Henderson County school board accepts clean audit, approves bleacher replacement, policies and other actions

The Henderson County Board of Public Education on April 14 accepted a clean financial audit for fiscal year 2023–24, approved a lottery application, awarded a $450,000 contract to replace hurricane-damaged visitor bleachers at East Henderson High School, and adopted a package of policy updates that align local rules with federal guidance and raise certain micro‑purchase thresholds for federally funded projects.

Audit and finances: The board’s external auditors reported an unmodified (clean) opinion on the district’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and found no single‑audit findings on state or federal awards. The auditors noted governmental fund revenues of about $158 million for 2024 (down from the prior year after excluding the prior‑year construction spike) and an unrestricted general fund balance of roughly $4.8 million (about 14% of general fund expenditures).

Lottery and capital: The board approved submission of a North Carolina Education Lottery application covering an available distribution of $967,183.14; staff said the funds will be applied to debt service previously dedicated to Hillandale and Mills River elementary school construction bonds. On capital projects, the board voted to award a low bid to Jay Bartholomew Construction to replace the visitor bleachers at East Henderson for $450,000. Staff said insurance, FEMA and a recently announced state Helene‑damage allocation (about $500,000) will cover much of the project; insurance is expected to cover roughly half the cost but a $100,000 deductible will apply.

Policies and committees: The board approved updates to multiple policies to remove parenthetical definitions tied to Title IX language and to align procurement practices with federal uniform guidance. The package included policy numbers 1720, 5240, 7100, 7232, 8305 and 9110 (as presented). As part of the governance work, the board established an ad hoc policy committee (to operate through December) and appointed three board members: Sheila Dale, Beth Campbell and Alyssa Norman. The committee will review updates from the North Carolina School Boards Association and bring recommendations back to the full board.

Other action items: The board approved a class‑size waiver request for Bruce Drysdale Elementary (the waiver covers a small, temporary exceedance in first and third grade that staff attributed to post‑storm student mobility); it approved an international trip request for North Henderson High School Air Force JROTC (an 11‑day educational trip to the U.K., France, Luxembourg and Germany); and it accepted a revised testing plan that allows the state’s newly announced re‑administration option (students who do not score proficient may receive remediation and a second administration before the end of the school year or in summer).

Votes at a glance (motion text as recorded in the meeting): - Accept audit report as presented — motion: "I move that the Henderson County Board of Public Education accept the audit report." Mover: not specified in transcript; second: not specified; outcome: approved. - Approve North Carolina Education Lottery application ($967,183.14) — motion: "that the Henderson County Board of Public Education approve the North Carolina Education Lottery application as presented." Mover: not specified; second: not specified; outcome: approved. - Award contract for East Henderson visitor bleachers to Jay Bartholomew Construction ($450,000) — motion: "that the Henderson County Board of Public Education approve staff to proceed with contracting with Jay Bartholomew Construction as presented." Mover: board member (name not specified); second: recorded; outcome: approved. - Approve policy updates (policies 1720, 5240, 7100, 7232, 8305, 9110) — motion: "the Henderson County Board of Education approve the following policies..." Mover: a board member; second: recorded; outcome: approved. - Establish ad hoc policy committee (appoint Sheila Dale, Beth Campbell, Alyssa Norman) — motion and second recorded; outcome: approved. - Approve North Henderson High School JROTC out‑of‑country trip — motion: "approve the North Henderson JROTC out of country trip to Europe." Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved. - Approve Bruce Drysdale Elementary class‑size waiver — motion: "approve the class size waiver request for Bruce Drysdale Elementary as presented." Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved. - Approve 2024–25 school year re‑administration (summer testing) plan — motion: "approve the 2024–2025 school year re administration program plan." Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved.

What auditors and staff said: Roger, the lead partner from the audit firm (merged firm Gould Killian/Carlin & Anderson), told the board the district maintains appropriate internal controls and segregation of duties, and audit testing of federal and state awards produced no findings. Finance staff noted the general fund’s unrestricted balance had declined from about 16.9% to 14% of expenditures year‑over‑year but described the fund balance as healthy.

Funding notes and next steps: Staff told the board insurance proceeds, FEMA reimbursements and a state Helene‑damage allocation will be used to fund the East Henderson bleacher replacement; the state money will be repaid if FEMA or insurance recoveries cover costs. Staff said the replacement bleachers are expected to be delivered in mid‑to‑late August and that the old structure has not yet been removed. The policy committee will meet as needed and bring line‑by‑line recommendations back to the full board for final action.

Ending: Board Chair thanked staff and community members for their time; several public speakers had urged the board to prioritize issues including Leandro funding, free lunches and responses to incidents of racist behavior at school events.