Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a three-part series.
IFN Staff
Iredell-Statesville Schools administrators have strong feelings about the performance of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education in several important areas.
And they were not afraid to share them.
Approximately 90 school-based administrators, including principals and assistant principals, and central office administrators participated in the district-administered survey in early February. About 100 staff members were eligible to participate in the survey.
The survey asked the respondents whether they strongly agreed; agreed; neither agreed nor disagreed; disagreed; or strongly disagreed with nine different statements related to the school board’s performance. Respondents, who were allowed to participate anonymously, were also given the opportunity to provide comments related to each question.
Numerous respondents accused some individual board members of being focused on their political agendas, of mistreating or bullying administrators, and hurting the district’s reputation in the community and beyond.
“I think the school board makes decisions based on personal biases and not what’s best for the students and staff,” one administrator wrote in response to a question about whether the Board’s decisions and policies support academic achievement of all students.
“Several of the Board Members (Mr. Kubiniec and Mr. Sloan) make it hard to work in ISS,” another administrator commented in response to a question about whether the Board’s actions create a culture that helps recruit and retain highly qualified staff. “Their comments and statements regarding the work that is being done are an embarrassment and make working for ISS a joke. People are leaving the district because of the way certain board members act.”
Iredell Free News obtained copies of the data generated by the survey and respondents’ comments about the school board’s performance after filing a public records request.
Over the next three days, IFN will publish the results and administrator comments.
Q1: The Iredell-Statesville Board of Education makes decisions and approves policies to support the academic achievement of all students.
♦ Strongly Agree: 0%
♦ Agree: 40.24%
♦ Neither Agree nor Disagree: 28.05%
♦ Disagree: 28.05%
♦ Strongly Disagree: 3.66%
Administrators’ Comments to Q1
♦ I think personality issues negatively impact board operations.
♦ It often appears that not ALL students are considered in the board’s decisions. There seems to be a focus on specific agendas that not fully address the diverse needs of every student within the district.
♦ It seems that the BOE makes some decisions based on their personal opinions or public complaints instead of gathering feedback from staff who have 2-6 years of college training and years of experience in classrooms.
♦ I feel our BOE focuses on things that are minor in comparison to items that we need to focus on to help improve student achievement. What books to ban, micromanaging contractors in building schools to accommodate our growth, scrutinizing things that have little to no impact- we should be asking- how can we help, what do we need
♦ The majority of board discussions appear to be about things that are not directly related to academics for our students.
♦ I transitioned to Iredell-Statesville Schools in October 2024 from a neighboring district. I don’t feel like I have had enough experience with the ISS district to answer most of these questions accurately.
♦ I feel the majority of the School Board supports the academic efforts of the ISS Teachers and Staff. There are a few members (Mr. Kubiniec and Mr. Sloan) that want to bully and make threats towards ISS teachers and Staff. These same board members always want to make it about them and not the work.
♦ The board often tries to make decisions of what is politically popular instead of putting students first .. for example, Ten Commandments fiasco.
♦ I think the school board makes decisions based on personal biases and not what’s best for the students and staff.
♦ While I do agree with the above statement, it is clear listening to some more recent board meetings that many on our board have not spent near enough time in our schools to know what is going on.
♦ The board chooses to blame low performing staff and seek consequences for the building leaders of low performing schools. Instead of supporting these schools and the growth they are making the board members seek the negative. In a district that allows out of district transfers you are dismantling our low performing schools and creating a system of “haves” and “have nots”
♦ Not sure if the focus is always on what’s best for ALL students. Priority seems to be delegated to majority and our systems fails minorities and students with disabilities.
♦ The school board does make decisions that Achievement; however, it seems that Often push back first.
♦ The I-SS School Board, excluding the I-SS administrative staff, have no clue how to make collective decisions and/or policies to support academic achievement for ALL students. Evidence of the discussion and comments at Public School Board Meetings.
♦ I would like to see them come out and visit schools (all schools) more often.
♦ The result of most policy votes by the majority does help provide policies that look at helping students; however, if the three board members – Phelps’ puppets had their way, we would resort back to Adolf Hilter’s days by doing everything to eliminate support for anyone not white.
♦ I feel that the culture/climate of the Board of Education also impacts the academic achievement of ALL students. But, generally, yes the policies/decisions support academic achievement.
♦ I haven’t heard any suggestions or feedback about improving academic practices. They critique the plans that district officials put in place. Kern spoke about Word Walls. Word Walls went out in the 90’s.
♦ I am marking agree due to the 5 board members who are focused on student achievement. Two continually vote against most measures that focus on students (Kubinec and Sloan).
♦ The bickering between both sides, the 4 against 3, takes so much away from really talking about and problem solving about academic achievement. How many have actually gone into our most at-risk schools and talked with the principal and spent some time in classrooms?
♦ More support and decisive action is needed to support schools in critical areas like lack of teachers. Action must be taken at the highest levels. There are so many unfilled positions. We cannot continue just discussing the problem and taking no action.
♦ I believe the board is mired in political agendas and does not so what is best for the students of ISS.
♦ There is still a feeling of personal or political agendas being pushed by the BOE. Decision need to be made from facts, visits to schools, looking at data, not assumptions created from public opinion.
♦ This is difficult as sometimes our board engages in productive discussion and action and other times, it’s not productive.
♦ We were asked as a district to review and offer feedback on SEL curriculum. The number 1 curriculum overwhelmingly was Lead Worthy, from Capturing Kids’ Hearts. The Board then voted against it, forcing Secondary schools to use Second Step. Lead Worthy is an empowerment curriculum that teaches resilience. A skill many of our students are lacking and making a negative impact on academic performance. School board knows very little about research based practice or educational impact data, yet they don’t trust the decisions of those of us who do. How many board members sit in classrooms? I’ve never seen any of them.
♦ I think the Board thinks they are doing this, but I think the agendas they are serving is actually inhibiting it. I don’t know that many of these answer will pertain to the newest board members, but more to the 5 that have served prior. These answers are really a reflection on those 5 and the 2 that left.
♦ Attending or watching the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education meetings, it seems that some Board members prioritize their personal agendas over the wellbeing of students and staff.
♦ I would say most of the Board supports the academic achievement of the district. There are members who seem to have their own agenda.
Q2: The actions of the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education creates a culture to recruit and retain highly-qualified staff.
♦ Strongly Agree: 0%
♦ Agree: 15.85%
♦ Neither Agree nor Disagree: 19.51%
♦ Disagree: 45.12%
♦ Strongly Disagree:19.51%
Administrators’ Comments to Q2
♦ There has been some arguments and there have been people that have discussed some drama and comments that have been mentioned during board meetings in the past.
♦ I love working here and I feel supported
♦ The board’s focus on personal agendas get in the way of truly supporting teachers and staff. Instead of creating a positive and supportive atmosphere, their actions seem to make things more negative, and they don’t seem to care about the well-being of teachers and administrators. This makes it harder to keep good staff or bring in new people who feel valued and supported in their work.
♦ My last 2 hires have directly asked before accepting the position if there is a school-level impact from the toxic/negative school-board relationship. Applicants have voiced that they have read articles and watched live-stream BOE meetings where the BOE interactions are so negative towards each other and the district staff.
♦ I do not feel our BOE is a cohesive model for our staff. We expect our schools to have positive climate and culture when our BOE doesn’t model that. There is more scrutiny over who we hire vs. support in hiring. I would love for our BOE to see how hard it is to find highly qualified staff and focus on increasing pay especially for those who show how performance and growth based not on just one data point (EVAAS) but multiple.
♦ Principals do not feel supported.
♦ I strongly disagree with the statement that the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education creates a culture to recruit and retain highly qualified staff. The way board members communicate with one another at board meetings publicly is often unprofessional and discourteous. As an educator, I find it difficult to encourage students to attend meetings for recognition when they witness this behavior from adults in leadership roles. A respectful and professional board sets the tone for the district, and improving board conduct would positively impact staff morale, retention, and the district’s overall reputation.
♦ We have a teacher shortage crisis and other surrounding counties are offering incentives or have increased the local supplement to attract more teachers. Our EC numbers keep growing and we don’t have qualified staff to sustain these programs to fidelity.
♦ Several of the Board Members (Mr. Kubiniec and Mr. Sloan) make it hard to work in ISS. Their comments and statements regarding the work that is being done are an embarrassment and make working for ISS a joke. People are leaving the district because of the way certain board members act. Thank God Dr. Knight was elected Board Chair, he Ms. Trent, Mr. Angell, and Mr. Hoke seem to be the only ones on the board working for the students. Everyone else is just trying to get their names in the paper.
♦ Due to infighting and politics, the board doesn’t create a sense of inclusion hence driving off teachers.
♦ The school board is not keeping pace with neighboring school districts. It has been harder to retain teachers.
♦ The board has helped create a divide among those that make the policies and those that are in the trenches each day. This does not create a culture to recruit and retain highly qualified staff.
♦ The pay need to be improved for teachers and you need to support principals instead of looking to blame. If principals are constantly hearing the negative the ones you have are going to leave too.
♦ Our supplements make it harder to compete with neighboring systems.
♦ We find that people are hesitant to come to our district as a result of events that transpire during Board of Education meetings.
♦ In speaking privately to teachers who have left and with community members. Teachers do not want to come to I-SS because some of the School Board Members. Many watch the BOE meetings and are discouraged at the lack of understanding and feel individuals are pushing their own initiatives with strong political partisan ideologies. The lack of respect shown amongst and between the members is embarrassing and the lack of respect shown to a Superintendent with proven success seems demeaning. Not to mentioned that some of the questions asked show lack of knowledge of school processes, policies, and common sense awareness.
♦ If we want to recruit teachers and leaders we need to increase our local supplement to compete with surrounding districts. Our HR department is doing the best they can with what they have, but I hate to say its not enough when you can make THOUSANDS more in other districts.
♦ The dysfunction of the board has created a negative stigma on the whole district
♦ The salaries, bonuses and benefits offered do not make us competitive compared to other districts, especially at the school level. The district higher-ups are doing well and there are plenty of them, but below that, I can’t say the same.
♦ The complete dysfunctionality of the board is known throughout the state. Principals, assistant principals, directors and others are the butt of jokes statewide because of 3 people who ran on an agenda to take over our schools and make them neo-nazi centers for learning
♦ The culture of Board meetings and the negative comments does not recruit/retain highly-qualified staff. Question #3 would not let me mark “agree” and write a comment; so, this is my comment for question #3: I agree generally. But, again, the culture/climate of discipline discussions and/or discipline appeals sometimes feels contentious/negative rather then a neutral problem solving session. Question #4 would not let me mark “disagree” and write a comment; so, this is my comment for question #4: I believe you can review past Board meetings for negative comments regarding certain schools and certain student populations. This does not promote the well being of all students. Question#6 comment: texting; snide comments; bickering; etc. Question #8 comment: some members seem to push their individual agendas versus what is best for ALL students Question #9 comment: not with the community (“thunderdome”, etc.)
♦ The ISS BOE does a poor job of attracting employees. After watching a BOE meeting, an outside person would not want to work for members who want to punish administrators or not celebrate anything positive. Kern wants to know what is being done to punish administrators. Has Kern ever been in an ISS school building? Does she understand what students and staff are going through? Do they all know that people are planning to leave this profession? Kubiniec brings out some good points about data, but has absolutely no solutions for the problems our schools face.
♦ The nastiness and arguing of the Board is known statewide and it is not a flattering representation of our District.
♦ Dr. Knight, Mrs. Trent, Mr. Angel, and Mr. Hoke are trying to create a culture that would recruit and retain highly-qualified staff. However, Kubinec and Sloan are extremely divisive.
♦ I have had candidates tell me that they are afraid to come to I-SS because of our Board. Our current staff does not feel supported either by a few members. The issues are the constant focus on things that are just distractions (book banning, The Constitution, etc). The comments about low performing schools is not supportive of our efforts and displays a lack of understanding of what is happening in our buildings and the unfairness of the system. Our Board should be fighting for us, not against us.
♦ We need to be at or above salary supplements of the surrounding counties in order to gain and keep great educators.
♦ Mass media needs to get involved.
♦ We need to advocate for higher pay. Besides that, our staff need to know that the BOE trusts the professional knowledge and expertise of the staff in our buildings.
♦ Retaining is the concern as there have been embarrassing actions/behavior which makes it difficult to want to be a part of I-SS
♦ We have more vacancies than ever. We are hiring interims and teachers from Jamaica because we can’t find local staff within our county. When talking and interviewing from other countries they report they are avoiding Iredell.
♦ The constant quotes in the media show a general lack of support from several board members. The appearance is that the BOE doesn’t value the work done at many of the schools above Exit 42/45.
♦ I have watched many board meetings and for this question all I hear the Board say is we need to do better at finding teachers. I don’t see any action on the part of the Board to recruit or retain.
♦ I have heard from perspective teachers they would not feel supported by the ISS BOE.
Q3: The Iredell-Statesville Board of Education understands the correlation of discipline measures and academic performance and promotes effective management of student discipline.
♦ Strongly Agree: 5.19%
♦ Agree: 31.17%
♦ Neither Agree nor Disagree: 33.77%
♦ Disagree: 20.78%
♦ Strongly Disagree: 9.09%
Administrators’ Comments to Q3
♦ The BOE members have spent very little time visiting schools during school hours. They visit schools for special events but they do not visit to learn more about academic performance or student discipline
♦ I do feel that our BOE wants to help support resources for discipline but I am not sure they are equipped with the knowledge of how to help. There needs to be a will to learn to help build understanding in order to help support and collaborate to identify next steps.
♦ I disagree that the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education fully understands the correlation between discipline measures and academic performance or promotes effective student discipline management. Some board members appear to approach discipline discussions with judgment rather than a perspective that supports teachers, administrators, and the vast majority of students who come to school ready to learn. Unfortunately, the small percentage of disciplinary issues that educators must address can overshadow the daily successes within our schools. A more supportive and solutions-oriented approach from the board would strengthen efforts to maintain a positive learning environment for all students.
♦ There needs to be an increased awareness of what is happening in each school.
♦ The board continually talks about low performing schools yet refuses to acknowledge the outside influences that our low performing schools deal with every day. No matter how many school members have told board members to come see the school no one shows.
♦ I feel that some attempt to Understand but some do not and speak out against actions of school leaders, and teachers.
♦ If all the school board members understood the correlation of discipline measures and academic performance then they would know how to support I-SS leaders and teachers effectively with. management of student achievement. First, most of the current school Board members have never worked in education and their children went to Charter or Private schools. Second, Sometimes stupid responses from school board members like “I know low performing schools, with high minorities and discipline where schools in other cities and states have been turned around!” shows the lack of understanding of what it takes to turn a school around: 1. All staff in place with support 2. Money for both incentives for teachers working at tough schools, researchBased Curriculum training 3. Principal with strong Admin. Staff, Principal who is allowed to stay at the school longer than 3 years to make it truly affective 4. Community resource supports and Nonprofits assisting families and students who are coming from low poverty situations 5. Support for those school small gains and success instead of complaining and blaming.
♦ Mike Kubinec thinks he is smarter than everyone and constantly ridicules, talks down to all staff. He thinks everyone is a liar and he and he alone knows how to run this district. He has cost this district great teachers-by early retirements–low turn out at recruitment activities and the reason we have to recruit overseas-no americans of merit want to work with ISS.
♦ I’m afraid there seems to be a rather large disconnect.