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Gaston County Schools board meeting, Sep 21, 2026

3 h 07 min · 5 public speakers

Reading and test scores ▶ 42:36Vouchers and school choice ▶ 2:20:59

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 3 h 07 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Gaston County school board approves '26-'27 budget resolution, hears state test results 41:32

  • District staff presented '25-'26 state test results, reporting that 47 of 51 schools, or 92%, met or exceeded growth and that the district had no schools with an F grade. 46:27
  • Board member Robbie Lovelace asked presenters to address adaptive testing, the year the ACT benchmark changed from 19 to 17 and whether new science test baselines could be compared to prior years, and a district staff member responded that the state EOGs are not adaptive during the testing process. 1:16:35
  • The board also unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included 14 policies reviewed by the Policy Committee. 2:03:13
  • The board unanimously approved the '26-'27 budget resolution after a staff presentation and questions from board members. 2:05:21
Item by item (10)
  1. Opening and agenda adoption 15:18
    • Board members introduced themselves, and Josh Crisp said one board member was excused. 15:18
    • A pastor gave an invocation, students led the pledge, and students from Woodhill Elementary School presented the character trait of the month, respect. 15:53
    • The board adopted the agenda unanimously. 20:25
  2. Good news recognitions 21:00
    • A district staff member recognized 20 classroom teachers who completed coursework to earn the GALE credential to work with gifted students. 21:00
    • The staff member recognized a Warlick Academy teacher and students who produced a documentary on school integration in Gastonia and the city's 1974 state championship football team. 28:05
    • A district staff member recognized an elementary school and City Church in Gastonia after a $10,000 grant and matching challenge helped the school receive nearly $46,000. 35:11
  3. State test results presentation 41:32
    • A staff member reported that 53.5% of students in grades 3 through 8 were grade-level proficient in math, an increase of 3.7 from the year prior. 46:27
    • A staff member reported that low-performing schools fell from 19 in '23-'24 to 15 in '24-'25 and to 9 in '25-'26, and that the four-year graduation rate for the class of 2026 was 90.1%. 59:31
    • Robbie Lovelace asked presenters to address adaptive testing, the timing of retests, the ACT benchmark change and new science baselines, and a staff member said the ACT benchmark change affected the combined indicator comparison but not the ACT-only comparison. 1:16:35
  4. Classroom Moment on professional learning communities 1:29:54
    • The board viewed a video featuring PLCs in 3rd grade reading, 7th grade language arts and high school biology. 1:30:26
    • A presenter described professional learning communities, in which teams of teachers meet to review standards, student work and instruction. 1:30:56
  5. Public expression 1:35:30
    • Several speakers at public comment congratulated the district on its test results. 1:36:32
    • A speaker said a reading mentoring program for 2nd grade students will be in 19 of the district's elementary schools this year. 1:36:32
    • Other speakers raised proficiency levels among student groups, students without Chromebooks and Constitution Week. 1:39:44
  6. Minutes and committee reports 1:53:32
    • Dot Cherry read the joint Operations and Curriculum and Instruction Committee report, which included updates on staffing vacancies, the local testing report, the state mental health plan and facility contracts. 2:01:03
    • Janna Smith reported that the Policy Committee reviewed and revised 14 policies and placed them on the consent agenda. 2:03:13
    • The board approved the August 17th regular meeting minutes unanimously. 2:00:36
  7. '26-'27 budget resolution 2:04:52
    • A staff member said the district's allotted ADM was 30,169 students, a decrease of about 447, and that the initial state allotment was $18.4 million more than last year's initial budget. 2:09:27
    • Tod Kinlaw asked when the $9.2 million estimate for '25-'26 charter school payments would be final, and a staff member said it was expected when the auditor reports in the next couple months. 2:20:53
    • Janna Smith asked whether the district had accounted for declining birth rates in ADM projections. 2:26:16
    • The board approved the budget resolution unanimously. 2:27:54
  8. Consent agenda 2:28:14
    • Josh Crisp called for a motion on the consent agenda, and no discussion was held. 2:28:14
    • The board approved the consent agenda unanimously. 2:28:26
  9. Superintendent's report 2:28:36
    • A staff member reminded employees that open enrollment for the 2027 state health plan runs from October 12th through October 30th. 2:28:36
    • The staff member said Thursday, October 15th is Parent-Teacher Conference Day, with students dismissed at lunchtime. 2:30:25
  10. Closed session and adjournment 2:33:15
    • Dot Cherry moved to go into closed session for consultation with the attorney and personnel. 2:33:15
    • The board voted unanimously to enter closed session and later voted unanimously to adjourn. 2:33:30

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

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “September 21, 2026 Gaston County Board of Education Meeting”