Catawba County Board of Education approves mental-health plan, roofing contract and other measures; board member Leslie Barnett resigns

The Catawba County Board of Education on Aug. 25 received a resignation letter from board member Leslie H. Barnett and unanimously approved a series of routine and capital items including a state-mandated school mental health improvement plan and a reroofing contract for Maiden High School.

Barnett resignation and moment of silence

Chairman Sedemeyer read a letter from Dr. Leslie H. Barnett announcing her resignation from the board effective Aug. 25, 2025, citing health reasons after “nearly eight years of dedicated service to our schools and community and 42 years of service to Catawba County Schools.” The letter, read aloud by the chairman, said Barnett was “proud of the progress we’ve made together” and closed, “I remain hopeful and confident the board will continue to move forward with strength, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to the success of every child in our schools.” Following the reading a board member requested a moment of silence for Barnett and her family.

Why it matters

The resignation removes an experienced member from the board’s roster at the start of the school year; the board did not announce a replacement process during the meeting. At the same session trustees also addressed several district-wide operational and capital priorities that will affect schools and students across the county.

State-mandated school mental health improvement plan approved

Maria Ballard presented the district’s updated school mental health improvement plan, which the state requires be reviewed and reapproved every five years. Ballard said the plan follows a new state template and includes an employee training requirement (six hours at initial employment, two hours annually thereafter) and a suicide risk screening process; she said the screening process itself was unchanged from the prior submission but contact information was updated.

Board members asked about staffing and materials. Ballard said the district currently has one counselor vacancy and that additional contracted staff (an existing MOU partner) has reported increased applicant activity. Ballard and trustees discussed distributing suicide-prevention resources; Ballard said posters and handouts exist and that high schools use them more frequently, and she agreed to explore sending materials home and posting resources on the district website. After discussion the board voted unanimously to approve the plan.

Staffing and new-teacher supports

Superintendent Matt Stover and staffing lead Ray Thompson reported the district opened the school year and said licensed positions are nearly filled—Thompson said two licensed positions remain open (a part-time nursing adjunct and one school counselor) and listed 38 classified vacancies including 11 cafeteria positions, 14 teacher assistants and 14 custodians; Thompson said 18 of those classified vacancies are dual-employment roles tied to bus driving. The board discussed recruitment activity and efforts by principals and HR staff.

Separately, Lee Miller described a proposed partnership under the GEAR UP grant with Appalachian State University and a North Carolina new teacher support program that would place university instructional coaches with new middle‑school teachers. The board approved an advance payment request of $31,200 (to be reimbursed by the grant funder) so the program can proceed this school year; Miller said the reimbursement typically arrives within about two months.

Library inventory and House Bill 805 compliance

Lee Miller briefed trustees on requirements of House Bill 805, which the district said requires classroom and library books outside the formal curriculum to be listed in a searchable database accessible to parents. Miller said curriculum materials already cataloged in the district system (for example, class‑set novels approved by district curriculum committees) do not need to be added to teacher spreadsheets; teachers and media coordinators have created per‑teacher tabs on school spreadsheets to begin that inventory. Miller said teachers who cannot finish their room inventories immediately may restrict student access to a shelf or remove books until the entries are complete. Board members and staff thanked Amanda Moose and media coordinators for quickly standing up the inventory process; one Claremont Elementary teacher logged 1,140 books to start the year.

Public commenters raised related concerns. Kimberly Turk, a teacher, said changes to the district’s Infinite Campus behavior‑management visibility have prevented some staff (coaches, club advisors) from seeing student write‑ups and disciplinary notes; she asked whether the change is local or a FERPA requirement. Superintendent Stover said he would investigate and report back. Another public commenter criticized book bans and urged inclusive curricula; a third commenter thanked board members for a voluntary prayer event.

Capital projects, contracts and procurement actions

Dan Moore and project staff presented multiple construction and procurement items. The board took the following actions (all votes recorded as unanimous unless stated otherwise):

- Auditorium lighting (TIPS/Barbizon Lighting): trustees reviewed a $133,174.36 proposal for auditorium lighting upgrades at Maiden High School (the district’s primary production auditorium). The board asked for warranty details and voted to table approval pending warranty information (motion to table passed unanimously).

- Reroofing at Maiden High School: maintenance staff received six bids and recommended awarding the project to Davco Roofing and Sheet Metal LLC. The base bid of $2,280,000 with two accepted alternates (omitting an awning replacement and omitting fascia/wall panels) reduces the award amount to $2,052,200. Moore said the work covers the building’s main trunk (approximately 150,000 sq ft) and will address known problem valleys; the bid includes a 20‑year water‑tightness warranty and a 40‑year finished‑roof warranty. The board voted to accept the bid and later approved the construction contract; staff said work will begin after a preconstruction conference and the contractor has a 200‑day window to complete the project.

- Mobile classrooms (St. Stephen’s Elementary): the board approved a potential change order (PC #3) to remove a light pole and terminate its power service to accommodate modular classroom placement. The change order amount presented was $5,392.33.

- Maiden Middle School HVAC replacement: the board approved four change directives tied to the ongoing HVAC replacement. Itemized amounts presented were: Change Directive #5 (relocate domestic water lines and vents above a new acoustical ceiling) $9,245; #6 (patch and paint masonry, renovate classrooms 403–404) $3,655; #7 (remove existing furniture, scrub and wax floors — ~65,000 sq ft) $11,825; and #8 (paint a stripe adjacent to new acoustical ceiling) $1,505. Staff said HVAC units are operational but some gas piping and balancing remain and that full completion is expected by mid‑October.

Other approvals

As part of consent items the board approved an emergency contract for kitchen‑equipment repair and preventive maintenance for the school nutrition department; Karen Barrier said vendor references were checked and the recommended vendor services other North Carolina districts. The consent agenda passed unanimously.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (07/28/2025): approved (unanimous) - Approval of agenda: approved (unanimous) - Consent agenda (including kitchen equipment repair services/maintenance): approved (unanimous) - State‑mandated school mental health improvement plan: approved (unanimous) - North Carolina new teacher support program funding (GEAR UP) $31,200: approved (unanimous) - TIPS/Barbizon auditorium lighting contract: tabled pending warranty info (unanimous) - Award of reroofing bid to Davco Roofing and Sheet Metal LLC (with alternates): approved (unanimous) - Reroofing contract for Maiden High School: approved (unanimous) - Potential change order PC #3, St. Stephen’s mobile classrooms ($5,392.33): approved (unanimous) - Maiden Middle School HVAC change directives (#5–#8): approved (unanimous) - Motion to go into closed session (personnel): approved (unanimous)

What’s next

Board members did not announce a schedule for filling the Barnett seat. Staff said several construction projects will proceed with preconstruction meetings and that warranty information on the auditorium lighting proposal will be provided for a future meeting. Trustees asked staff to follow up on Infinite Campus behavior‑management visibility and on providing suicide‑prevention resources to schools and parents.

Ending

The board recessed into a closed session at the end of the meeting for personnel matters. No formal action from the closed session was reported in the public record before adjournment.