BY KARISSSA MILLER

The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education held a swearing-In ceremony on Monday evening for two newly elected members and one returning member who was re-elected. A new chair and vice chair were also chosen.

Resident Superior Court Judge Will Long administered the oath of office to newcomers Ronda Hoke and Kevin Angell and incumbent Doug Knight. Attendees included community members, elected officials and school administrators.

All three members who were sworn in are Republicans. Hoke won the District 4 race by defeating Democrat Robert Thompson in the November 5 election. Angell won the District 2 race by defeating Democrat Natalie Ramos, while Knight won the District 6 race by defeating Democrat Jinaki Peele.

During the ceremony, each board member individually came up to the stage, raised his right hand and promised to “faithfully support and maintain” local, state and federal laws. They also promised to faithfully discharge the duties of their offices as members of the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education to the best of their abilities and knowledge.

Hoke was joined by his wife Terry Hoke and grandchildren Brody Walls, Holden Little and Alaire Walls during the ceremony. Angell was joined by his wife Marsha Angell, daughters Ruby and Naomi, and in-laws Maria and Jack Moore.

New chair and vice chair selected

After the swearing-in ceremony, the majority of the board voted to elect Doug Knight as chair.

Incumbents Abby Trent and Anita Kurn were joined by Angell and Hoke in casting votes for Knight. Brian Sloan was also nominated for chair and received votes from Mike Kubiniec and himself.

Superintendent Jeff James, who was presiding over the meeting until the chair was selected, was asked by Sloan if there would be a discussion before the vote.

James answered no.

Kubiniec responded by saying that board members should be able to explain their credentials and why they are seeking a leadership role on the board.

James explained that he was following school board policy, which the board has adopted. Discussion is not part of the voting process for chair and vice chair, he added.

Knight, who took the gavel after being chosen, then asked for nominations for vice chair.

Sloan nominated Kubiniec for vice chair, while Angell nominated Trent. Kubiniec declined the vice chair nomination and then nominated Kurn.

Following a roll call vote, as was conducted previously, Trent was selected as vice chair. Angell, Hoke, Knight and Trent voted for Trent. Kubiniec and Kurn voted for Kurn. Sloan did not vote for vice chair.

“I appreciate my fellow board members choosing me to lead our board as vice chairman. Our board plays a vital role in the lives of more than 20,000 students here in the county,” Trent said in an interview.

Since being elected to the board two years ago, Trent said she has made it a top priority to put students and staff first.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Doug Knight to make sure our district stays top in the state,” she said.

New threatens to adjourn meeting after interruptions

Knight, who is the most senior member of the board, wasted no time thanking fellow board members for selecting him as chair.

“It’s an honor. I don’t take this lightly. I want to demonstrate professionalism, logic and a care and love for the employees and students of the school system,” he said.

Knight welcomed the new board members and said the group needs to work as a team because building new schools and redistricting are the two biggest problems that they face.

Next, the new chair explained the rules of decorum and expectations of the board.

School board members are role models, he said. How they act and interact with each other is just as important as what they say, he added.

“I’m requiring that all board members must be recognized by the board chairman in order to speak. That’s in our policy manual, and we haven’t been following it well. When investigating other boards, I found that helps,” he said.

For now, board members can nod, raise their hand or turn on the green area on their microphone to let Knight know that they want to speak. Moving forward, the board will figure out the best method to be acknowledged, he added.

Knight said for “Point of Information” to be considered valid and recognized it must be used for clarification.

“It’s not to interject your opinion or your own information on something being discussed,” he explained.

“I want to make sure we follow policy and that we do it in a consistent way,” he added.

Next, Knight asked if there were any adjustments to the agenda.

Sloan asked to add board member comments.

But Knight ruled the motion “invalid” and “dilatory,” which means delaying because the superintendent wanted to have a quick meeting because the new board members need to be brought up to speed on district business.

Kubiniec voiced his objections to the chair, calling it a “proper order.”

Knight responded by saying that Kubinec’s comment was “considered out of order” because he was not recognized to speak.

“Mr. Sloan made the motion, I seconded it,” Kubiniec countered.

Knight struck the gavel and indicated that Kubiniec was out of order for speaking in a way that violates the board’s established rules of decorum.

“The motion is considered dilatory. You are out of order,” Knight said.

Kubiniec then responded, “You are out of order.”

Knight struck the gavel again and warned Kubiniec, “If you continue to be out of order, I will ask for the meeting to adjourn and we will have the meeting at another time.”

No one spoke without being acknowledged after that was said.

Knight explained, in an interview, that board members will treat each other professionally, and that he will not tolerate going off topic, interrupting others or making personal attacks.

“I’m serious about establishing general order in our meetings here and following the appropriate guidelines,” he said.

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