Catawba County Board of Education adopts 2026–27 budget, approves aviation CTE pathway and multiple facility and curriculum purchases

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The Catawba County Board of Education on March 23 unanimously adopted the district's 2026–27 local current expense budget and approved a suite of new programs and contracts, including an aviation career-technical education (CTE) pathway and purchases of summer reading packs.

The board adopted the budget after Seth Privet, a district financial presenter, described the overall request as “about 11 and a half percent increase,” and said district leadership planned to meet with county officials to seek their approval. The public hearing on the budget drew no speakers who had signed up to comment.

The budget adoption authorizes the superintendent and staff to continue county-level coordination toward final approval. The board approved the measure by unanimous hand-raise vote.

The meeting's largest program decision was approval of a new aviation CTE pathway presented by Adam Wyndham, a district career-technical education staff member. Wyndham described a two-course aviation sequence (Aviation 1 and Aviation 2) that combines classroom instruction with a hands-on, performance-based build in which students would assemble a Sling 2 light-sport aircraft. He said the Sling 2 is a two-seat, roughly 700-pound aluminum plane with a cruising speed of about 120 miles per hour.

Wyndham detailed program costs and funding limitations: an annual program expense of $16,873; one-time instructor training of $10,000 and an aviation-specific tool package of $8,500 (both eligible for CTE federal funds, designation 017); and a refundable program fee of $114,962 that Tango Flight would hold in escrow. Wyndham noted that "unfortunately, our CTE fiscal policy guide will not allow CTE funds to be used for this" refundable fee, meaning the district would need to identify local funds or outside partnerships to cover that upfront amount.

Wyndham said Tango Flight, a nonprofit that supplies curriculum and build kits, would retain ownership of the aircraft during the build, arrange FAA inspection at Hickory Regional Airport and, after completion and inspection, offer flying opportunities for participating students. The company would manage sale of the aircraft after the program completes a build, and the district would have the option to receive a refund or continue with a new build.

Board members asked about facilities (Wyndham suggested a roughly 3,000-square-foot centralized build and classroom area), instructor recruitment, mentor support from local aviation entities, and potential partnerships to offset the refundable fee. After discussion the board voted unanimously to authorize staff to pursue sites, seek instructors and mentors, and move forward with the aviation program as presented.

Other actions taken at the meeting included:

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: seven items approved unanimously. - Adoption of the 2026–27 local current expense budget (approx. 11.5% increase): approved unanimously. - Aviation CTE program with Tango Flight (authorize site searches and initiate program planning; refundable fee requires local funds): approved unanimously. Motion made by Seth Privet. - Purchase of Scholastic summer reading packs (Pre-K through third grade) using the state ERC-085 early literacy funds, ~ $103,838 to be spent and ~$50,000 retained for summer reading camp: approved unanimously. - Memorandum of understanding to accept a $100,000 donation from the town of Maiden for a Maiden High School scoreboard (remaining funds from a local sports club): approved unanimously. - Terminate negotiations with top-ranked architectural firm SFLA and begin negotiations with second-ranked LS3P for middle school additions and renovations: approved unanimously. - Allowance authorization of $8,400 for gutter/downspout work at Maiden High School roof replacement: approved unanimously. - Selection of Hickory Construction Company as the construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) for middle school additions and renovations: approved unanimously. - Resolution initiating the upset-bid sale process for a small surplus parcel along Little Mountain Road: approved unanimously.

What the approvals mean

Officials said the aviation pathway would create a local career pipeline into aerospace and related engineering fields and could support regional economic development, but launching the build-based model requires careful planning of facilities, staffing and upfront refundable funding that cannot be charged to federal CTE dollars. District staff said they will explore local partnerships and budget adjustments to cover the refundable escrow fee.

The Scholastic purchase aims to maintain momentum on the district's literacy strategic plan and to provide take-home reading materials over the summer for early-grade students. The district will use a state early-literacy allocation (ERC-085) for the purchase and retain a contingency for summer reading camps.

What comes next

District staff will meet with county officials about the budget and will continue work on site selection, instructor recruitment, partnership outreach and funding plans for the aviation program. The board recessed for a short break before entering a scheduled closed session to consult with legal counsel and discuss personnel matters.

(Reporting in this article is based on the board's March 23, 2026 meeting.)