Former 21st Century Learning Program Director Bruce Stanback acknowledged Tuesday the fact his sister, Patricia Clemmons, was employed by the after school program, and his mother is currently employed by the Rockingham Housing Authority.

RHA employment records record the fact Patricia Clemmons was an instructor with the after school program, and made the same wage as her peers, $20 an hour.

“(Clemmons) is highly qualified for that position,” Stanback said. “She has more than 20 years of experience teaching, she has served as a reading recovery teacher and has a master’s degree.”

He explained her experience is working with elementary-age kids, and estimated the exact number of years of her experience to be 27.

Stanback also pointed out that in order to participate in the program, instructors do not have to be certified, but only one person who wasn’t a current teacher was employed by the program.

Clemmons could not be reached for comment.

RHA records show other instructors were also paid $20 an hour, with one lead instructor making $25 an hour, and support personnel making $12 an hour. Instructors averaged anywhere between nine and a half and 13.5 hours a week working with the 21st Century Learning Program.

Stanback has been removed from his role as director of the 21st Century program because of a conflict of interest.

RHA Interim Director Jim McCaskill said the board decided to make the move due to conflict-of-interest regulations that forbid a person who is either on the housing board or has served in the past 12 months.

Stanback’s mother, Darsena “Dot” Stanback, is also employed by the food services program of the RHA called “Kids Cafe.”

Employment records show she earned $12 an hour, roughly the same as other employees of the program, and averages about six and a half hours a day, or 32.5 hours a week.

McCaskill said there either are no records of the date she was employed, or he has not been able to locate them at this point. He clarified that employment records were not part of the documents confiscated by Rockingham Police and federal investigators.

In a previous board meeting, McCaskill discussed with the board a lack of documentation as to how employees accrued sick days and other concerns over incomplete employment records.