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Swain County Board approves audits, contracts, calendar change and policy reversions; SRO MOU deferred
Summary
At its regular meeting the Swain County Board of Education approved the district's annual audit contract, several funding draws and contracts, a calendar adjustment and the reversion of Title IX'related policies; a memorandum of understanding on school resource officers was deferred for legal review.
The Swain County Board of Education on Jan. 6 approved a series of contracts, budget requests and policy revisions during a meeting that combined routine business and several substantive items.
Votes at a glance - Audit contract (Anderson Smith Wyke) for fiscal year ending 06/30/2025: approved. Contract rate presented as $35,000. - Auto fleet lease with Enterprise (three vehicles) and request to commissioners to release funds from Article 46: board approved and directed staff to seek county approval. - Request to commissioners for emergency repair and compressor work from the Repair & Renovation (R&R) fund: approved. - R&R draw for Swain Middle School HVAC work: approved, $311,000 (plus noted additional amounts tied to earlier approvals). - 2024-25 calendar adjustment (to shift optional teacher work days and preserve a May 29 graduation date): approved unanimously. - Consent agenda (personnel and minutes, including Jan. 13, 2025 minutes): approved. - Budget request to Representative Mike Clampett (including joint municipal/county requests): approved; board voted to send a letter requesting $10 million for water/sewer infrastructure and to seek a 40% increase in small-schools revenue. - Title IX and related policy actions: the board voted to waive first reading and revert policies to the July 28, 2020 versions for policies identified in the packet (policies referenced as 1710, 1720) and to rescind interim policies (1725 and 1726); motion passed. - Cartwheel telehealth contract for school-based behavioral health services (grant-funded): approved.
Items deferred or scheduled - Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Swain County Sheriff's Office on School Resource Officers (SROs): deferred for one week to allow board members and counsel to review language; staff will request digital approval by email if no substantive changes are required.
Context and next steps Board members and staff said most items had been discussed earlier in the meeting. Where county approval or a commissioner signature was required (Article 46 draw or joint municipal requests), board members asked staff to take those requests to the county commissioners. The board also scheduled follow-up and reconciliation meetings for energy-contract performance reporting and for review of the SRO MOU.
The board moved to closed session at the meeting's end to discuss personnel and land matters under the cited state statute.
