Robbinsville – At Tuesday’s board of education meeting, Graham County Schools Boardmember Pam Knott continued her pitch for monthly meetings to be held at a more-convenient time for the public.
Knott originally floated the idea to the board at the May meeting, but has dug deeper into research and presented some new information to those in attendance.
Included in her pitch was an interesting note: of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Graham is the only one that meets in the morning.
“Good governance is the best PR (public relations),” Knott said, while reading an excerpt from training she underwent after being elected to the board in November 2021.
“I believe the people of our county – through a survey – will see that change is needed. We will see whether this school board is operating in a manner that is best for our community, parents, staff and children.”
Graham County Schools Superintendent Angie Knight stated that she would prepare a poll for distribution later this week.
Knott’s pitch also included a set of “test” meetings in the evening – one in November and one in the spring. She later explained that her idea has some merit – members of the community have contacted Knott about being unable to attend the weekday, morning sessions.
“First and foremost, we are school board members,” Knott added. “A lot of the meetings (Knott researched) begin with closed session, which makes a lot of sense to me.”
Board attorney M. Ellen Davis later informed the board that meetings times are voted on by the council and thus, set as a statute.
Addition update
Facilities director Kevin White provided some new details on the current addition to Robbinsville Middle School.
White noted that cuts made in the original concrete inside the existing structure have led to a few groundwater leaks seeping into the floor tile, but corrections were quickly made.
Western Builders, LLC – the Sylva-based construction firm that is spearheading the addition – has also requested $76,500 to cover unforeseen costs brought on by the pandemic and the delays it presented. No decision has been made at this time, though White noted that Graham County Manager Jason Marino has presented the number to the Graham County Board of Commissioners for assistance.
Other news and notes
* Administrator updates: A pair of principals made noteworthy announcements during the meeting. Robbinsville Elementary School Principal Jaime Hooper explained that the school’s annual Back to School Bash netted $1,400, which helped provide $53 each for fifth-grade students registered for a trip to Charleston, S.C. Later, Robbinsville High School Principal David Matheson announced the creation of SHIFT (Setting Higher Intentions For The next generation), an anti-bullying effort created by high school social worker Katrina Nelms. Matheson added that Hosanna Baptist Church has already donated $1,000 for the campaign;
* Pornography awareness: Assistant superintendent Robert Moody gave a brief PowerPoint presentation about the effect pornography is having on adolescents. Moody also introduced The Third Talk’s John Van Amam, who Moody explained would make a presentation of his own to students and parents alike about the dangers of viewing pornography. The board unanimously approved the idea and a date for the Asheville-based Amam to return to Graham County for a presentation will be set.
Moody’s presentation can be seen by visiting grahamstar.com and watching the video of the meeting.