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McDowell board elects officers, approves school improvement plans, easement and activity‑bus wrap
Summary
At its annual reorganization meeting the board elected Terry Frank chair and Mr. Abernathy vice chair, unanimously approved school improvement plans for state‑identified low‑performing schools, approved a Duke Energy easement at Nebo Elementary and authorized an $8,800 activity‑bus wrap. The board also approved a facilities motion to add an alternate studying relocation of a middle‑school softball field.
The McDowell County Board of Education completed routine reorganization and a package of approvals at its December meeting, electing Terry Frank as chairman and Mr. Abernathy as vice chairman by show‑of‑hands votes and taking a series of unanimous actions on plans and facilities items.
The board voted to approve school improvement plans for schools identified as low performing by the state after Crystal Hamby presented the plans and asked for board adoption. The motion to accept the plans was made by the correction committee chair and seconded; the board approved the plans by unanimous voice vote.
Facilities and operations items approved at the meeting included: a request to the district’s architect to add a tenth alternate studying the cost and feasibility of relocating the middle‑school softball field as part of a West McDowell Middle/High grant project; approval of a Duke Energy easement at Nebo Elementary (legal counsel’s guidance was read into the record explaining the board’s authority under state statute); and authorization to proceed with a local contractor to produce a one‑of‑a‑kind activity‑bus wrap at a reported cost of $8,800.
Regarding the easement, the operations director explained he had consulted the board attorney and said the proposed easement was within the board’s authority under the cited state statute; the board moved and voted to approve the easement. Facilities staff said the laydown arrangement with a city contractor is conditional and will include a written agreement and limited use of district property.
On the activity‑bus wrap, the operations director reported the local contractor’s bid was $8,800 and the board voted to proceed. "It's $8,800," he told the board when asked for the cost estimate.
The board also handled its consent agenda and approved personnel items in closed session; consent items passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned after announcements about the January schedule.
Vote tallies recorded in the transcript include a 9‑0 vote for chairman and other unanimous voice votes for the easement, school improvement plans and the activity‑bus wrap; the transcript records a non‑unanimous recorded vote on closed‑session personnel matters.
