Board approves AIG plan, $140,000 repair request, field trips, mascot/colors, summer hours and budget amendment

The Columbus County Board of Education voted on several formal items at its May 12 meeting. All motions recorded in open session were approved by voice vote.

Local AIG plan: The board approved the Columbus County Schools 2025–2026 locally adopted Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) plan. The plan, presented by AIG coordinator Cassie Hoffman, expands identification criteria for services (for example, adjusting EOG‑based identification to include level‑5 results in two of the most recent three years and a universal second‑grade screener). The superintendent recommended approval; the motion was made by Mr. Worley and seconded by Mr. Enser. The board approved the plan by voice vote.

Public School Building Repair and Renovation Fund (parking/bus lot): The board approved a distribution request to the North Carolina Public School Building Repair and Renovation Fund (lottery funds) totaling $140,000 to repair a teacher parking lot and the bus parking area in front of the Economy (Economics?) building. The superintendent recommended the request and said the state will cost‑share on the project; the motion was moved by Dr. Strickland and seconded by Mr. Worley. The motion passed by voice vote.

Out‑of‑state field trips: The board approved two night/overnight out‑of‑state field trips — West Columbus High School JROTC cadet leadership challenge at Fort Jackson, S.C., and South Columbus High School senior Beta Club and student government leadership retreat to Washington, D.C. Motions were made and seconded in open session and approved by voice vote.

Mascot and colors for new East‑end preK–8 school: After a district‑run survey and staff discussion, the board approved “Lumberjack” as the mascot and sky blue and forest green as the official colors for the new East‑end preK–8 school projected to open in August 2027. The motion was moved by Ms. Grama and seconded by Mr. Enser and approved by voice vote.

Summer hours: The board approved a summer compressed schedule for district employees beginning June 16, 2025 and ending in August 2025 — a four‑day workweek (Monday–Thursday) with either 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. or 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. options and a working lunch up to 25 minutes; the board noted the July 4 holiday would be observed. The motion was moved by Mr. Worley and seconded by Mr. Enser and approved by voice vote.

Budget amendment number 2: The board approved Budget Amendment No. 2, which adjusted state and federal allotments and moved appropriations among expenditure categories to align the budget with year‑end transactions. The superintendent and finance director reviewed the changes; the motion was moved by Dr. Strickland and seconded by Mr. Worley and approved by voice vote.

Closed session: The board then voted to enter closed session under the North Carolina open‑meetings statute to consult with counsel and discuss privileged/confidential matters. The motion to enter closed session referenced the applicable statutory authority; the motion was made by Mr. Enser and seconded by Ms. Grama and approved by voice vote.

Votes: The minutes record “ayes have it” for each action; the meeting transcript records motions and seconders by name for the items above but no roll‑call tallies. If a roll‑call vote is required for any item, the board will provide it in the official minutes.

Provenance: Each item listed above corresponds to the agenda segments and motions recorded in the meeting transcript.