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Catawba County Schools board meeting, Sep 28, 2026

1 h 07 min · 5 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 07 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Catawba County board approves Early Head Start continuation grant 41:54

  • At public comment, speakers addressed the board's invocation policy and a flag display policy that had been removed from the agenda. 25:54
  • The Catawba County Board of Education unanimously approved the consent agenda, the 2027 Early Head Start continuation grant and a renewal quote for EMS Link LLC subscriptions. 40:09
  • A district staff member presented a slideshow of maintenance work completed over the summer. 51:01
Item by item (14)
  1. Opening, minutes and agenda 3:44
    • The meeting opened with an invocation, a presentation of colors by the Maiden High School Air Force JROTC and the Pledge of Allegiance. 3:44
    • A presenter introduced several cadets from the Maiden JROTC program who had completed a summer Cadet Leadership Course. 8:38
    • Tim Settlemyre announced agenda changes that removed a greenhouse bid item for Maiden High School and a flag display policy. 13:23
    • The board unanimously approved the minutes and the agenda. 12:04
  2. Chairman's report and recognitions 13:23
    • Tim Settlemyre recognized the maintenance department for its summer work to get schools ready for students. 14:00
    • A staff member presented Spark Awards to district employees and said there had been well over 70 write-ups submitted. 15:19
    • The board received a Silver Bell Award for board members earning training hours between July 1st, 2025 and June 30th, 2026. 21:34
  3. Public comment 24:32
    • April Underwood read the public comment rules, which allow each speaker a maximum of 3 minutes. 24:40
    • One speaker said Policy 2.315 on invocations was illegal and cited Supreme Court rulings, while another speaker argued the phrase separation of church and state is not found in the nation's founding documents. 26:50
    • Another speaker asked the board, if the flag display policy returns, to consider teachers who display flags representing heritage and students' backgrounds. 28:39
  4. Consent agenda 39:25
    • Tim Settlemyre said the board had discussed most of the items in detail during a work session since 9 AM. 39:40
    • The board unanimously approved the consent agenda. 40:09
  5. Early Head Start continuation grant 40:09
    • Tim Settlemyre sought a motion to approve the 2027 Early Head Start continuation grant, which had been presented during the morning session. 41:54
    • The board unanimously approved the grant. 42:13
  6. Financial software subscription renewal 42:32
    • A staff member said the EMS Link LLC software handles human resources, finance and payroll. 42:45
    • The staff member said the quoted price is a little over $94,000 compared with $91,593 last year, a 3% increase, and that the price had held since 2020. 42:57
    • The board unanimously approved the quote for January to December of 2027. 43:31
  7. North Star Academy lease agreement 43:58
    • A staff member said the agreement is a $10 lease with the county, with the district responsible for a third of utilities and minor maintenance. 44:08
    • Tim Settlemyre asked whether there is a dollar limit between major and minor maintenance and whether the lease would be reviewed every year. 44:52
    • The staff member said the agreement would be revisited at the end of this school year because it is new. 45:24
    • The vote was announced as unanimous. ~46:02
  8. HVAC controls upgrade at elementary school 46:23
    • A staff member said new HVAC controls at an elementary school would replace controls that no longer function correctly, at a cost of $238,688 including a $5,000 contingency. 46:32
    • Tim Settlemyre said most of the wiring work would be done during the Christmas break. 47:17
    • The board unanimously approved the Trane proposal for HVAC control upgrades at an elementary school. 47:37
  9. Gymnasium HVAC unit replacement 47:37
    • The staff member said the cost is $76,198 and would be paid with capital outlay funds. 48:35
    • The board unanimously approved the replacement. 49:15
  10. Middle school re-roofing change order 49:15
    • A staff member said the project is complete, none of the $10,000 contingency was used, and the change order would reduce the final contract amount to $335,950. 49:30
  11. Summer maintenance work presentation 50:32
    • A staff member described summer projects including flooring replacement, painting, sewer repairs and installation of a new Maiden High School scoreboard purchased by the town. 51:01
    • The staff member said crews completed ADA sidewalk repairs and sanded and repainted 3 gym floors. 57:18
  12. School Boards Association voting delegates 1:00:17
    • Tim Settlemyre said the delegates were chosen in the morning session and the remaining members would be alternates. 1:00:17
    • The board unanimously approved its voting delegates for the North Carolina School Boards Association 2026 Delegate Assembly. 1:00:17
  13. Emergency EpiPen delivery systems policy 1:00:17
    • A staff member said the policy on storage, training and use of EpiPen delivery system kits tracks state law and directs principals to designate trained personnel and develop an emergency action plan. 1:01:24
    • April Underwood asked for clarification that the kits would not travel with students but that an IEP would apply at off-campus events. 1:03:30
    • A staff member said an individualized education program or Section 504 plan would guarantee students have it with them. 1:04:06
  14. Personnel recommendations and adjournment 1:05:47
    • Tim Settlemyre said the personnel recommendations were discussed in a closed session held after the work session. 1:05:47
    • The board unanimously approved the personnel recommendations and addendum and voted to adjourn. 1:06:00

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “9-28-26 Board of Education Meeting”