New Hanover County School Board Member David Perry censured

WILMINGTON (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Board of Education has voted to censure board member David Perry, following a heated exchange with the board chair and a walkout during a recent meeting.

The censure passed with a 6-to-1, with Perry being the only dissenting vote.

The controversy started when Perry’s motion to discuss board members’ pay raises failed to get a second, prompting him to walk out and sparking a heated exchange with board chair Pete Wildeboer.

Perry also faced backlash last year for questioning the school district’s partnership with 100 Black Men of Coastal North Carolina, an organization that mentors at-risk students, with a focus on African American youth.

Perry questioned how the public would react if an organization called “100 white men” worked with at-risk students.

School Board Chair Pete Wildeboer says the next step forward is working as a team.

“I try to model civility,” said Wildeboer. “We need to work together as a team and improve that team.”

Perry says his only regret is that he didn’t feel he was given a full opportunity to defend himself, including using previous meetings to show that his actions were consistent with board policy and procedure.

“They wouldn’t let me show the precedent,” said Perry. “How am I supposed to show a precedent before I’m going to refer to another meeting? This was a kangaroo court from the start, and it just made it manifestly apparent today.”

Perry was allowed ten minutes to speak during the meeting, while the rest of the board each had three minutes.

Perry says the censure also limits his ability to do his job by removing him from serving on board committees through December, and remove him from participating in committee discussions.

He can still attend full board meetings and vote on school board matters.