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Onslow County Board votes 6-1 to hire Dr. Christopher M. Barnes as superintendent
Summary
At a special session, the Onslow County Board of Education voted 6-1 to accept Dr. Christopher M. Barnes as its superintendent and approved an employment contract effective March 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The board met in closed session for attorney consultation and personnel matters before the vote.
The Onslow County Board of Education voted 6-1 to accept Dr. Christopher M. Barnes as the district's superintendent and approved his employment contract effective March 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.
The board first met in a closed session, citing North Carolina General Statutes §143‑318.11 and personnel provisions in Chapter 115C, to consult with the board attorney and consider confidential personnel matters before bringing the matter back into open session and taking the formal vote.
Board members described the superintendent search as rigorous. One board member said candidates were asked to return twice and complete performance tasks using Onslow County data, including proposals to improve student achievement and community relations and later tasks focused on teacher retention. The board member added, “Dr. Barnes has a reputation of taking care of people,” and described personal examples the member said illustrated Barnes’s character.
Dr. Christopher M. Barnes, introduced by the board as the nominee, thanked board members and the community and pledged to justify the board’s confidence. “Every student, every classroom, every day,” Barnes said, invoking a district motto and summarizing his priorities. He told the board he will implement a “101‑day plan to visit every single classroom starting March 1.”
The board recognized several guests before the vote, including Tim Foster, chairman of the Onslow County commissioners; Sheriff Chris Thomas; David Heatherly, president of Coastal Carolina Community College; and former Onslow County Schools superintendent Dr. Kathy Spencer.
The motion to accept Barnes was made from the floor; the transcript does not name the mover or the second. The vote passed by a tally of 6 in favor and 1 opposed. The board did not record individual member votes in the available transcript.
Outgoing superintendent Dr. Barry Collins was acknowledged by board members and attendees during the session. After the vote, Barnes thanked Collins and others who have supported him during his career.
The board adjourned after the vote. The approved contract sets Barnes’s start date as March 1, 2025, and an end date of June 30, 2028, as recorded in the motion.
