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Board approves travel-ball facility request after equity debate
Summary
After several board members raised concerns about equity and whether a pay-to-play travel program should receive school facilities time, the McDowell County Board approved a facility-use request for a local travel-ball team; principals retain discretion for most facility approvals per board policy.
The McDowell County Board of Education voted Monday to approve a facility usage request for a travel-ball program after a lengthy discussion about equity, fees and precedent.
The request, which had been removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration, prompted questions from multiple board members about whether the program operates as a for‑profit activity and whether providing extensive facility time to a chosen roster of players is equitable. One member said the team includes roughly 10 students and noted the program could amount to more than "72 hours of usage of heat and lights" in school buildings; another raised a concern that some travel-club fees can run high and said the district should ensure equitable access.
Those concerns were countered by colleagues who said community coaches reinvesting in their home county deserve support and by staff who said principals have discretion to grant facility use with the exception of McDowell High School gymnasium and the new turf field. "We encourage our kids to come back and give to the communities that raised them," a board member said in support of approving the request.
Mister Suttles moved to approve the facility usage request and Mister Shuford seconded. Chairman Terry English called for a voice vote and announced the motion carried.
The board’s policy was cited during discussion: school principals can grant facility-use requests except for certain high-profile facilities, and the board asked staff to ensure equitable access across similar requests going forward.
