Board approves renaming of Thomas Hunter building, signs off on personnel and facilities plans; approves tuition waivers and administrative signature

The Matthews County School Board, meeting June 16, 2026, approved a package of administrative actions and heard updates on student assessment, attendance and an ambitious summer maintenance program including a large asbestos‑abatement project.

The board unanimously passed a resolution renaming the Thomas Hunter Middle School building to Thomas Hunter Education Center, effective July 1, 2026. The resolution noted the facility’s historical role (opened in 1953 and named for Thomas Hunter, a local leader who championed education for Black children) and directed staff to preserve historical markers and update signage and division records.

By voice vote the board also approved employee out‑of‑county tuition waivers for the 2026–27 year and authorized Leslie R. Hunley, assistant superintendent, to sign Virginia Department of Education reports and routine official correspondence in the superintendent’s absence from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

Superintendent Dr. Daniel and staff reviewed student literacy screening data (VALs). They noted VALs is administered differently by grade and that benchmarking changed this year; small sample sizes in some grade bands (for example 19 third‑grade students in the previously high‑risk group) make percentage shifts fragile, and staff will refine interventions and professional development with literacy partners.

Dr. Daniel reported attendance trends and calendar concerns: chronically absent high‑school students rose from 48 in April to 59 in May/June, prompting a pledge to analyze daily attendance patterns and reconsider calendar and exam scheduling to improve attendance.

Facilities and maintenance dominated the discussion. Staff said the state granted $1,000,000 to abate asbestos at Thomas Hunter (the middle‑school building) and to rehabilitate affected spaces; that funding is dedicated to that building only. Work this summer includes abatement staging, access‑control wiring, LED lighting upgrades, air duct cleaning, a scheduled chiller replacement and freezer work at the elementary school, gym‑floor maintenance and plumbing/HVAC projects. Ethylene‑glycol removal at the high school was scheduled for July 6–10; staff arranged temporary relocation help for the Missoula Children’s Theater during that window. Board members asked about nurse clinic location (unchanged), playground equipment moves and installing an accessible swing, and plans to limit 24/7 staff access to buildings for safety.

On school nutrition, staff analyzed the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for 2026–27 and calculated an identified student percentage of 37.61% (March 2026 data). After applying the USDA multiplier (1.6), the claimed percentage would be about 60.18%. Staff reported that traditional claiming would net roughly $25,000 more than CEP under current enrollment and recommended not enrolling in CEP for 2026–27; the district will update electronic meal applications and review the decision annually.

The board thanked community partners connected to Matthews 250 events for supporting student field trips and projects and closed the meeting after announcing upcoming meeting dates and a summer work session.

Votes at a glance • Adopt certificate of closed meeting — motion moved and seconded; recorded as passed. • Approval of personnel action as listed — motion passed. • Consent agenda (minutes, surplus items, FCCLA trip, Title applications, monthly claims) — motion passed unanimously. • Approval of out‑of‑county tuition waivers for employees (2026–27) — motion passed. • Authorization for Leslie R. Hunley to sign in superintendent’s absence (7/1/26–6/30/27) — motion passed. • Resolution renaming Thomas Hunter Middle School to Thomas Hunter Education Center (effective 7/1/26) — motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff will return with calendar and attendance analytics, refine literacy intervention plans, complete contract and scheduling details for abatement and maintenance projects this summer, and implement the administrative items authorized at the meeting.