The McDowell County Board of Education used its December reorganizational meeting to elect officers, confirm routine appointments, approve school improvement plans for state‑identified low‑performing schools and clear multiple facilities and administrative requests.

Elections and appointments
Board members nominated and elected Terry Frank as board chair and Mister Abernathy as vice chair; both nominations were accepted and approved by show-of-hands. The board then approved a motion to appoint Dr. Tracy Grit as board secretary and Becky Smith as executive assistant.

School improvement plans
Crystal Hamby presented the district’s school improvement plans for schools identified by the state as low performing and asked for board approval. A motion to accept the plans was made and seconded; the board approved the plans by unanimous vote.

Easement for utility work
Facilities staff described a Duke Energy request to relocate a telephone pole near Nebo Elementary School. After consulting the board’s attorney and citing relevant state statutes permitting utility easements, the board approved the easement request.

Activity bus wrap
Facilities staff proposed a locally sourced wrap for one activity bus to showcase district athletics and programming. The cost for the wrap was reported as $8,800. The board approved the purchase and design by motion.

Consent agenda and personnel actions
The board approved the consent agenda and subsequently approved both certified and non‑certified personnel matters; both votes were recorded as unanimous in the meeting.

Closed-session timing
Board member Miss Helms proposed moving the monthly closed session from a 4:30 p.m. start before the regular meeting to a later start time to accommodate members with daytime work schedules. After extended discussion, the board amended the meeting schedule so that regular meeting nights will include a 5:00 p.m. closed session start (the transcript records rolling votes and discussion during the motion and a subsequent administrative amendment to settle on 5:00 p.m.).

What’s next
Multiple items will return to board committees or future meetings with bid analyses, updated timelines and recommended alternates for board approval.