001I feel alone up here. agenda or somebody help. Okay, it's my privilege as chair to call this meeting to order for a very exciting morning. Um, and to get things rolling, we need to adopt the agenda under item 1.2 where it says regular meeting. That should be special meeting, but I think we all know that. So, if that's the only thing on there, I'd like a motion to uh approve the agenda as presented. Joe makes a motion. Is there a second? Marie makes a second. Any questions or discussion? If not, all in favor? Show hands. Thank you. Um, regarding our other board members, Stephanie is out of town and a planned vacation. Khan will be here shortly. Okay. Our first item that you just approved is a swearing in of Dr. Heath Belchure as our
002new superintendent. And we're glad to have Jason here to do that. And so at this time, do your thing, sir. And we are glad to have the family show up with you. Okay. If you would raise your right hand and just repeat after me. I state your name. I, Heath Belchure, do swear that I will, well, and truly do swear that I will and truly execute the duties of the Office of Superintendent of Davyy County Schools. execute the office of superintendent of Davy County Schools to the best of my skill and ability. To the best of my skill and ability. According to law, according to law, so help me God. So help me God. I state your name. I, Ethchure, do solemnly and sincerely swear do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will support the
003Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the state of North Carolina that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the state of North Carolina and to the constitutional powers and authorities and to the constitutional powers and authorities which are or may be established for the government thereof which are and may be established for the government thereof. and that I will endeavor to support and that I will endeavor to support maintain and defend maintain and defend the Constitution of said state the Constitution of North Carolina and not inconsistent with and not inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States to the best of my knowledge and ability to the best
004of my knowledge and ability. So help me God. So help me God. All right. Congratulations. Thank you, sir. All right. Just step over here. Welcome aboard. Appreciate it. Thank you. I would be remiss not to take the opportunity to say a special thanks to Jinda. She uh stepped up, did what she needed to do, loyal to our system, kept her family values, her faith values, um worked harder than anybody could have ever asked. I most of my phone calls from Jim, and she'll verify this, were always after 7 o'clock. She was still at the office most of the time. Sometimes she was uh one time she was deadheading flowers as we were talking. So, we really do appreciate and I'm sure every board member would say the same thing that you stepped up and and
005you you just didn't fill the gap. You did more than that. You you uh were very dedicated and kept us rolling. Uh I may have said this in a previous meeting if I have uh I apologize, but I want to share with Dr. Belchure again. We had a survey when we talked about the need for a superintendent and the survey was filled out by 400 and some staff members and an additional 400 and some community members. And out of those top six things and the guy who was coordinating all this I believe recorded like 20 or so. Um, but out of the top six things, the community and the staff said the exact same thing in their top six priorities. Not in the same order. Now, I don't want to mislead you, but the top
006six were all the same. Models high standards of integrity was number one by the staff, number two in the community. Willing to listen to input is number three for two for the staff, three for the community. Understands how to provide safe environments for staff and students. Communicates well with people of all races and socioeconomic status and understands how to effectively advocate for needed resources. When we interviewed, we had this I was really proud. We had this uh plan laid out for what was it guys? six or seven weeks or so. And uh we were about on our fifth or sixth interview, I guess, on the second day of that. And uh there was a white marking board in the room and I had slipped in there prior to the meeting and sort of drew a
007little graph and put everybody's initials across the top, every board members and every candidates's initials down the sideline. And I asked this group, I said, I want to just hear from all of all of us together get to hear who your number one pick is. Then we'll go back and do number two and three and talk about the plan and and when we want to get back together. Here's the thing. It just shocked me so much and in a in a very pleasing way. Seven different people think seven different ways. But when I started around the table, I think Khan was the first one. He said his number one. We went around and all seven people shared their number one candidate. That's Dr. Belchure. So I thought, well, we got to go on and we'll
008talk a little bit about the second and third place candidates. I know I hadn't been standing up there more than a minute and somebody to my right, I don't know if it was Joe or Michael, but there's a male voice and they said, "Dub, why are we discussing this anymore? We're all on the same page." So, it was an enlightening moment and it's led to today. And so, we're so proud to have you on board and I'm going to shut up. Next item. Anybody else want to share with that? I'm sorry to hog the time. If not, we need a motion to go into close session and we will take a couple minutes break. U I know several of you have attended to want to say welcome to Dr. Belchure. Is that okay with everybody
009to take a couple minutes? So if that agreement would we get a motion to go into close session to discuss personnel matters? K makes a motion. Is there a second? Jeff makes a second. Any questions or discussions? If not, all in favor? Motion carries 60 and we are in close session, but we are going to wait a minute before we go out. Thanks again. [Music]