Parents and NAACP Press UCPS on AIG Cuts, Equity; District Signals Interim Fix
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged Union County Public Schools to address alleged AIG service reductions and East Side inequities; a parent said district officials told her an interim instructor was assigned after months of concern.
Several parents and community advocates used public comment time at the Union County Board of Education's January 2026 meeting to press the district on alleged reductions in Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) services and broader equity concerns.
"Since October 2025, Marshville Elementary AIG students have gone without consistent AIG instruction," said Katie Comer, identifying herself as a parent and Monroe High graduate. Comer told the board that students "rotated through multiple substitutes" and that families were initially told the district's plan reduced AIG services "from approximately 10 hours per week to 2 30 minute sessions per week," a change she described as an "estimated 90% reduction in services." Comer added that after parents escalated concerns, "Yesterday, I spoke with Dr. Jonathan Tyson who informed me that our concerns had been heard and that a different plan would be implemented. That plan began today with an interim instructor sent from the district office."
Reagan Shaw, speaking on behalf of the Union County NAACP, broadened the critique to district- and state-level funding and equity. "North Carolina is now fiftieth out of 50 states for per-pupil spending effort," Shaw said, and alleged that more than "$650,000,000 has come out of the state budget to pay for the private school tuition of mostly wealthy white families." Shaw urged the board to follow through on three requests from a citizens advisory committee: present balanced performance reporting that includes East Side schools, clarify the local impact of any classroom display policies on diversity materials, and provide an analysis of private investment flowing into schools.
Jen Sanders urged transparency from the board, raised concerns about prior board conduct toward volunteers and parents, and reiterated support for teachers and for East Side students. "The East Side of the county deserves just as much as the West Side," Sanders said.
The board's public comment rules, read earlier in the meeting, state that the board does not respond during public comment but that members may ask the chair to request clarification. Comer reported a district response—her account that Dr. Jonathan Tyson arranged an interim instructor—which the meeting record reflects only as her report to the board rather than as direct testimony from district leadership during public comment. The board did not take action on AIG policy at the meeting; Comer and the NAACP urged continued engagement and requested a follow-up session in February.
What happens next: The commenters asked for district follow-up and meetings; the NAACP requested a February meeting to pursue the listed items. The board did not vote on AIG services at this session.
