur on the island, though confirmed records are lacking.
Habitat helps explain these patterns. The inland five-lined skink prefers moist, wooded areas with plenty of logs and leaf litter.
By contrast, the southeastern species is better suited to the dry, sandy conditions of barrier islands. It thrives in maritime forests, dunes, and scrub habitats—landscapes that define barrier islands like Ocracoke.
Adult skinks can be harder to distinguish. Southeastern five-lined skinks often retain more of their striping into adulthood, but males have a stronger tendency for their striped patterns to become obscured as they grow older.
The mainland five-lined skinks may lose their stripes and develop a more uniform color. Even so, these differences can be subtle, and accurate identification often requires close inspection.
If you spot a striped or deep brown lizard in the sandy habitats or among leaf litter on Ocracoke, it’s most likely the southeastern five-lined skink.
Alongside the more visible green anoles, these secretive lizards are part of the island’s ecosystem: They help control insects and offer a glimpse into the adaptations that allow wildlife to thrive along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Community Square will be protected in perpetuity. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Ocracoke’s Community Square has received historic preservation designations and protections by Preservation North Carolina through a historic preservation agreement.
Located on the north shore of Silver Lake, the Community Square, owned by Ocracoke Foundation Inc., worked with PNC to permanently protect the buildings in the square with a historic easement that prevents their being torn down and rebuilt with something else.
PNC’s Eastern Regional Director Maggie Gregg said the designation protects five historic commercial buildings: the iconic Community Store (1950), the William Ellis Williams House (ca. 1900), Will Willis’ Store and Fish House (1930), the Electric Office (ca. 1936), and the island’s first electric generator plant (ca. 1936).
Such easements become part of the deed and guarantee that the buildings are “protected in perpetuity” no matter who owns them.
This historic square is the traditional commercial center of Ocracoke, said Foundation President Scott Bradley.
“It’s central to the charm of Ocracoke that attracts visitors,” he said. “It displays Ocracoke’s maritime heritage and traditions.”
Preserving the historic square became an issue in 2009 when it was listed for public sale.
Working with the seller, David Senseney, the foundation purchased the entire square in November 2013 for $1.6 million and began obtaining historic designation for it.
This was made possible by two interim loans, with The Conservation Fund and Keith and Isabelle McDermott of London, England, and Ocracoke each making loans of $800,000.
In December 2017, The Conservation Fund loan was repaid with a new loan of $600,000 from TowneBank, and $200,000 from 200+ individual donations and other sources.
In May 2020 the McDermotts transformed their $800,000 loan into a gift.
The Community Square has served as a hub for commerce and social activity and waterfront access for decades.
Many early island photographs depict daily life centered around the square’s iconic Community Store, the Will Willis Fish House, the Ice Plant and the island’s first generator plant.
Community Square. Undated photo
In 1918 Amasa ‘Mace’ Fulcher’s grocery store faced the harbor, appropriate for a business whose freight arrived by boat.
Island men gathered on the porch to share stories, whittle birds and ponder the ways of fish. In winter months the congregation moved inside near the pot-bellied stove. The daily arrival of the mail boat Aleta drew a majority of islanders from their homes. The Community Square can model how rural communities can put their assets to work: save historic properties, provide space for locally owned small businesses, maintain waterfront access and public open space, be a focal point for tourism, and use the lease income as a permanent endowment to benefit our island, the foundation says on its website.
Bradley said negotiations are continuing to purchase the Ocracoke Seafood Company building to protect another historic property.
The foundation owns the Ocracoke Seafood Company business but does not own the property.
A working fish house for local fishermen and women to sell their product, it is part of Ocracoke’s maritime heritage.
These efforts mirror that of the Ocracoke Preservation Society, which in 2018, purchased the Island Inn to save it for community use.
Community Square. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Rory Kelly of Durham leads the Scallywag Half-Marathon pack on April 26. She won with a time of 1:20:05.
Text and photos by Connie Leinbach
The Ocracoke Island Scallywag Weekend Runfest April 25 and 26 had several firsts in this year’s 5K/10K and half-marathon races, and the big first is that a woman won the half-marathon.
Rory Kelly, 29 of Durham, won the 13.1-mile half-marathon with a time of 1:20:24.
She was the first female to ever win the half-marathon, said Race Director Angie Todd while announcing the awards, and she beat last year’s winner, Ethan Sommers, who had clocked a time of 1:23:05.
A medical student at Duke, Kelly said in an interview that this was her first half-marathon. She has been running for 15 years in local 5Ks.
It was her first time on Ocracoke.
“My friends told me I have to come to Ocracoke and they were so right,” she said. “I had a great time in this race, enjoying the island for the first time. The course, the volunteers, the spectators, the competition were great.”
Kelly’s time was the second best in the Ocracoke half-marathon history for which Connor Readman of Southern Shores holds the record time of 1:18:35, run in 2021.
Kelly was about a minute ahead of second-place winner Josiah Hynes, who followed close behind with a time of 1:21:31.
Hynes captured top place of males running the half-marathon, followed by Cameron Lyons, 26, of Cary, came in second of the males and third overall at 1:28.04.
Although he was trying for a time of 34 minutes, Hynes won the 10K on Saturday with a time of 37:14. Lyons was second in the 10K at 39:16.35, and Holland Spruill, 23, of Virginia Beach, came in third at 39:41.55.
On Ocracoke, 10K runners go twice around the 5K course, which goes through Ocracoke village.
For the first time, a youth ran in the half-marathon, which first goes to the NPS campground then back through the village.
Ten-year-old Chetwood Seifarth tries to beat the world record for a 10-year-old in the half marathon. He missed by about 14 minutes.
Ten-year-old Chetwood Seifarth of Hagerstown, Maryland, finished the half-marathon 7th place overall with a time of 1:35:31. He was trying to beat the world record of a 10-year-old running the marathon.
According to a Google search, Leo Mendoza of Houston, Texas, set a world record for a 10-year-old in the half marathon with a time of 1:21:50 at the White River Marathon in November 2025.
Seifarth wasn’t upset that he didn’t break the record, but since his birthday is June 4, he will have to train to beat the half-marathon world record next year as an 11-year-old.
He will have to try to beat Mendoza again because in January, Mendoza, now 11, broke the world record for his age group at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, running it in 1:23:23.
Isaid Villanueava, 15, of Ocracoke, came in fourth overall in the 5K and was third in males overall.
“I’m going to really, really train hard for next year,” Seifarth said, while awaiting the awards ceremony trying to stay dry with his family.
The day before, Seifarth came in third overall in the 5K with a time of 20:21.
While Saturday was sunny, the runners competed Sunday morning under a drizzling rain, but that didn’t seem to faze them because rather than running under a hot sun, the rain cools them off.
“A lot of my runs are in the rain,” said Tracy Simone, 62, of Absecon, New Jersey, who was running the half-marathon for her seventh time. She finished in 2:16:39 at 91st place out of 158 runners who finished.
“If it was raining harder, we’d be chilled to the bone,” said Michael Bridgers as he and his large group of friends from the No Wake Hash House Harriers running club of Beaufort. The group swept several awards on both days.
Abby Berquist, 43, of Kitty Hawk comes in second overall in the 10K and is first in females overall with a time of 19:56. She also placed third in overal females in the half-marathon with a time of 1:36:38.
On Saturday, more than 400 runners from Ocracoke and beyond awaited the start of the 5K and 10K in the parking lot of 1718 Brewing Ocracoke where all the races begin and end.
Andy Painter, 44, of Cary, won the 5K with a time of 17:43 and Abby Berquist, 43, of Kitty Hawk, came in second with a time of 19:56.
“It was a personal record for me,” Berquist said. “I got under 20 minutes.”
There were 662 registered, Todd said, with about 90 running two races.
Results of all the races can be found on the Run The East website.
Todd noted that the event went without any glitches and said that some business owners on the island praised it as well.
“I had a person on the island who works in retail sends me a text Saturday night that said, ‘Holy cow, runners spend a lot of money’,” she said. “I had another business tell me that it’s their best weekend of the year and that the running demographic is the best.”
A day before the race, Todd was on WOVV’s “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” to talk about the race and running. While talking with Peter Vankevich about marathons, Todd predicted that a human being would someday break the under-two hour mark for a marathon and the same day as the Scallywag half-marathon, two runners did just that in the London Marathon.
Proceeds of the event, from fees and sponsorships and which amount to about $50,000, are shared among the Ocracoke Youth Center, Ocracoke’s community radio WOVV 90.1 FM, and the Ocracoke School Boosters.
The all-woman team of the Western Carteret Medical center in Cedar Point had matching outfits for their first time running as a group the 5K.
“We focus on everyone’s health journey,” said Rebecca Droberg, a nurse practitioner who owns the practice. “What better way to exemplify our passion.”
Peter Vankevich contributed to this story.
The running crowd at 1718 Brewing Ocracoke.
The 5K/10K funners are off!
The Western Carteret Medical Center running group.
Tommy Hutcherson, left, is MC of the Scallywag 5K/10K & Half-marathon and Angie Todd is race director.
5K male overall winners are, from left, Chetwood Seifarth, second, Isaid Villaneuava, third, and winner Andy Painter.
Runners wait under teh 1718 porch on a rainy Sunday.
Second-place female winner of the half-marathon,, Lauren Lee, 32, of Emerald Isle, is with the half-marathon overall and female winner Rory Kelly, 29, of Durham.
The No Wake Zone Hash House Harriers running cllub of Beaufort show off thier wins.
Josiah Hynes, right, is overall male 10K winner, and Cameron Lyons is second. Not pictured is Holland Spruill, third. Hynes also captured the top male finisher in the half-marathon with Lyons nabbing second place.
Female winners of the 10K overall are Amy Johnson of Clayton, first place, Elizabeth Cella of New Bern, third place, and Lauren Lee of Emerald Isle, second place.
Al Scarborough has sailed on. Stories, no doubt, will continue to be told. Some of them will even be mostly true.
Al died at home on Ocracoke on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Ocracoke was where he chose to be.
Born on April 14, 1940, in Wilmington, Delaware, he was a son of Mary Ann Sparks Scarborough and Alton Thaddeus Scarborough Sr.
Al was raised in Pedricktown, New Jersey. Their home included his cousin, Frank Henry, and maternal grandfather.
Al Scarborough
Summers were spent on Ocracoke, where generations of Al’s father’s family were from.
In 1962, Al graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. He was a Peace Corps volunteer from 1963 to 1965, which is when he met another volunteer, Linda Smith. They were married for almost 60 years. After serving in community development in West Cameroon, Al trained future Peace Corps volunteers in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He and Linda bought a 25-foot sailboat and explored nearby islands.
Al received a master’s degree in Math Education from the University of Florida. He was hired by The Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, where he helped design and conduct leadership development programs. Colleagues from the center remained friends throughout his life, and remember him as a man who prioritized integrity, who warned against drawing lines in the sand, and as someone who had an abundance of originality and ideas, who, in fact, had “more bad ideas than most people have ideas.”
That observation pleased Al, who said he would consider it for an epitaph, if he were planning to have a gravestone. There will be no service, per Al’s wishes.
He worked for one year as principal of Hatteras School and learned that he liked neither managing others nor being managed. He bought another sailboat. He and Linda and their daughters, Catherine Ann and Jennifer Lynn, aged 7 and 4, respectively, at that time, headed south for the Bahamas. Then, in 1978, Al docked his boat at Ocracoke.
He and Linda owned and operated the Trolley Stop One Restaurant. (It really did have it all.) Al drove the trolley. He dispensed with the pre-recorded tour and offered his own commentary. The family later ran the Slushy Stand and Beach House Bed and Breakfast, where Al and Linda met many lifelong friends.
Al fished on a winning surf fishing team and served as an Ocracoke Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament judge for years. He coached and refereed basketball; served on local boards; acted in Ocracoke Players productions and gave tours of the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum.
He cared deeply and thought critically about issues facing Ocracoke. He spent an inordinate amount of time talking about unintended consequences.
Al enjoyed hearing the stories told by Fowler O’Neal, Lawton Howard and others on the Community Store porch, and later in life relished being the old timer telling stories to tourists. He found a nightly audience while watching sunsets on Jack’s Dock.
Al retired younger than most. He bought another sailboat, and he and Linda spent winters in the Bahamas, becoming lifelong friends with fellow sailors Ann and Lew Tucker. Al joined Ann and Lew on different legs of their circumnavigation. He instilled a love of adventurous travel in his family.
He grew tomatoes and eggplants, baked bread, and gathered and cracked pecans. Al liked taking walks; watching other people build things; sitting in his chair (though, really, that was a lifelong thing); and visiting on the porch. He relished a lively exchange of ideas, oyster stew, and Italian subs–the real ones, from South Jersey. He did not like ducks in his yard.
Al is survived by his poker club, which includes his beloved friends Dave Frum, Frank Brown and Philip Howard.
He rooted for the Tarheels and the 76ers and attended all of his grandsons’ basketball and baseball games. Al was very proud of his grandsons, Max Owen Elicker and Gavin Isaac Elicker.
In addition, he is survived by his wife, Linda; two daughters Cathy and her spouse Jason Elicker, and Jenny; all of Ocracoke; his closest cousins Edward Sadler and Roger Sparks; and brother-in-law Charlie Smith and his wife, Therese.
Beach ramp 70 on Ocracoke, NC. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Night driving restrictions on oceanside beaches within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore began at 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 1.
From May 1 through July 31, priority off-road vehicle (ORV) ramps close at 9 p.m. and will reopen the following morning at 6 a.m. All other designated oceanside ORV ramps close at 9 p.m. and reopen at 7 a.m.
Priority ORV ramps on Ocracoke are 70 (airport beach) and 72 (South Point).
Night driving restrictions help protect nesting sea turtles, which start to arrive in early May as well. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s turtle patrol program, which identifies recent nest sites along the shoreline, also begins in early May.
While night driving restrictions are in place, visitors may still park their vehicles in parking areas and walk on the beach at night.
Walk-on passengers debark the Ocracoke Express in Ocraocke village. Photo: C. Leinbach
OCRACOKE – The popular Ocracoke Express passenger ferry will begin its eighth season of summer service on Tuesday, May 5.
The ferry carries up to 129 passengers directly between Hatteras and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor on a 70-minute ride across Pamlico Sound, allowing people to skip the lines for the vehicle ferry and go directly into the heart of Ocracoke Village.
There, they can walk, rent bikes or golf carts or use Hyde County’s free Ocracoke Village Tram, which stops at shops, restaurants and attractions in the village.
This year, the passenger ferry will make eight departures during the busier days Tuesday through Thursday, with trips from Hatteras at 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 5 p.m., and return trips from Ocracoke at 9:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3.p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, Saturday and Monday, departures from Hatteras will be at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., with return trips from Ocracoke at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
No passenger ferry service will be available on Sundays.
The fare is $15 for a round-trip ticket, with children under 3 riding for free, and an additional $1 to bring a bicycle on board. Reservations are available 90 days in advance and highly recommended during the busy summer season. Travelers can make reservations online at www.ncferry.org, or on the phone at 1-800-BY-FERRY.
In addition, the free Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicle ferry route will continue running 52 scheduled departures each day between Hatteras and the north end of Ocracoke Island. No reservations are accepted on the Hatteras vehicle ferry.
For real-time text or email updates on weather or mechanical delays, sign up for the Ferry Information Notification System at www.ncdot.gov/fins.
Wreaths from WWII allies commemorate the fallen sailors of the topedoed HMT Hedfordshire off of Ocracoke. The annual British Cemetery Ceremony will be held at 11 am Friday, May 8, at the cemetery on British Cemetery Road. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Monday, May 4: Hyde County Board of commissioners meeting, 1 pm. Community Center. All commissioners’ meetings changed to 1 pm. See agenda below.
Wednesday, May 6: Ocracoke Preservation Society spring membership meeting and dessert potluck, 6-8 pm. Update on the Island Inn project. All welcome. See flyer below.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Island Trivia, 6-8 pm
Thursday, May 7: Ocracoke School Student Art Silent Auction. Take home a beautiful piece of art (or two) from our Dolphins. The Future Business Leaders of America will also have some items to auction off. 4 to 6:30 pm. All proceeds benefit the school.
Sunday, May 10: Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 pm but it is important to confirm because a priest may not be available to visit the island. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960, look for Our Lady of the Seas.
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Open mic (hosted by Adam), 7 pm
Walt Wolfram, front, dines with his students and islanders at Howard’s Pub. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
By Peter Vankevich
For 33 years, Professor Walt Wolfram brought his graduate students to Ocracoke during their spring break to spend a week teaching middle schoolers about the languages and dialects of North Carolina.
The visits are part of the North Carolina Language and Life Project, the nonprofit he founded and directs at NC State University to document and celebrate language diversity through public outreach.
March marked his final official visit to Ocracoke School, as he retires from his role as William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor at NC State.
“This is the longest-running program in any public school in the nation,” he said on March 13 on WOVV’s “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” where he appeared with longtime collaborator and fellow faculty member Jeffrey Reaser, Ph.D.
For Wolfram, the program is more than a language lesson; it’s a celebration of the way people speak and a source of pride for the community.
Wolfram’s influence on the island is profound. He is credited for bringing global attention to the Ocracoke brogue.
Professors Walt Wolfram center and Jeff Reasor, right rear. pose with this year’s NC State grad students and Ocracoke middle schoolers. Photo by Rebecca Gallaher/ Emma Schoenecker,
The story began in 1992, when Wolfram—already well known for his pioneering work on social and ethnic American dialects—joined the NC State faculty.
New to the state, he began exploring North Carolina’s regions, convinced they held rich linguistic diversity.
He kept hearing that he had to visit Ocracoke Island because “the people speak Elizabethan English.”
When he finally did, a series of fortunate encounters led him to David and Jen Esham and inspired him to begin fieldwork on the island.
The next year, he returned with five graduate students over spring break to interview “O’cockers,” island residents whose families have lived here for generations.
Those interviews and subsequent research produced the 1997 book “Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue” (UNC Press).
Wolfram then established the spring-break tradition that continues and which Reaser will carry on.
Walt Wolfram and Jeff Reaser were guests on WOVV’s “What’s Happening on Ocracoke.” Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocraooke Observer
It includes 102 interviews, many accessible through QR codes that allow readers to listen to or watch recordings on their devices.
Along with his many books and scholarly articles, Wolfram has produced several documentaries, including the Emmy Award–winning “First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee,” which follows the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ efforts to revitalize their endangered language.
His latest documentary, focusing on Ocracoke’s long tradition of decoy and wildlife carvers, premiered at the 8th Annual Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival on April 21.
Few “off islanders” are as well-known on Ocracoke as Wolfram.
Generations of students have learned from him, and hundreds of residents have shared their stories through his interviews and oral history recordings.
“Walt Wolfram has given our students such a meaningful gift over the years,” said Ocracoke School Principal Jeanie Owens. “Not just lessons in language, but a deep sense of pride in who they are and where they come from.
“Through his work, he has helped our students see their voices and traditions as something to celebrate and preserve. His visits have become a treasured part of our school year, and his impact will be felt for generations. We are incredibly grateful for the time, passion and care he has poured into our school and our community.”
Wolfram also has a longstanding relationship with the Ocracoke Preservation Society.
One of his videos, featuring islanders Rex O’Neal, James Barrie Gaskill and others, is shown at the society’s museum.
Wolfram has been a regular presenter at the society’s summer Porch Talks.
“I’m 85 years old,” he said in the WOVV interview. “I’ve been doing this since the 1960s. I love what I do, and I have enough energy to do it, but it’s also kind of time to step aside. But I’ll also have a small office and help out as needed.”
He shared encouraging news about the future of the program—an endowment set up in his name.
“So, Jeff will appropriately be the first Wolfram Distinguished Professor in the program, and he’ll have some resources from that to continue to bring students to Ocracoke for spring break,” he said. “He’s been coming here for 25 years, so he knows the ropes better than I do.”
His final thoughts?
“I’ve never worked with a community more open, more friendly and more fun than Ocracoke.”
Ocracoke teachers march on May 1 seeking a budget from the N.C. General Assembly. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Teacher Appreciation Week 2026 runs from Monday, May 4, to Friday, May 8, with National Teacher Appreciation Day celebrated on Tuesday, May 5.
By Connie Leinbach
Ocracoke teachers joined the statewide “Kids Over Corporations” march on May 1 to demand that the General Assembly pass the budget and include more funding for schools and teachers’ salaries.
About 35 teachers and community members walked from the school building on School Road to the NCCAT building and back.
North Carolina entered 2026 without a finalized 2025–2027 comprehensive budget, which remains stalled as lawmakers in the republican-controlled House and Senate of the General Assembly continue to disagree on key issues, including tax rates, spending priorities, and teacher pay.
Unlike at least 22 school districts across the state that closed because so many employees asked for the day off, Ocracoke School did not close.
On Fridays, Ocracoke School lets out at 11 a.m., which is when the teachers did their march.
After that, many of them went off to their second jobs.
“It’s actually embarrassing that North Carolina is 46th in the nation in teacher pay,” said Mary-Jo Gellenbeck, the school’s Exceptional Children (EC) teacher. “The challenge is recruiting and retention of quality, skilled staff.”
North Carolina’s new teachers often leave after a few years for better pay, she said, adding that the state legislature has been reducing teachers’ salaries over the years.
Calculating for inflation, she said the average teacher salary across the nation is $73,000 this year.
“We’re at $53,000,” she said.
Mary-Jo Gellenbeck. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
First grade teacher Alice Burruss spoke to the gathering before the walk and noted that the protest was for something simple: respect for the work teachers do and the passage of a state budget that truly supports education.
She said the teachers and staff love the Hyde County School District.
“We feel supported by our community, and we are proud of the work we do every single day,” she said. “But loving our school also means being honest about what’s not working. Our state education system is falling short—it is underfunded, overstretched and asks too much of too many with too little in return.”
The North Carolina Association of Educators organized the protest in Raleigh that drew educators from all over the state. Burruss said the reason Ocracoke had a “satellite” walk is due to the amount of money it would have cost to get everyone there.
“Plus, a lot of people work a second job because they can’t afford not to,” she said.
Earlier in the week, Dr. Melanie Shaver, superintendent of Hyde County Schools, presented the school board what the teachers wanted to do.
“They were fully supportive,” Burruss said of the school board. “This was a march for all North Carolina public schools.”
Debbie Leonard was among a few other retired teachers who joined the walk and noted that North Carolina is becoming less attractive to young teachers.
“When I began teaching teachers received longevity pay,” she said. “They also received a higher salary if they had an advanced degree such as master’s degree, and when they retired, they received their health insurance for free.
“Now they get none of that, yet we have millions of dollars to give to people to send their children to private schools, which have no oversight, don’t have to hire certified teachers, don’t have any standards that they have to meet regarding curriculum, don’t have to teach every child.”
Most of the private schools are religious, she said, and the legislature loosened the regulations so that now anyone can get money.
“If our schools are failing perhaps it is because the legislature has caused them to fail,” she said.
According to the website, www.ednc.org, the average starting teacher pay is $44,952, per the National Education Association data, or 38th in the country. This ranking has improved in recent years, as the General Assembly has given higher raises to beginning teachers.
In March, the state’s nonpartisan Consensus Forecasting Group (CFG) released a revised consensus General Fund Revenue forecast for the 2025-27 biennium, showing that North Carolina has a projected surplus of $370 million in state revenues through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, a 1.1% increase from the certified budget. For FY 2026-27, there is an estimated $951 million surplus, which is a 2.8% increase from the forecast.
As of May 2026, North Carolina public schools received $12.75 billion in state funding for the 2025-26 school year, a moderate increase from $12.60 billion in 2024-25.
Gov. Josh Stein proposed a 2026-27 budget (building on the 2025 biennium) targeting $2.3 billion in new education investment, including a 10.6% average teacher raise, restored master’s pay, and raising starting teacher salaries to the highest in the Southeast.
Teachers and others pose at the ferry docks before their return walk back. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
