Resident urges board to prioritize schools and wants detail on $2.9M opioid settlement spending

A public commenter used his three‑minute slot to press the board on school funding and local priorities, saying Haywood County Schools “needs that $700,000” and asking commissioners to identify school‑board members he said told a commissioner they did not need the funds. The speaker described the loss of neighborhood schools and urged the board to “be a champion for working people.”

Separately, Ellen Pit—who identified herself as a former public‑health nurse and activist—told commissioners she attended a recent Haywood County Health and Human Services advisory board meeting and left disappointed, saying she expected a line‑item report for expenditures from the $2.9 million in opioid‑settlement funds already received. “We left disenchanted and embarrassed for the agency,” Pit said, and asked the board to review the folder she provided to staff and to press for clearer reporting on opioid funds and CPS‑related oversight.