Board of Education Meeting - January 12th 2026

001your attention, please. It's Monday, January the 12th, 6:00 p.m. And at this time, our regular session is going to begin. And at this time, I would like to tell you that we're going to do an invocation. We will now have an invocation. I invite you all to join with us or engage in a moment of silent reflection. >> [clears throat] >> And I want to make you aware of a few things. Please keep in mind uh Mr. Steven Ror, the principal of East McDow Middle School. Uh you know, he's still battling his issues and he is at Fry Hospital now and in the Hickory area. Remember Dr. David Rickettts? He's previous Mcdow County School Superintendent and he had an accident at Kataba Falls and he's very serious accident. He's he's doing better now. And we've

002had some students who are involved in a vehicle accident over the holidays and they need our prayers and uh we have other students and families who are struggling with hardships at this time. and just please keep these folks in your uh thoughts and prayers. At this time, I'm going to ask us to pray. Lord, we come before you in humbleness to ask your blessings in this meeting. We ask that you give us discernment as well as guidance on the decisions we're about to make for our students, for our teachers, and complete staff of the Mcdow County School System. Let our discussions and decisions be the best for all uh our top priority, our children. Help us to be a positive influence and provide a safe environment for them. Lead, guide, and direct. Amen. >> Amen.

003>> At this time, I'm going to ask uh Mr. McInness to introduce the color guard who will present colors and and do the pledge. >> If you'll all stand and join us in the pledge of allegiance is going to be presented by the mandal high school in Jerotc. And shortly after we're going to have a presentation by first sergeant Miley regarding a DC field trip forward march guard. Right face colors. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Carrie colors. Ready. Cut. Post. Right. Face forward. March. You take your >> evening, ladies and gentlemen. Dr. Grit, board members, and ladies and gentlemen in the audience. Uh, I'm just really happy

004the flag wasn't dropped. It's been a couple weeks since the break, so I appreciate that. That was awesome. Um, before we begin, I'd like to talk about Operation Culture at the Capitol. And for those who haven't had the pleasure with, I'm First Sergeant Miley, the naval science instructor over at McDow High School. And as we begin, I want to talk about an adage from my past life called reinforcing success. Reinforcing success doesn't mean abandoning things that are we're losing hope on or we're having issues or tribulation, but reinforcing things that are good, especially in our community. And I'm confident we did that with Operation Culture of the Capital. So, here are our enabling and terminal learning objectives which took place. And keep in mind, in order to go to Operation Culture of the Capital, we

005didn't just have anyone sign up and pay. Uh this was funded off the sweat and determination of our cadetses and support by our community members, especially members of the board and people in this room. On top of that, you also had to meet certain prerequisites to include passing the American citizenship exam, which one in three Americans fail. You also had to do the ugly American presentation through a PowerPoint, which was referenced from a book I highly recommend everyone read. It talks about how Americans are perceived on an international arena. And of course, they had to be in good academic and attendance standing at McDow. So with that, it was a merit-based experience. There on your left, you see cadets having fun at Topgolf in Maryland. And on your right, you see some of our cadetses

006taking a walk at the National Mall at night. I want to say that a lot of this that you'll see in these next few photos wasn't just cadetses coming together and enjoying what 20 cadets uh which is a third of our program got to partake in but it also had a lot to do with principal Whitten having a lot of trust and confidence in our program especially from parents and members of the community invoking and indeed reinforcing success. They experienced rare worldly experiences intended to culture our future leaders. I hate chicken nugget kids. I hate him. But you know what? I love smothered and covered as much as anyone else. But we do have children and students and young Americans at McDow High School now bragging what it's like to eat schnitle from an authentic

007German Hoffbrow, what it's like to have Swedish meatballs from Topgolf, and how they like to cook their bulgogi and wagyu from a Korean barbecue. Another thing that I thought was imperative is we needed to bring proof outside the classroom. Far too often, our students see things from textbooks, but they're not coming to life with them. On your left is the Pentagon. Not just the outside, inside. Inside the Pentagon is my good friend, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Carlos Ruiz. And one of the things we also cover in our program with World War II, military history, and things of that nature, they our students got to smell the leather from the shoes of the prisoners of the Nazis from the Holocaust Museum. On top of that, one of the things you see us do, not

008for a season, not for a couple months, year round, is perform for our county, our fellow our nearing neighboring states in our region, and hopefully soon at the national level, but we get exclusive access at Marine Corps Barracks, ETH and I, where they got to have one-on-one meetings with members of the Marine Corps body bearers. They're the funeral detail, as well as the drill teams and the band. Also, you see here our students getting access to the State Department. The same limited access that one cannot get into the Pentagon. We got them speaking with that gentleman right there. He's the political officer for South South America affairs. So around the time with current events that are taking place in this world, our students had exclusive 1:20 ratio with political officers with South America and what

009was going on in the state department. And most importantly, they saw things at the National Mall we rarely get to see. most Americans seldom get to see and experience was just bringing them back to words marching marble on key leaders and futuristic aspects of what they can do and what words they will leave in marble when they leave McDow. We also got them to the National Marine Corps Museum where that flag on your left is a flag that was flown aboard uh on top of excuse me Mount Sarbachi at Euima. And on your right was a new exhibit of Iraq and Afghanistan. and having spent a couple Christmases there myself, I gave an in-person tour. So like that, our students got to see what it was like revisiting history from a personal perspective and aspect.

010And lastly, one of the cornerstone events was we had some of our young Americans do a wreathing ceremony in representation of Mcdow County at that is on your left, George Washington and Martha's tomb in Mount Vernon. They also tooured his estate and saw his deathbed. And most importantly, we had to have fun. I think we need to remember that uh you can learn and have fun at the same time. Here we have some students enjoying a night at Topgolf, walking the National Mall at sunset, and on your right is a PT session impromptu in Virginia snow. Miss Whitman, can we please have those students suspended immediately? I want to remind everyone that one of the key aspects we got to do with this was in Rich McDow. On your left, uh in the foreground is

011Summer Wyatt. She's ranked third in the nation in the nation out of 3,500 ROC rifle teams. She's one of our students at McDow. But that's her sitting in true traffic, not just three cars by the loves exit off 86. That's true DC traffic. But on your right, you also see all our Titans having a Q&A session with a member of the Secret Service. So they can learn about aspects and governmental jobs that are beyond our county, beyond what's out there, and in true aspect enriching our community. With that, I just want to simply say um please consider reinforcing success. Please consider what our program does. Unlike other sports teams and organizations in our community, we don't perform for just four months out of the year. We perform all months out of the year. And that

012it would take more time to talk about what we do in the summer. Please don't forget um we see the teams that get the new buses and the new uniforms, but we want to remind the community that the Navy only supports half of our instructors pay and only the equipment that is provided to the high school. What you see here with the these great cultural experiences are provided off community support and the leadership and initiative of our young Americans. Ladies and gentlemen, I implore we reinforce the success of our McDow Titans. And with that, I digress and thank you for your time. [applause] All right, we'll move right on into it. M Sergeant Miley stepped out before we got a chance to say thank you, but grateful that he had an opportunity to speak. There

013you are. [laughter] You took off too quick. We appreciate you and what you do for our kids every day. You guys do an excellent job up there. Thank you for Sergeant Miley. >> Tonight I have the pleasure of uh giving our superintendent remarks and I always enjoy the opportunity to do that in a new school year. Uh and when I say a new school year, it's 2026. So I look at it as the first half of the year is over. This is the second half of the school year. Um so good evening and happy new year. As we begin 2026, there is a lot to be excited about at McDow County Schools. Our students will be representing us at the regional, state, and national levels in the months ahead. We have staff members being recognized

014nationally, and we are being we are beginning the important work of building a timeline for our new school project. Simply put, our district has strong momentum. January is also schoolboard appreciation month. And I want to thank our board members for the time, energy, and commitment that you give to our students and community. As a small token of our appreciation, you each received a cutting board made by students in Mr. Shane Ramsay's cabinet making class. Your services matter, and we see the sacrifices you and your family make to support our schools. Folks, I'd ask you tonight, please join me in giving our board of education a round of applause. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Tonight, we are also proud to recognize our students and our Christmas car Christmas card contest winners. If you hadn't had a

015chance to see some of this artwork, we're going to have it here for you shortly. It's really, really good. Uh these students did an outstanding job and we appreciate their families being here to support them. While many of us were enjoying the holiday break, our auxiliary services team were here hard at work. Students returned to new playgrounds, fresh paint, HVAC upgrades, and building improvements across the district. Our student athletes are riding in a newlywrapped activity bus. And for the first time, all of our refrigeration units are being monitored electronically. This reflects the teamwork of our maintenance, technology, and child nutrition and transportation departments. We're also moving forward with the new school project. We will develop a detailed timeline and share with the with the board as well as the community in March uh what our

016goals are there with that timeline. Uh folks, we anticipate being able to open that school in the fall of 2029. I know that seems like a long ways away, but it'll be here before you know it. At the state level, we continue to monitor the general assembly and the state budget. January is when we begin planning for the next school year, and that [clears throat] work becomes more difficult without a finalized budget. Even so, Miss Rampy has done an excellent job keeping our district financially strong. We're working closely to prepare for the years ahead. Finally, I want to highlight something very important. Last week, in the McDow News, I shared that we are on the cusp of a record year for graduation. We are asking our community to rally behind our students and to encourage

017them to stay in school. We are preparing students to be enrolled, enlisted, or employed after high school. And that diploma is the foundation for all three. In December, Mr. Frank and I had the privilege of signing the diploma of a student has earned her adult high school diploma at the age of 81 years old. Her story reminds us that education changes lives at any age. And it reminds us why this work matters. As we step into 2026, McDow County Schools remains on solid ground because of the dedication of our students, the commitment of our staff, the support of our families, and the leadership of this board. We are not just maintaining our schools. We are moving them forward. Together, we will continue to open the doors, expand opportunities, and build a future where every child

018in this community can succeed. Thank you. This time I'll invite Miss Amy Dattle to the podium and we'll do some stu student recognitions. Good evening, Mr. Frank, Mr. Abernathy, Dr. Grit, members of the board, and esteemed guests. Each year, students from each school are selected to submit a Christmas card design that features their school mascot or represents their school community. One students card is chosen from each school and submitted to the district. These selected cards are then combined into a single presentation and shared with school districts across North Carolina. Congratulations to the following students for having their artwork chosen for this honor. And so boys and girls, when I call your name, just come on up and get your plaque from Dr. Grit. From Eastville Global Magnet School, we have Lily Herring [applause] from East

019Mcdow Middle School. Bonnie Ta [applause] from Foothills Community School. Navina Larson, [applause] Glennwood Elementary School. Hannah Carpenter, [music] Marian Elementary School. Paisley Washford, [music] McDow Academy for Innovation, Jaden Strong, [music] McDow [music] Early College, Eli Bergen, [music] McDow High School. Christina Cannon, [music] Nebo Elementary School. Natalie Johnson, [music] North Cove Elementary School. [music] Gracie Stockton, [applause] Old Elementary School. [music] Tanner Allen, [applause] Pleasant Gardens Elementary School. Lewis Wang, Summit Academy, Brooklyn Jones, West Marion Elementary School, [music] Harper Kelly, West McDow Middle School, [music] Drayton Hutchkins, and moms and dads, please come up and take pictures. These [music] boys and girls did a fantastic job. Um guests, if you'll look on the screen, you can see um [music] the presentation and this was sent out to all 115 school systems in North Carolina. [bell] [music] >>

020[music and bell] [bell] [music] >> Now, parents, y'all can go right in the middle if you need to go take more pictures. Are you sure? >> All right. >> [music] >> Yes, sir. [applause] Congratulations. [music] [music and bell] [bell] >> [music] [bell] [music and bell] >> We [bell] certainly have some very [music] talented talented students in McDow County Schools. It is an absolute honor tonight to recognize this year's counselor [music] of the year, Miss Rachel Stewart. Miss Stewart, come on up here in the middle. [applause] Last year, when the storm hit and we found ourselves navigating two schools under one roof, Miss Stewart's kindness and understanding shown through every challenge. What could have been an overwhelming experience looked like a piece of cake, at least most days, because of her calm, strength, and steady presence.

021Miss Stewart went above and beyond by sharing not only her work space, but her heart. During the merging of Old Fort and PG, she opened her room and welcomed a new counselor with open arms, making what could have been a very difficult transition feel supportive and seamless. That level of generosity and professionalism speaks volumes about who she is, not just as a counselor, but as a person. Even now, Miss Stewart continues to step up and serve wherever she's needed. She works two mornings each week at Oldfort, filling in during the current [clears throat] counselor's absence without hesitation. Her commitment to student, staff, and the counseling profession is unwavering. Miss Stewart is a positive, purposeful, and true professional in every sense of the word. Her compassion, teamwork, and dedication embody the very best of what it

022means to be a school counselor. Please join me in congratulating our counselor of the year, Miss Rachel Stewart. [applause] You're not done with me yet. I got not you. No, I'm talking to the audience, Miss Stewart. Each month, we take the opportunity to recognize the outstanding individuals who go above and beyond in their roles to make a difference in our community. Our certified and classified employees of the month exemplify dedication, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence. These honores consistently demonstrate our core value, showing leadership, teamwork, and a genuine passion for supporting students, staff, and the overall mission [clears throat and cough] of our district. Their hard work not only helps our schools run smoothly, but also creates a positive and inspiring environment for everyone around them. Today, we're proud to celebrate and extend our heartfelt

023congratulations to our certified employee of the month and classified employee of the month for their exceptional contributions and unwavering dedication. For our certified employee of the month, I'd like to call up Miss Tracy Whitman to recognize this honore. Good evening. I'm so excited to be up here. It is an honor to be up here this evening and to celebrate with you Miss Taylor Pitman McDow County McDall High School certified employee of the month and I want to tell you a little about bit about Miss Taylor and you have to come up front for your photo so everybody can stare at you. [laughter] So Taylor serves at McDall High School in many different capacities. She does this with grace, with creativity and a deep commitment to our students. Her schedule reflects her versatility. She is in

024a co-taught English class, so she co-ees an English class. She has her own academic support class, and she also leads our yearbook. In every setting, Taylor meets students where they are and ensures they feel supported, seen, and valued. Taylor is the creative mastermind behind our outstanding yearbook, capturing the events and the hearts of our school community. She al also designs Mattel High School's weekly slideshow announcements which are displayed on our TVs throughout the building ensuring our students and stay sta and staff stay informed in a visually engaging way. In addition, Taylor is a wickedly talented staff photographer. I had a grand idea of doing a bad J C Penney photo shoot [laughter] and Taylor was like, I got it. I'm on it. and she took bad J C Penney photos of every single staff member

025at McDell High School with great joy in her heart and they were amazing. Um, beyond her creative talents, Taylor is also a powerful advocate for our students. She organizes and maintains a caring closet, working tirelessly tirelessly to obtain donations so she can meet her students needs with dignity and compassion. This speaks volumes about her heart for service and her belief that students must have their basic needs met. When I asked the students to tell me something special about Miss Pitman, their words say it best. One young man said, "She always puts others before herself. She's easy to talk to and she makes conversation feel natural." A young lady says, "She's present for what I need when I need it." They also said, "She's outgoing. She's kind-hearted. She's my absolute favorite. She's the best teacher I

026have ever had. and she is the sweetest the sweetest teacher in the whole world. Students consistently describe Taylor as nurturing, positive, kind, gentle, and always happy. She has a calming presence, a soft voice, and an authenticity that makes students feel safe and cared for each and every day. Taylor Pitman embodies what it means to serve students with excellence, creativity, and heart, and we are very fortunate to have her at McDall High School. Please join me in congratulating her. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next up, please welcome Mr. Chad Marsh to recognize our classified employee of the month. >> Great job as always, Mrs. Whitman. And if you want to uh watch the folks get the awards, I actually like watching the families because it's nice to see charity and everybody had some emotion there. So, a

027lot of pride going on what we're doing here in Mcdow County Schools and you should be proud. Um, but I'd like to recognize Mr. Chad Owen. Chad, if you want to come up. So, u I'm going go off script for a moment because [clears throat] it'll give you some insight into exactly what Mr. Owen does on a daily basis. I come from a world where saying it's not my job is not going to fly. And so, uh, Mr. Owen B has not said that at all. And in fact, Mr. Owen asks, "What else can I do? And how else can I help?" And then, "Where can I be best used?" So, that's the kind of guy Chad Owen is. McDow County Schools is proud to recognize Mr. Owen as the classified employee of the month

028for December 2025. Mr. serves as a lead electrician for McDow County Schools maintenance department and he consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, professionalism, and a strong commitment to service. Throughout the month of December, he worked countless hours responding to a high volume of work orders, many of which extended well beyond his electrical responsibilities and included critical HVAC related issues. His willingness to step in wherever needed ensured that school operations continued very smoothly during a demanding time of year. In addition, Chad selflessly worked throughout the Christmas and New Year's break, prioritizing and overseeing the completion of essential projects so that facilities would be safe, functional, and ready for faculty, staff, and students upon their return. His proactive approach and his tireless work ethic significantly minimize disruptions and they reflect his deep commitment to the students and staff of

029McDow County Schools. Mr. OMB's flexibility, his expertise and dedication exemplify the very best of our classified employees. I sincerely thank you, Chad, for your outstanding service. And I am honored to recognize you as McDow County Schools classified employee of the month for the month of December 2025. [applause] Okay, at this time number nine on our agenda is report from the teacher representative, Mrs. Lawing and we're going to give it to you. Thank you. >> [snorts] >> This is the most awkward part of this is trying to get this fixed. I'm so nervous. I wasn't even this nervous my very first time. It's already going to start. Okay. Sorry. Good evening. Before I get started with tonight's starfish recognition, Mr. Frank, would it be all right if I pointed something out I've noticed and asked you

030for a very, very, very, it's tiny, small, simple favor. At our last meeting, you told me to stay right where I was and called Mr. Allison's family up for a picture. And that got me thinking. So, I did a little investigating. Oh, I think they need to get together for >> Hey, Garrett, can you go back to her collage with her picture? >> Remember that one though, don't you? >> You and Miss Long would come up here and get your picture made with Dr. Grid. I' I'd like to say something on behalf of Mr. Wheeler myself. Um, Miss Law, we could have the family come up and let's do let's do it for you. >> Oh, I was I was going to let them Come come up and >> we want Can we get a

031photo of you guys? >> Yeah. >> Who's stay up there? >> Okay. If if uh you would Jimmy come around with your whole family and you Miss Law and let's get a picture. >> [clears throat] >> Never going to get out of one of these. >> I realized, Mr. Frank, you sir, have been the mastermind behind me being a part of the pictures the entire time. every single one. I want you to know I'm standing there thinking my attempt to get out of this clearly didn't work again. And I really don't need to be in this picture. I didn't get the starfish. And while it might sound like a request to everyone else, I know it's really a volunte. But I will say thank you, Mr. Frank for always making sure the moments that matter

032don't just happen, they're remembered. Even if it's a a volunttold picture. I would apologize for blaming you this entire time, Dr. Grit, but that is so not going to happen. So maybe moving forward, Mr. Frank, you'll cut me a little break and I'll stay out of the pictures and just stick to the starfish. I'm not expecting an answer right now. I'll give you some time to truly search your pure heart and we'll revisit this later. And with that, let's get started. [clears throat] In November, during Miss Helen's recognition, I gave a fair warning that I wouldn't be the only one holding back tears and that if they did fall, they would be tears worth shedding. That same truth applies here. Not because these moments are the same, but because this one carries a meaning that's

033hard to put into words. Because it's different from all the ones I've done before and the ones I'll do in the months ahead. Months ahead. Tonight, I'll refer back to a few things from my first presentation. For those of you who were listening, you were not. You might remember I told you I'm not the most polished writer or speaker. grammar or whatever it's actually called has never been my strongest skill. But this moment deserves honesty. And [clears throat] when something matters this much, I try hardest. I try my hardest to find the words. And I realize that even my imperfect words are worth saying. All of you know that when I'm standing up here, I'm always holding back tears, trying to keep myself together. And it's probably obvious that I'm a full-on hot mess express

034the entire time. So, my speaking always shows up the same way. A pause, a quick sorry, and that awful throat clearing sound I make as I do my best to push through what I'm trying to say. As I shared in August, I chose to break my family cycle, choosing better, believing that the effort I make today will shape a kinder, easier tomorrow for the people I love most, so they won't have to grow up under the same hardships I did. The first time I heard each one, each of my kids sweet little heartbeats, and y'all know there's no sound like that, I made myself, Gray, and Ava a promise. they would never no struggle. I know now that I can't prevent every challenge, but I can make sure they never face one without someone who

035loves them, standing beside of them or stepping in front of them when they need it. There's nothing stronger or scarier than a mama who's ready to stand in front. For a long time, I didn't fully understand the why behind this part of my story, but now I'm grateful for it because it shaped me. It made me the mom and the educator I am today. It didn't lead to perfection. Not even close. But it led to perspective, a drive to notice, to listen, and to show up for students and for my own kids in ways I might not have understood otherwise. I'm not claiming to be the best. I'm no Miss Vicki or Nano, but it did make me better. It isn't easy being the one who carries the weight of breaking the cycle, but I

036can tell you it's worth it. I'm not sharing this I'm sharing this not to make tonight about me, but because it's important context for what I'm about to say. I always know I've always known how important every role is in a school. But when your own child needs additional support, those roles hit a teacher mama's heart differently. Watching my son gray in school has been one of the hardest parts of motherhood for me, especially as an educator. Because when your own child needs daily extra support in reading, math, and consistent speech services throughout the school year, it's hard to accept that sometimes, even with all the effort and knowledge you have to help, it still isn't enough to fix the struggle for your own child. Especially when you see how hard they're working. You realize

037that loving your child means se means celebrating every strength and every accomplishment, every IEP goal met while still wishing some things came a little more easily for them. Gray has been in speech since he was 2 years old, and he still meets with Miss Summer at West Marian now that he's in third grade. Watching him grow, find his voice, and build confidence had has shown me just how meaningful this work truly is. Through every session, every practice word, and every small step forward, I've learned something important. The people who help our children find their voice don't just support students. They give families hope. Hope when progress feels slow. Hope when answers are hard to find. Hope when hope when parents are wondering if they're doing enough, [clears throat] especially for those who are trying their

038best to support their child. That kind of hope is priceless. When you're giving everything you have to help your child find their vo their voice, pouring your heart into every small step forward, having someone who believes in them just as fiercely as you do, becomes the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling hopeful. It's nothing short of life-changing. If you've ever watched a child fight for a word, truly fight for it, you know there is nothing more powerful than someone who helps them find their own voice. Sorry, I went a little one too far. Which is why I want to recognize the incredible impact speech language speech language pathologists have in our schools, with our students, their families, and in our community. In schools, speech teachers don't just work on sounds or words. They help students

039feel confident enough to raise a hand, to speak up, and to say what they've been wanting and trying to say for so long, even about things that may seem small to others, but matter most to them. And for those parents, especially those trying their very best, again, that is just priceless. [clears throat] Oh gosh, here we go. Tonight, we celebrate the sweet, one-of-a-kind, Miss Vicky Frank, who has helped children across our county find their voice and has given so many families hope along the way. Lindsay and Patrick, I'm going to give you your mom's starfish keychain and a special starfish just for sweet navy in case the hot mess express comes through in full force. and I turn into a blubbering mess and Mr. McInness has to finish for me. And trust me, none of

040us wants that to happen. He is quite the talker and we would probably still be here at midnight at the earliest. So, I promise I'm going to try really hard to hold it together and get through this entire recognition about your sweet mama. I've asked Miss Dattle to read a story many of us know well because there's no better way to ex You're going to have to come up here because you can't hear it on the recording when you're over there. I learned that with Miss Hampy. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Because there's no better way to explain what your small keychain and Navy's special starfish represent. One morning, a man was walking along a beach covered with thousands of starfish that had washed ashore during the night. Up ahead, someone was gently picking them up

041one by one and tossing each starfish back into the ocean. "Why are you spending so much energy on this?" the man asked. "There are too many of them to make a difference. They'll die if they're left in the sun," the person replied without pausing. The man glanced up and down the endless shoreline. But there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish. You can't possibly save them all. What difference could you make? Another starfish was listed from the sand and sent back into the waves. Smiling, the person said, "I made a difference for that one." Miss, thank you for saying yes to reading the starfish story tonight, which is meant just for Miss Frank. There is no one more fitting or deserving to share it. We share this story because it reflects the way Miss

042Frank showed up for children one at a time with patience, care, and belief. She met them where they were, understood what each child needed, and helped them move forward, [snorts] one word at a time, where progress can be slow, but the impact lasts. Here's one of those moments shared by a former student who was lucky enough to have Miss Frank. And honestly, she was just as lucky to have him. I taught him in 8th grade at East. Because sometimes the impact of a teacher is best understood through the life of the child they helped shape. My name is Tyler Reid and I wanted to share how Miss Frank impacted my life. I'm a former student of Glenwood Elementary School and Miss Frank was my speech teacher. It was just the two of us, one-on-one in

043the classroom. And in that small classroom, she managed to make a big difference in my life. What stands out most in in my memory is when we finished our lesson, she would reward me by letting me play on the computer. I'll also never forget the day Miss Frank surprised me with a drawing one of her kids made me for made for me of my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. That memory stays with me because it made me feel special. It also showed me how much she thought about her students, even outside of the classroom. My family and the people who knew me saw the change in me because of her. Miss Frank didn't just help improve my speech. She helped me to become a better version of myself. The impact she made was big

044enough for everyone around me to see. When I learned from my parents that Miss Frank had passed away, I was shocked. Her loss was deeply felt not only by her family and friends but by her students and the other teachers. She not only made a big impact on my life but the lives of so many others. I write this today as someone whose life was changed be changed because she cared. At my sixth grade graduation, I was surprised with the memorial award created in Miss Frank's name. That award isn't just a recognition but a reminder. a reminder to carry forward the kindness, patience, and belief that Miss Frank showed every day. Miss Frank may no longer be with us, but the lessons she taught, the memories, and her legacy lives on. Thank you, Miss Frank,

045for being the amazing teacher and the person you were. You impacted my life for the better, and I'm eternally grateful. T Reed, Glenwood Elementary, 2005 to 2012. When a former student can look back years later and still vividly remember the impact she had on their life, that tells you everything you need to know about the kind of educator and person Miss Frank was. I'd like to share one more voice now from Mary and Basy, who saw that impact up close and whose own path was shaped by Miss Vicky Frank. One of my high school class assignments required us to observe a teacher in an elementary school. I had the honor of observing Miss Vicky Frank. She was ab she absolutely loved her job and I loved and loved her students even more. I remember going

046into a classroom with her to watch her work with students. She beamed with excitement and her students did too. She was a phenomenal speech pathologist. She was invested in her students learning in her students learning, loved and cared for each of them and made sure they knew it every day. Watching Miss Frank, I knew I wanted to find a place in education that gave me that same passion and dedication for my career. If you know Mary, you know how amazing she is as her in teaching. [clears throat] Vicki was so much more than an educator. She was an amazing mother, wife, and friend. She loved her family fiercely. She turned simple days into days that were special and memorable. She made holidays sparkle. She planned weekend trips filled with fun. Whether it was shopping, a

047day at Dollywood, Dollywood, or showing up to support her children. Above all, she was a light. Her caring heart, joyful spirit, and unwavering love for her family and friends made her truly one of a kind. Miss Frank didn't just help students find their voice. She inspired future educators. She modeled what it looks like to love your family, your students, those around you, and to love this work in a way that makes our community better. She did all of these fully and faithfully. And as we talk about impact, it would be impossible not to acknowledge the role of family. This is something I keep coming back to because it's always true. We need strong men in education, but even more importantly, strong men who show up for their families. Men who show up consistently, not just

048when it's easy, but when it's hard. Men who carry responsibility, with humility. Men who lead their families with integrity, steadiness, and purpose. Men who understand that strength isn't loud or flashy. It's quiet, dependable, and present. The kind of strength that makes a family feel safe, seen, and supported every single day. The kind of man whose presence alone brings calm, whose actions speak louder than words, and whose love shows up in faithfulness, sacrifice, and showing up day after day. Because that kind of man doesn't just shape a home, he shapes generations. Mr. Frank, you have been that man. As I said, we can't prevent every challenge, but we can make sure our families never face one without someone who loves them, standing beside of them or stepping in front of them when they need it. Mr.

049Frank, you have lived every one of these for your family every single day. You are a true model, not just in words, but in the way you live, showing up and leading with love, integrity, and purpose. Along that fierce alongside that fierce dedication to your family, your life has also been defined by commitment to your country, the highway patrol, our community, and McDow County Schools. In each of these roles, you didn't just hold a position. You showed up with steadiness, responsibility, and a willingness to do what was needed, often without recognition. You stepped forward time and time again, not because it was easy, but because it mattered. Offering your time, your leadership, and your heart in service of others. >> Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. In the Starfish story, we talk about one person

050making a difference, but someone has to make it possible for that one person to keep showing up with the same joy, care, and heart. Mr. Frank, that was you. You believed in her work. You believed in her heart for children. And you stood beside of her so she could keep doing what she loved day after day, child after child. I hope these little starfish bring a smile and serve as a sweet reminder of the love she gave so freely to her students. The way she showed up, believed in them, and made them feel seen and valued. As I said earlier, if you've ever seen a child fight for, truly fight for to find their words, you know how much courage that takes. She saw that fight every single day and she was right there beside

051of them with her extraordinary heart fighting with them. Those little hearts knew that she loved them and she was beside standing beside of them patiently and faithfully helping them find their words until others could hear their voices, too. Moments like these remind us that the impact of people in our schools last. I'll be honest. I've had my list of recognitions planned out since the summer, but this one felt different. Month after month, I came back to her name, but the timing never felt right. I do have a general plan for these recognitions. I always trust what feels right, what will mean the most. And when this one felt right, I knew it, just like all the others. I'm thankful I trusted that feeling and didn't force it because I don't think this moment would be

052what it is tonight if I had. And that's exactly how 2026 needs to begin. With a sweet reminder that Miss Frank's heart still leads the way. She noticed the children who needed a little more time, a little more patience, and a little more encouragement. She didn't rush them. She didn't lower expectations. She stayed steady even when the progress came in small pieces that were easy to miss. While others heard silence, she heard a child still trying. They heard delays in diagnosis. She heard a voice asking not to be skipped. Everyone else heard broken words. She heard meaning fighting to get out. In a room full of experts, measuring what was missing, she listened for what mattered, what still mattered. She believed in children and gave parents confidence that their child mattered. Not someday, but right

053then. That was Miss Frank. And the way she showed up for kids is something this school system and our community will always need. This is what changes lives. That's the kind of educator we should all aspire to be and the kind I try to be. [snorts] But as you can see from this slide, I'm more of a Miss Trenchful. While she'll always be a Miss Honey, [laughter] I have a long road ahead of me, but remember, your speed doesn't matter. Forward is forward. Alex Morgan also attended Glenwood. Um, she was one of my first year kids. If you don't know, um there was like a Tik Tok trend where you talk about your teacher that had the greatest impact and she was your Miss Honey. So I sent it to her and Katie Edwards and

054I said, "You don't have to make one. I already know." And she called me Miss Trunchful. Yeah. So Miss Vicky Frank was one of a kind and the way you have shown up for your family, our country, and our community reflects a strength and commitment that is one of a kind as well. Mr. Frank, you are one of a kind. Thank you for the steadiness and care you show to everyone. We are lucky to know you, to learn from your example, and our community is stronger because of you and your leadership, just as it is stronger because of Miss Frank and the love she gave so freely. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> Mr. Frank, I think we're going to have to have a picture. >> We just want to come on. >> Oh, come

055on. [laughter] >> Uh, Mr. Jimmy Jim, James Allison, you up there, right? >> Family members to come up and join him. >> Mr. All right. Now, you'll be sir, >> thank you so much. I didn't do anything. You're the one that makes the impact. I just want to do next. >> She's more cle [applause] Thank you. [laughter] Miss Rampy, I'll see you in just a minute. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you so much, [snorts] Pat. Why does he keep coming? >> At this time, item number 10 on the agenda is request address the uh board. And we do have a request, Mrs. Evans. and uh if you'll come up to the microphone uh so we can hear you well and I'll I've got some things I got to tell you. Mrs. Evans, uh at this

056time I'll entertain a motion to allow you to speak from the board. So I'll entertain that motion. >> I'll make motion speak. >> Hold on just a minute. Okay, we have a uh motion by Mr. Baker and a second by Mr. Sheford to allow Miss Evans to speak. Is there any further discussion? All those in favor signify by raising your right hand, which is unanimous. And uh what I want to do is read you some of the ground rules, ma'am. And uh public comment is a time for the board to hear from folks regarding issues related to the McDow County School District. We ask that folks be mindful that we encourage uh families of small children to attend our meetings and watch our meetings online. We we respect the right of speakers to give us

057their viewpoint on any issues related to the schools. However, we do balance those rights with the rights of families of young children. When it comes to public comment, we ask that speakers make their points without making explicit comments. It is not appropriate or permissible for teachers in our schools read explicit material to young children, and doing so in public comment is not appropriate either. In addition to public comment, the public is welcome to send the board emails through the superintendent. Ma'am, uh you have three minutes and Mrs. Dat is an official timekeeper and at this time uh your time begins and we'll be receptive to anything you have to say. Now >> thank you for uh entertaining my request. My uh I have no ill feelings or ill will. I had something wrote up, but

058after what I just witnessed, I really not the good night for me to be here. But we as a district, as a school system, as a bunch of people need to readress the bullying um I guess the policy on bullying and how it's being dealt with in our schools within I mean, we're we're better human beings than this and that continues. And the kids that are doing the bullying are not being addressed fairly. They're screaming for help and for some reason we're really not giving them the help they need so it continues. Um I would like to have the opportunity at some point to uh help address this issue and you know as being a part of somebody's child who was bullied. I don't ever want another parent or human being to know what it

059feels like to have the sheriff's office knock on the door and and tell you that your daughter is sending out emails that she wants to kill herself or have your daughter her child come home and say the kids at school told me to go home and kill myself that would make things better. We just we got to do something better since we all know it. We all, you know, are aware of it. that makes us all responsible and I really hope we can get together. I will take this as far as I've got to because I know that, you know, everybody's hands tied. It's not something you can just go in and poof, it's changed. I realize that, but realize I'm not going to stop. I I'm trying to climb this ladder of authority the

060best I can and negotiate it. I don't plan on stopping. If I have to go all the way to the state, that's where I'm going to see that not just for my child. This is for every child because if I do something and just my child benefits, then it's for nothing. It disappears. It this shouldn't disappear and it should be more more on our yeah on our agenda to do things to make things better for the kids. I'm listening to the stuff and I know it's there and I know there's hearts there, but I also know we have a little ways to go before we can all meet up and do the right thing. And that's pretty much all if you know >> Thank you very much for entertaining me. >> Thank you, Miss Evans.

061And just want to do a quick followup. Um, ma'am, we appreciate your concern and what you brought to the the board tonight and um certainly one of those things that we would like to invite you um to be part of our um committee uh meeting on our policy and to look at our bullying policy and see if there's a way that you can help us uh w with any anything within that uh policy. I think that's important that you sit down with us and uh we go over that policy together. Um I've I've listened to you. We've had uh several phone conversations. I know a couple of our principles in the room have as well. And we want to work with you and and I'm sorry that you got that knock on your door and

062and our heart goes out to you. >> Sending somebody a message and maybe it was but I also would like you please call me at some other time. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. Item number 11 on the agenda, unfinished business. And our first person financial update is Mrs. Rampy. >> I do not have a lengthy update tonight. Um, but uh, Mr. Schuer and I have discussed we're going to have a finance committee at towards the end of the month to discuss several things. And that's what my update will be. Uh anything that's relevant to that for our next meeting. I don't Oh, I didn't see it. Sorry. Uh the audit report uh will be on our next committee meeting as well.

063We'll be discussing the budget for next year and also the capital budget for both this year and next year. Uh wanted to give you a quick update on the financial summary where we are. We're halfway through the year, but the way the school system works, you're halfway through the year on some people's salaries, but for um your non-certified salaries, they actually have six months left. So, we're right on track around 47% of total expenditures for the year. Our budget is $79 million. And uh we have spent right at $34 million. So, we are right on track for where we have budgeted for the year. for the audit. If you remember from last month, the uh LGC and the federal government had extended that deadline to December 31st. Generally, it's always October 31st, but there was

064a federal uh uh delay for the federal compliance this year. And so, we did submit that before the December 31st deadline, and we are now waiting on the LGC to uh return that back to us. Until then, we cannot give an official report on the audit report, but it was a very positive audit report. We'll go over that with the finance committee as well and bring a more detailed report um back to you and go over it in more detail with the finance committee, but it was very positive. Um at this time, we did not have any findings. So, we're very we're very pleased with that. One other thing we wanted to mention because there's a lot of talk about capital um lately. We've got the new grant with the school. We have a lot

065of these uh new capital grants and that we've been given for some of these projects that we'll be talking about soon. is where we're at on our capital funding. As you know, capital funding is totally separate than our regular funding. We can only spend this on either new construction or repairs and maintenance for our current facilities. So, you can see there, I won't go through the projection till 2041, but you can see the projection that we have there that reserve for future projects. We just started that a couple years ago, trying to reserve some funds there for any of these large expenses. You know, our match for the large grant u that we got for the new school. that's where that will uh come from or any other large projects. You can see our debt

066payments there and our projected balances for this year. We're looking to end the balance with about $15 million. Uh that's with three million in that reserved project budget. You'll see 2027 uh we will add another million dollars to that. So then that would be $4 million. That's something that the finance committee will also talk about. we may go ahead and plug in what we know is going to be part of our match there and we'll have some discussions on how we want to fund the match. Um so that'll be more detailed conversations as well. But that's where we are on our capital funding. Uh the projects that we've talked about a couple different times including the one that uh is going to be talked about after me is actually a grant. It's not actually coming

067out of our sales tax or any of our estate money. It's actually a grant from the state that we got specifically for that project for the Holene project. >> Any questions on that? >> Mr. Trampy, if I may just just take a moment of privilege here. Um, folks, th members, you may know this, but I do want to say this out loud. This is a this is something that Miss Rampy does uh for our for our board and for us internally. However, Chris Campbell now uses this in his training for how to model what to do for districts. So, I do want to point that out, the work that you've done, uh, Miss Rampy, and and just to say that the being forward thinking is what we're really trying to do in this district. And,

068um, Suzanne leads the way on that for us. And I appreciate that. >> Thank you. I appreciate that. [applause] Up next, we've got Mr. Chad Marsh, and he'll be giving us a facilities update. You heard him talking about those folks working over the Christmas break. There was a lot of work that took place, and I think you may have few shining few shining spots for us, Mr. Marsh, if you will. >> Um, thank you, Mr. Superintendent, Mr. Chair, members of the board, ladies and gentlemen. It's always a pleasure to come before the board. Um, first of all, it's been almost a year since y'all put up with me. So, just want to say I appreciate that. Uh, the 15th will be a year. So, I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve and to be

069able to serve here at home. It's very special to be able to serve at home. So, thank you for the opportunity. Um, I want to talk about my directorate in particular, transportation. Mr. Thomas's staff been very busy. I reported to the board that we had received nine buses before those buses had been sent back for warranty issues along with our new activity bus that still hasn't made it to to the uh fleet because they had some warranty issues. All the warranty items have been uh resolved and those five buses are at the garage now. They will undergo our inspection process. Then they will be inserted into our existing fleet. So very happy about that. Mr. Bar Hill who works quietly and tirelessly and him and his staff continue to work very hard and you see

070uh Dr. Grit talked a little bit about earlier about some issues and some things we've had going on lately. But uh our relationship with our law enforcement partners is successful in large part because of our readiness. In other words, uh our camera systems support their ability to be able to have facial recognition and other things and that's very important. So Mr. Barry Hill and his staff are the ones doing that. So, we appreciate his hard work. Mr. Haynes and his nutrition staff continue to pump out thousands of meals each week. And National Breakfast Week, school breakfast will be coming up in March. He want me to mention that to you tonight. So, the 2nd of the 6th through March. I would love to see any any board member who has an opportunity to pop in

071for breakfast with the kiddos. I'm sure they'd appreciate that. So, invite you for that. The 2nd through the 6th of March. Athletics. And I apologize for the mint. My throat's bothering me a little bit. [clears throat] Athletics, our our winter sports are well underway. If you haven't had a chance to pop in and take a look at some of our teams, um they are playing this week, particular high school. It has two home games this week, Tuesday and Friday. So, uh you can swing by and check out them up in MHS. Uh I mentioned earlier about transportation and it was also brought up. I think Dr. Gri mentioned in his remarks, a freshly wrapped activity bus was delivered to the high school athletics department this week. very happy faces. You're going to see some pictures

072here momentarily. And some new wayfinding signage was also installed at the high school. There was some concerns from uh some folks who had come to our gymnasium before and said, "I, you know, we don't know where to go." Well, for those of us who have played, you know, followed kids around or just played ball, you know, really the only way you'd do it is you drive to your GPS location says you're at the school and you set in the parking lot and you pray somebody else gets there after you and walks towards a building and you just kind of, you know, like a little duck run behind them and go in wherever they go in, right? We can do better than that and we are doing better than that. There's some wayfinding sign now at

073the high school leading from the parking lot into the building. So, we're really happy about that as well. Mr. Vaughn, who was here earlier, he left was supporting Mr. owing me him and his staff continue to work at a feverish pace. The amount of work orders that they have answered in this in the last nine months that he's been here, but in the 12 months that I've been here has been staggering. Um, and I'm very proud of their efforts to improve safety and overall self-performance. Uh, we had the second of our individual employees just this past month who got their plumbing certification to the state of North Carolina. So now, not only do we have licensed electricians, but we also have licensed plumbers and we have HVAC technicians on board. So our ability to be

074able to sell performance is huge. It's a big deal and it comes at costsaving to our uh citizens here in the county. That's very important. So I'm very proud of that effort. [snorts] I was asked recently and so I wanted to describe it uh as as simply as I could about we we were doing some installation over at Miran Elementary and and I was asked you guys just put a brand new air handler in there Chad why were we having problems with a compressor there and so I wanted to explain as very simply as I can. So we talk about AI, right? Everybody's got a cell phone. So the next time and if you're interested in this at all, just give it a shot. If not, you can take my word for it. But you

075can ask AI very simply. Just ask them what happens to a remotely controlled valve when you manually manipulate it. And if you ask AI that, it's going to come up with this big long description. It's going to show you some pictures. And what it's going to tell you is is that a remotely controlled valve, if I go over manipulate it in between the next time it's programmed to to move, it'll throw it out of calibration. And we have a number of valves in our system that control our heating and air. And some of these, in particular, one large valve called a mixing valve controls a lot of water that pushes into a compressor. And if it goes to it too hot, it kicks the compressor off. which means that you're sitting in your classroom and

076there's cold air blowing instead of warm air when it's 25° outside. And I tell you that to say that we're working hard. We have some issues with not the necessarily on the mechanical side, but now on our electronic side that interface and give us the ability to be able to do what we want to do, which is from the comfort of our own home on a Sunday evening, be able to turn a system on so that when the babies get there in the morning or before they get there in the morning, the system's nice and warm and the classrooms are toasty. So, we're working through those abilities right now. We're trying to make sure that we individually educate our teachers because they just want to know, "Why is it like this, Chad?" So, every teacher

077that I have sat and down with and spoken to that way has said, "Thank you. First time I've ever been told that. It makes complete sense now. I understand that." So, we're trying to work through these these little hiccups, but we as a district are getting better, and we will continue to do so. On that note, uh our capital projects are are doing wonderfully and again I just want to continue to thank the board for the support that we have there. As you well know, we're into our second HVAC capital project of a quarter of a million dollars. Any expenditures will continue to go through. Uh Mrs. Rampy keeps us honest on the process, but for the first project that you had, there are only two items that remain. uh the during the Christmas break,

078we craned a 10 ton HVAC unit on top of Nebo Elementary and that is going to be worked in over spring break and set. And then the second piece was your uh cooler tower over at Eastfield Global Magnet School and then that will also be set here in the next coming weeks. So those were very large ticket items that needed to have some breaks there so before they could be able to install them. We're working through those. Again, as I mentioned, for our second HVAC project, uh we have hit the ground running there and we have been using that money to pay for boiler inspections um that have been completed and we're finishing up those discrepancies. Now, as I mentioned earlier about the compressor and air handler at Miran Elementary, uh we've also inst installed

079two new condensate pumps at McDall High School that will give us redundancy. This is a huge piece so that when those pumps fail and pumps are designed to fail, they will fail. Once they fail, uh Mrs. Whitman's school won't be hot or cold because of the failure of that. We'll simply be able to man manually and or remotely operate a valve that will turn on a brand new set of pumps and then that system will continue to operate. So this is a huge huge step into being able to remain efficient. [snorts] Finally, we've also replaced a fuel pump at Mr. Wheeler school. Um and then we realized that after replacing the pump and starting the system, we need a new control board. So that new control board also has to be replaced. And so we're

080working to get those online uh within the next upcoming weeks. Your your last capital project, and again, I'll show some more pictures uh some pictures here, is nearly complete. Uh the drainage work at Oldford Elementary School is completed. The grass was starting to grow before we had a little cold spell. Uh sidewalk steps, ramps, and brand new railing improvements have all been completed at Mary and Nebo and Glennwood. And the drainage, sidewalk, and curb improvements are ongoing at East Middle. Uh the drainage problem that we fixed there had been going on historically for decades. And so we're very happy to be able to knock that out. Finally, the new school project. Obviously, we know we were being awarded that, but the process now is going to seem like it's slow, but there is a process

081that's going to have to be put into place. Uh the next step for us is to be able to present a calendar to the building and grounds committee that's at some point be shared with the board to talk about the next steps. So, we're working with the executive cabinet now and then that'll be shared with there and then pushed on. So, there are a series of steps that'll get us to where we hope to be. It's not necessarily a plan. I hope it's not a plan, but we expect to be this time next year, which is bidding on a project. And you'll get to hear from Mr. Patrick McMurray with Holland and Hammock about that shortly. Before I bring Mr. um McMurray up, can we show some pictures, please? Garrett, the superintendent talked about playgrounds

082uh earlier. So, this is a a beautiful playground. Again, these playgrounds, we we received a grant. Uh we received a uh 50% match grant um from Cunningham Recreation to be able to do these and so we had two of them. This is at uh the the front entrance at Glenwood. Next slide. This is a little closer up. You can see uh new play services, new border, and a new playground. And um I'm I'm sure Mr. Ray can vouch for us. Babies enjoying that, Miss Ray? >> Okay. Next slide. This is at Mr. Wheeler School. Um, this is at Pleasant Gardens uh in the fenced in area in the back of the school near where the buses drop off and see we do actually listen to uh teachers and and folks around the community when asked

083us to we match colors there. So you see this is the black and red for Pleasant Gardens and the other one was the uh maroon and yellow of of the Glenwood Dragons. Next slide. This is uh some work that was done at Mrs. Ray School. These are step edges uh that were put on with a new these are new concrete steps with stepping edges. Next slide. This is another picture of Mr. Wheeler's uh playground there. We got the church in the background. Kind of give you an idea of where that's at in that fencing area in the back. Next slide. This is Nebo. This was an extensive amount of of concrete work that was done here. Um was very happy with the process. This was uh Wilkey Construction did this. They did a good job.

084She steps on the right up against the school, the ramp out front and it goes all the way up to the back of the area there and it looks absolutely uh fantastic. Would you agree Mrs. Bagwell? Happy with that product. Next slide. These are this is one of the set of pumps that I spoke about in the so this is in the boiler room uh adjacent to the ninth grade academy and Mrs. Whitman's school. Uh and and so again what's the process here? They come in, they pour in the pad, they install the pumps, and then they actually weld in uh the piping into the existing system next to a changeover valve. So again, all we got to do prime the pump, start the pump, switch a valve, and and presto magic. We have hot

085or cold depending on which side. Again, there's one on the cold side and one on the hot side. Next slide. This was a unit. So somebody's like, you know, when you go get your oil change, you know, sometimes they'll show the dirty air filter, you know, look at, well, this is this was the bad unit, right? So you don't think there's any u quick change here. This was at Marion Elementary School. This was the air handler that failed at the end of the summer and we waited. Again, I told you guys before that we were there. Some of these long lead time part items were not commercial off the shelf and readily available and so we had to wait uh to be able to get this done. We're happy to work with local contract to

086get this done. Next slide. And there the brand new shiny one is installed in place. Uh classroom 141, I believe. >> No, what is it? >> 104. Clearly, I I need >> Got a compressor. Thank you, ma'am, for keeping me straight. We communicate with our principles and appreciate them. Uh again, this was over the break, so no education was disrupted at least during the installation. Next slide. This is our brand new uh wrapped bus. Now uh be clear, full full transparency. This is not a new bus. Um I was cautioned that if I were have taken that brand new activity bus that we got right that again hadn't made it to the fleet yet. If I had taken that one and wrapped it and taken it away from the ability for my elementary schools to

087be able to use it, I would have had a mutiny on my hands. And so uh we didn't do that. Uh this was a newer bus. You can see the luggage racks on the bottom. Does have air conditioned and heat and uh this was towards the end of its warranty, but this is a newer bus. Next, smiling faces. Appreciate Coach Cash had I think five coaches come out. Uh the kids, you know, one of the things I was telling my niece about I I was really I was really touched by one of the young ladies said, "Mr. Marsh," and I spun around and she said, "Thank you." And I said, "You're welcome." She said, "No, seriously. Thank you for putting us on here. And I was like, looked at her and she could tell I

088was trying to figure out who's us. And she said, "The cheerleaders, >> we never get put on anything, Mr. Marsh. Thank you for making us feel like we're part of something, too." So, you can see the shadows of the cheerleaders there. The girls got their hands up and and their pom poms. And so, uh, that, you know, that kind of made it all worth it right there. So, I was touched by that and I really appreciated that. Next slide. Next slide. Next slide. That's it. Okay. Um so barring any questions, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to bring up um Mr. McMurray, stand behind him and let him discuss um the process and the project for West McDow Middle School, McDow High School grant that Mrs. Rampy referenced. >> Good evening. Thank you'all for the the time

089again. Um, so this past Thursday we opened bids for the uh West McDow and Middle and McDow High School hurricane Helen relief drainage project and um that's it's a mouthful. Yeah. But um good good problem. It came in under budget. So um we had a 10 alternates in there. Seven were deduct alternate alternates in case that price was a little high. give you control to to rein some of that back in. And then there were three ad alternates. Um I don't think there would be any reason to take a deduct alternate at this point and we could certainly look at those three ad alternates and um actually have been talking to Mr. Marsh and the civil engineer as well since we know that we have some additional funds there that um we're looking at a

090a plan to uh get get a couple more things down there in the lower area. Uh again, this project is to bring the lower recreck field area, the the middle school baseball field up out of the flood plane and to also address drainage issues all the way up to the 9th grade academy and a little bit above there. control all that water in the event, you know, of a of a a rainstorm or something as it comes down the hill, uh to control it, slow it down, and get it into the uh the waterways efficiently. Um we we do have that alternate plan that we could we could show you. Again, this was not bid on the other day, but I I say all that to say um we do have some some control there

091when uh when talking to the uh to the low bidder. So, the low bidder was DDI of Hickory. Um DDI is a um Dustin Davis. He's the president and owner of the company. He used to be with David E. Looper and Company um out of Hickory. uh has done a lot of big projects with Looper and um went on his own uh a few years back and has done some work with um Lenor Ryan University, um Hickory Public Schools, um Hild the town of Hildebrand just finished up a uh a civil project with Hildebrand that um included a stage area, splash pad. It's a parks project. So, um, we're excited to be working with them. Uh, we had four biders and, uh, like I said, that's, um, it it doesn't happen all the time, but

092it's a good problem to have when you open up bids and and you're you're under that threshold. So, if anybody has any questions while we wait on that slide, >> how much were the bids up roughly? >> Yeah. So, um we had four and DDI came in at $3,131,45. Um, that's that's base bid. And again, those seven deduct alternates are in that base bid. Um, with the three additional alternates, it'd be 3,331,45. And so that's roughly $400,000 under budget. >> Congratulations. >> Okay, so here's the slide. Um, [clears throat and cough] >> so while Patrick's walking up there, I'll just let you know uh part of it and you'll have to help me a little bit here and Mr. Marsh, if you will help me. Uh, there's a few the few of the add-ons. One

093of them was Mr. Settles had asked about the possibility of moving the softball field uh from West McDow Middle School where the softball field is now. Patrick, if you can kind of point to that area where where it where it is. It's right in that area. And Garrett, if you'll scroll down for us. Um you can see uh one of the questions Mr. Settles has. Trick, we tricked you, Patrick. We're moving it on you now. We when we see how good you are here. Um but but um that was one of the things Mr. settles. The other two additions were uh cutting down some timber uh by the softball field and help me Mr. Marsh. What was the other uh addition? >> Um there were two, sir. One was to um remove the dead brush

094on softball and the other was to pressure wash the existing handrails and uh ramp that goes from the parking lot at West Middle to the existing softball field. Sir, >> thank you. >> Yes, sir. Um, so this is the the latest sketch uh once we did open bids and we started looking at the uh the 10th alternate of moving the the uh middle school softball field down to the lower area and expanded this parking lot. Um tweak that to where the batter's not looking into the sun. We still have the pickle ball courts. We have there are funds available to do that and then the rec fields and of course bring all this up out of the flood plane to do all the the four other parking lots, the entryway. That's all that's all it's

095all there. So this is again this is this was not bid on bid day but it's something that we're looking at because we did have that authent so it should be very comparable. >> One thing that the public might need to know is those additional funds has to be spent on this project. Correct. >> Uh that's right sir. So um thank you Mr. Barkell. So, we did have a discussion with the board's attorney and we talked about how to properly um dispose and and so those items will be cont uh contained in the contingency monies for this project. There is no other requirement to rebid. So, we're we're doing exactly what we're supposed to be as far as stewards of the taxpayers dollars here. Um, one of the things uh Mr. Sles, I'll speak directly

096to you on this, sir. The question was about moving the the pickle ball courts. When we dove into looking at the reality of moving those pickle ball courts and we met with Western Middle School staff and literally asked them what what they'd like to see. One of the things that we kept coming back to was access. And when my safety head was kind of get trying to get wrapped around who's going to be able to access go past that gate house after hours because we don't have 24-hour surveillance. We don't have, you know, you're and you're kind of away from an area that's that's uh more visible along the road, it just made sense to keep it on that location. And then when we go from the true and spirit of intent of the money

097that we're receiving in this grant, having a parking lot and a paved service there actually helps us to curb and turn the water in a direction that we want to, which was the whole premise of getting the grant anyway, raising the area out of the flood plane and be able to turn that water back to the ditch line safely. Uh that will allow us to do that in both cases. So, uh we we put some time into this. I know you appreciate it, but we put some time in to try to take a look at where it made sense to put that ball field and uh and we feel like if if it's going to go there, this this makes the best sense. >> I appreciate that. A couple things I would I would lay

098out there to think about is that if there's going to be public access to these pickle ball courts, be prepared to answer the question of why we don't open up the Mcdow High tennis courts or the Mcdow High track because that's always been a problem in the past. >> Yes, sir. >> I think I'm ready to. You ready to do that? And the second thing is I would tweak the softball field just a little bit >> just because the softball foul balls, the majority of the foul balls on a softball field go straight back towards the highway. Uh no matter what you put over the field, they could uh hinder the catcher or be in fair territory. You still can't stop those. So you may need to turn it just slightly because they will end

099up on 70 out there. We'll take a look. I appreciate it. We look at NCHSA requirements for uh width and length. >> Make sure we got back stops and and foul pole distances. There's a minimum of 185 ft, 34, 43 ft, 60 ft, and you know, backs all the things. And so when we looked at, you know, uh Chad getting up there trying to hit a fast ball, which is not going to happen anyway. Uh he he's going to have a whole lot harder time looking into the sun. And so the sun comes from the right field side, right? Comes from the west end of 40. Uh risits in the west. And so orienting it, being able to get it into that area, that really was one of the the fewest options that we had

100to be able to do that. Now, what the other side of that is is topography impacts a lot of that, right? So, sun might rise in the east and set in the west, but it still gets inhibited by a big old mountain full of laurel, right? And so, some of that's going to be blocked anyway. Um, but but we can definitely look at that. >> I wouldn't worry about that because most of them going to be game night games, you know, going into the night. uh very few on Saturday. Uh but I definitely would work uh maybe when if you don't mind. >> We we turn the back stop here. The back stop here kind of position the same way this one was have it here and that way all your foul balls on the

101bank. Um like I said, this is the area that's going to have foul balls in it where you really have to hit a home run. And hopefully our girls hit lots of home runs and hit cars. I like to hit cards on my plate against well. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> But uh it's gonna have a lot more go out with back stop station 70 than your home. >> Yeah, absolutely. Something we can look at and take a look at and try to get it right. >> But thank you for listening and doing that. >> Real quick, where's the soil being hauled in from? >> Uh yes, sir. So, we're bringing it in from the the property the board just purchased over off of Ridge Road and Highway 70. Um the approximately 20,000 cubic yards is

102going to be taken down from the existing soil that's on the that's on the northwest side of the property. >> You know, just to to add on to that too, Mr. Marsh, you know, we talk about a contingency and having some money there. Let's not forget we're moving a lot of dirt and let's hope that there's no rock there because that that definitely starts cut into that contingency pretty fast. >> That's right. So, thank you for bringing up. So items one through seven are are make meet the uh spirit and intent of what we got the money for. U we we did 10 because it's what I told you I'd do, Mr. Sles. And so the truth of the matter is is that as we begin to press through the project, uh we'll be continue

103to work with building and grounds and making sure that we're talking to you about how the project goes and briefing the board certainly along the way, but we'll we'll make you aware of any issues we have because we we know we're going to hit rock. The question is how much dirt can we get out of there before we hit rock, >> right, >> Patrick? Thank you so much for working on this. Appreciate that. >> Mr. Marsh, could you uh We did have a practice field down there. Could you just briefly cuz I know people be asking about where we're going to move practice. >> Oh, uh Okay. Yes, sir. Can you go back? Uh G, can you just kind of slide the whole thing up and then move to your I guess it' be your

104right. Yeah. So, again, spoke with the athletic director a couple times about the project, Coach Kaparasu. And what we talked about was one of the things that you see if you go by there like right now you'll see the fence laid down on the existing softball field. So there's some soccer practice going on. So the intent is to uh lay in the uh the entirety of the soccer field soon as you come down the ramp. So you see the zigzag line right there above where he just blocked out. You'll walk down that ramp and then there will be the the field there. And then on the northern end, which is the farther end, as the as the field gets narrow, uh that's where you'll have the practice football field, there's an existing storage building there

105now. And so that will be on the north side of any goals. And so you'll be able to walk and chew gum. You'll be able to do a soccer game and a football practice at the same time. Somebody asked me uh about whistles. Said, "Oh, are you concerned about whistles?" No, I'm not. Because if you go to any modern-day ball game, seven on seven, or a facility like I go to Asheville to watch them play seven basketball games at once, these kids can play a game and know what whistle's there. They they know that that's my whistle, that guy's talking to me, or that gal's talking to me. So, I'm not worried about about whistle overlap or anything like that. They they can do it. They're accustomed to it. They're not like it was when

106I was there. You can only do one thing at a time. They're way smarter than us. So, uh they can do it. Does that answer your question, sir? Yes, sir. >> Anything else you want to add? >> Um, sir, if there's any if there's not any other questions, um, I would based on the the brief from, uh, Mr. McMurray and the questions we've answered tonight, uh, I'd like to request board action, sir, so we can proceed. >> I would certainly recommend that we accept that bid, Mr. Marsh. >> Thank you, sir. >> Okay. At this time, I'll entertain a motion uh to accept the the uh project and bid that uh Mr. McMurray and Mr. Marsh have have explained to us tonight, the West McDow Middle School, McDow High School Helen erosion grant project. And

107I'll entertain a motion for that. >> I'll make that motion. We accept the business. I'll second. Okay, we have a motion by Mr. Suttles and we have a second by Mr. Allison. Is there any further discussion on the motion to accept the West McDow Middle School High School Helen erosion grant project? All those in favor signify by raising your right hand which is unanimous. >> Okay. Thank you very much, >> Mr. Frank. I would if I may just take a point of privilege. We it is important that we that we identify the amount of of what we've accepted in within that bid. So I know we've got some language that reflects that. Mr. Marsh, >> we we do, sir. And at at a minimum um based on on what we've discussed with our attorney and

108and with Mr. McMurray, and I apologize I didn't make this clear. Um we we need to accept the bid from the contractor who was the low bid. >> Okay. So, I'll make the motion we accept the bid from DDI, which was the >> DDI of Hickory is the low bid. Yes, sir. >> Yep. >> Okay. What about uh Mr. Marsh? Uh the you said there were there were additional things. >> Well, that was the primary additional and then we need to basically them as the contractor. >> Okay. >> And accept their bid. >> Okay. >> So, I I don't know that we have to outline the bid. So, you recommended we'd outline the bid or >> the base the base number I think is >> the base number and you have that Patrick. Yeah, >>

109I would enter the four bids into the minutes >> and >> Sorry, sir. >> I I would enter all four bids into the minutes and then and then have the motion be to uh accept the low bid. >> Yes, sir. We're happy to do that. >> We're happy to do that. You have all four of them, >> sir. >> Okay. Let's regroup and rethink then. Will you rescend your motion? >> Yes, I'll resend. >> Will you rescend your say? >> Okay. Redo the whole thing. >> Okay. So, go ahead and pat. Well, I'll let I'll let Mr. Weary read the B tabulation sheet as our architect. >> Yeah, just do the base. >> Okay. So, DDI of Hickory had a base bid of $3,120,000. Uh England Builders had a base bid of $3,817,000. Wilkey Construction

110Company had a base bid of $3,598,000 and uh Tanaka had a base bid of $4,820,000. Okay, one second. Miss Smith, have you are you good? >> We've got them. >> Okay. Okay. So sir, now that we have the the formal record of the bids, it'd be my request for board action based on the information that the boards received tonight so that we may proceed. >> Okay. >> So I'll make bid. >> Yeah, I'll make the motion we accept the low bid from DDI. >> I'll second. >> Okay. All right. We have the motion from Mr. Settles. We have the second by Mr. Allison. Is there any further discussion on the bidding uh for the grant or u the motion at hand which is to accept the low bid. Okay. With all those in favor signify

111by raising your right hand which is unanimous. >> Thank you. Also, I'd like to announce that uh building and grounds, we would need to have a meeting before the February U board meeting >> uh to discuss some of the additional things. >> Yes, sir. >> So, I'll be getting in touch with you. >> All right. Thank you, Mr. Frank. I think under uh new business, we'll turn it over to you. Okay. Okay. Under new business, uh, the 2026 board committee list. There's action requested on that. Are there any questions? I made sure I contacted everybody before uh we made the list basically same as last year. Does anybody have any questions or not sure of what your uh positions are on all the list? And also I want you to know that uh we don't

112have them all listed on our uh board reports the people that are chairman but we we have others like the u the athletic uh hall of fame board and and we have health board and and several but there all those positions on them are taken care of and if uh they're they're same as last year's and I'll entertain a Motion to accept the committee list as it's done. >> I'll make a motion to accept the board committee as presenting. >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion by Mr. Schuford. We have a second by Mr. Barksdale. Is there any further discussion on the motion on the board committee list? With those no further questions, uh, I'll entertain a vote at this time. All those in favor signify by raising your right hand. >> And that's

113an eight vote. Okay. Uh, Dr. Grit, we have board professional development training. I'm going to let you explain this. >> Yes, sir. Uh, thank you, Mr. Frank. So, uh, one of the things that that the board does quite frequently is do they do board trainings. Um, we do quite a bit of training as a as a district and we've not been getting credit for it. Uh, so we've contacted North Carolina School Boards Association and asked them what we would need to do in order to get credit. And really what you need to do is the chair needs to approve. You need to bring it before the chair and approve it. So, in in being creative and thinking a little bit about outside of the box, uh the the uh new year, January, starts a new

114board year. Uh so, what we thought we would do is just go ahead and approve um any of the stuff that we do now so we don't have to keep bringing it back before the board and asking for approval every time. Uh so, we prepared a motion for you, Mr. Frank to be able to uh share that uh with the board uh so that any trainings that we do along the way uh could be uh could be uh could could then be approved. And I'm I'm I'm hoping and I'm hoping now I've been wrong before, but I'm hoping that the school boards association would would accept that and we're going to turn it in every time we do it until they tell us not to. >> So Mr. Frank delegated a motion for me [clears

115throat] to make which would be to approve the ongoing professional development training for the members of the board of education as deemed appropriate by the chairman of the board on an annual basis. And that's a motion. >> Okay. Need a second. >> I'll second. >> Okay. We have a motion by Mr. Aanathy and a second by uh Mr. Schuford. Is there any further discussion on this or should should we wait till the gentleman that we really Here he comes. We'll wait till he gets back. >> You missed it. You missed it out. [snorts] So [laughter] it won't take me a minute to catch. >> Mr. Allison, we're what we we've got a motion to uh to approve the board professional development training. And what we're going to do in the Reader Digest condensed version is

116uh if we take training here at the board, we're going to get credit for it without having to go everywhere else. But the ones we do here, we're going to try to get credit for it if the North Carolina School Boards Association will allow us to. >> I'll second that. Well, we [laughter] we're just to the vote stage. So, all those in favor signify by raising your right hand. >> All right, that's unanimous. A nine vote. Okay, Mr. Abernathy, the America 250. >> Okay, I'll [clears throat] be brief. On July 4th of 2026 is the 250th celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. um the declaration and I didn't go back and study carefully so I may be corrected but it was sign it there it was a committee appointed and uh the

117committee worked on on the the draft document largely written by Thomas Jefferson um and it basic the revolutionary war was underway and the um United the at at the convention there was the declaration that we would be a free nation. It would be um again, if I'm correct, 1789 when the the current constitution that we operate under was was approved. So there was a a different form of government for for a short period. uh is extremely important. Uh the the freedom that we that we enjoy and have been working towards and and growing towards um the Constitution, which would be approved later, which was the first time in history that that citizens organized and determined their own system of government. And we should we should celebrate it. and uh be be very very pleased with

118it. So there are activities taking place in the uh Mcdow community across the state and across the nation to to celebrate this and we would hope the that the public school system would be would be part of that. I one more sentence. At a minimum, it would be I think appropriate for uh students to hear the the declaration and have some discussion of it and some knowledge of of what's taking place. And I'm confident that that's that is in fact happening. And I want to thank Derek McGinness for kind of helping with some of the thoughts on this as well. So that's it. >> Okay. Well, any any other board members, anything they'd like to add to this? Well, Mr. Abernathy, we're fortunate that we've got our principles here with us tonight and certainly one

119of the things that we'll talk about in our principal meeting, but I couldn't agree more. I think it's something that we do need to have uh within our schools as far as an activity or a day uh planned. You know, one of the things when we talked about this earlier is we're not in school on July 4th. And I know that um um even Eastfield, I don't think you guys are in school in July on July 4th, but um it it is important that we that we recognize this. So, principles, we'll talk about uh whether we want to pick a day or whether we want to pick um the days that work with your school, but some way to uh make sure that we recognize the America 250 this year for our students. I think

120we owe that to them. Yes, sir. >> Okay. At this time, uh, we'll take reports from board members. Uh, board reports from curriculum and instruction. Mr. Subtles, do you have anything? >> For curriculum, we don't have a whole lot. Just know that, uh, I'll be reaching out to you. We're going to have a meeting at the end of January or 1 of February to, uh, talk about some new ideas with Miss Hamby and Miss Baker. And so, just be aware that I'll probably reach out to you. Okay. Buildings and grounds. Mr. Barkstdale, you already announced you're going to have them. >> Yes, I believe we've taken care of it. >> Okay. Mr. Schuer, finance, we understand you guys are getting ready to gear up. >> Well, we've got a as Miss Ramp mentioned during her

121report, we've got a meeting coming up, but um again, as Dr. Ritz so a stated it's always great to have have all that information uh that when we have to make decisions sometimes hard ones and thank you so much for what you do miss >> Mr. Sheford if you would uh in your finance committee uh contact those members of the committee before you actually meet and see if any of them have any things they'd like to discuss in that meeting as well. >> Yes sir. We'll do that if you I'd appreciate that if you do that because I know there's some that have questions. [clears throat] Okay. >> Okay. >> Um, Miss Helms on your policy committee, do you have anything? >> Nothing at this time. I'm sure we'll be touching base very soon to

122get something scheduled to start to work for. >> Okay. And remember, >> we will be Miss Evans. Yeah. Okay. Very good. Uh we did talk about and you may discuss this a little bit. Uh we had talked about uh looking at our policy on the letters or whatever in files. That may be something we've talked about you may want to look at, but you you figure that out. >> Okay. >> Mr. Frank, on the others, you've got the other committees down there. I just want to make sure that uh remind everyone that the Hall of Fame inductees are Friday, >> Friday night at 5:00. Marty Hensley, Tara Pitman, and Mike Wade are going in to the sports hall of fame. If you can't be there at 5 board members, I think we need to let

123Miss Smith know we're coming. Uh but everyone else, um if you can't be there, you they're going we're going to interview them during the girls game on Homestand Talk Show if you guys want to see them talk about McDow High School and their time there. So, I think it'd be a it's a great time. Three welldeserved u inductees this year. Really good ones. And uh a lot of you might know them. I was a kid when most of them were here, but Marty was a Tar Hills, so go Tar Hills. >> And Mr. Settles at 5 there will be a dinner. Correct. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. Is everybody aware of that? Okay. Does anybody else have anything for the for the board? Uh, [snorts] Mr. Allison, I don't think we you missed anything while

124you were out, but if you think you do, do you you good? Okay. I'm not being facicious. I just want to make sure. >> I think so. >> Okay. Item number 13 on the agenda is approval consent agenda. And uh one one thing that uh I hate to even bring this up, but uh I I noticed on our thing it says proposed McDow County Schools 2025 graduation dates. Is that is that not supposed to be 2026? >> It is. Good point. >> Now, and I didn't mean that derogatory. I just wanted to make sure myself. >> Yes, sir. And uh of course we can pull any item out if anybody has a question and and [music] take it separate or we can approve the whole consent agenda. At this time I'll entertain a motion to

125uh if anybody wants to pull something out. Let me know. If not, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as printed. >> I'll make that motion that we approve it as printed. Okay. We have a motion by Mr. Suttles and a second by Miss Allen Helms on approval of the consent agenda. Is there any further discussion on the consent agenda? With no further discussion, all those in favor signify by raising your right hand, which is a unanimous vote of nine. And uh we don't need a continuation of the close session. But we do need to take action on close session items of personnel considerations. I'll entertain a motion for that. >> I'll make a motion. >> Okay. Both certified and non-certified. >> I'll second that. >> Okay. We have a motion by Mr.

126McGinness and a second by Mr. Shuford on the action uh close session items on personnel considerations consideration both certified non-certified. Is there any further discussion on those? All those in favor signify by raising your right hand which is a unanimous vote. And earlier Dr. Grit alluded to the fact that the principles are here tonight. And I want to say on behalf of the board, we appreciate you being here. I'm sorry Mr. war isn't here. I I wish him a speedy recovery. And I I want to say this, it's it's real good that you're here. Uh I know it's a pain, but it's good because if we got any questions, man, we go straight to the source and and it's it it's awesome. And we see all the good work that you're doing everywhere. I mean,

127it's it's wonderful. I'm out in the community and uh it's it's good good news. And I overemphasize the fact that it's a good time to be a student in McDow County. And and I and I'm going to say this too because you guys make it what it is. But, you know, I'm a supporter wholeheartedly of public education. And it's it's like my [snorts] brother and I had a discussion uh when my son that was here tonight was young. One of my neighbors wanted him to go to private school. And my brother and I, you know, I said, "You think ought to send him to private school? You know, going to get a good education, a lot of opportunities." He said, "You do what you want to do." But he said, "My kids are going to

128public school because they need to know how to deal with people later in life that they've grown up with." And I'm and I'm telling you, I found that out in my lifetime that you need to know how to deal with people, good, bad, indifferent, you know, you need to know how to deal with it. And if you're ever in a position of uh administration or supervisory position, those problems are going to come up. they're going to come and I just thank them for being here tonight. Thank you. Item number uh 16 on the agenda is announcements. The board education work session and training Monday, January 26, 5:00 p.m. Legislative appreciation breakfast, Friday, January the 30th. And I hate to say this, but Miss Wilkerson, could you tell the Mr. Meet Mr. Me or whatever that

129that day we have got to be at the legislative appreciation breakfast. We're not we're not skipping our duties to be there, but that day we cannot be there. So, we'll catch it the next month. Uh and and we apologize for that, but we do need to be here. and uh the board of education regular session meeting Monday, nove uh February the 9th at 6 pm and I'll entertain a motion for adjournment. >> I'll make motion. >> I'll second. >> Okay. Okay. We've had a motion by Mr. Baker and a second by Mr. Abernathy to adjourn at 5 minutes till late 7:55. All those in favor, signify by raising your right hand, which is a nine.