Rowan County school board approves two teachers for Tilton Hogg using Section 7 funds

The Rowan County Board of Education voted July 14 to approve two additional teaching positions at Tilton Hogg using Section 7 funds, following a presentation from school leaders who said the school has lost six certified positions in two years and faces split classes and large class sizes.

The request, made during the meeting’s public comment period by a Tilton Hogg representative, asked the board to use Section 7 funds to add two full-time teachers so the school can eliminate inequitable split classes, preserve planning and related-arts time, and maintain intervention services. The speaker said the audited 2024 Fund 1 balance is “nearly $4,000,000,” above the district’s 2% contingency threshold, and described the need as urgent with the school year approaching.

Board members questioned whether classrooms and enrollment supported adding staff. The Tilton Hogg representative said the school has two empty classrooms available and that enrollment fluctuates but has not declined enough to justify the six lost positions. The representative told the board that, after past reductions, teachers had been required to cover specials and pull intervention groups, and warned of “upper twenties and thirties” class sizes and “2 to 3 split classes” unless staffing changed. “Losing six positions is huge to us,” the speaker said.

Superintendent Mr. Roe and other staff confirmed the district has a healthy contingency balance; one staff member said the contingency is intended for unexpected large costs but that funds are available for urgent staffing needs. Board members discussed whether approving this request would set a precedent for other small schools but also noted the short timeline before school starts.

A motion to approve two additional teachers for Tilton Hogg was made and seconded; the board voted in favor and the motion passed. The board did not record a roll-call vote or numeric tally in the public record during the meeting.

The board asked staff to post the action and follow up on implementation details. The approved request uses Section 7 funds; the board did not specify which department will manage hiring or the effective date in the meeting record.

Why it matters: Board approval directs one-time contingency funding to immediate staffing at a small elementary school, affecting class sizes, intervention services and teacher planning time. The decision both addresses a school-specific staffing shortfall and raises questions about how the district will respond to similar requests in the future.

What’s next: Board staff will post the approval and proceed with hiring and schedule adjustments; the district must still complete routine personnel steps and any payroll adjustments prior to the start of the school year.