IFN Staff
Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education Chairman Kevin Angell has resigned from the board in the wake of his altercation with fellow board member Mike Kubiniec after the January 12 meeting was adjourned.
Angell did not participate in Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, and Superintendent Jeff James read Angell’s resignation letter to the board at the conclusion of the meeting, which was held remotely because of poor road conditions.
“After careful thought and reflection, I am writing to formally resign from my position as a member of the Iredell-Statesville Board of Education, effective immediately,” Angell said in his resignation letter.
“Serving our students, staff and community in this role has been a meaningful and humbling responsibility. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside dedicated educators, administrators and fellow board members in support of public education,” he continued.
Angell has faced intense public scrutiny and calls for his resignation following news reports of the incident.
Kubiniec and Angell, who had to be separated during the altercation, had a heated exchange during which Angell said, “I could kill you right now,” and “Mike, you are this close to getting your fucking head ripped off.”
Angell’s comments were precipitated by Kubiniec inviting him to engage in a physical altercation. “Bring it on, bitch. Bring it on, bitch,” he said at one point. Later, Kubiniec added, “Go ahead. Give me some. Right here.”
During Monday’s meeting, Vice Chair Doug Knight, who presided over the meeting in the former chairman’s absence, said, Angell “is taking responsibility for his actions.”
Angell was elected as the District 2 representative in November of 2024 and selected chairman by the board in December of 2025. He apologized to board members in the days after the January 12 meeting and apologized to the public as well.
In his official resignation letter, he said the decision to resign was not made lightly.
“I believe it is the right step. I appreciate the relationships built during my service and the shared commitment to doing what is best for children,” he said, in the letter.
In a statement issued to IFN on Monday evening, Angell said:
“After recent events my decision to resign was made with careful consideration of all feedback received and in alignment with my personal and professional commitments. Moving forward I remain dedicated to the success and well-being of our students and families and will be rooting for the school system as a father of two youth enrolled in I-SS. I would like to thank my fellow board members, district staff, and the families and students we serve for their dedication and collaboration during my time on the board.”
The board will elect a new chair at its next meeting, and will also begin the process of appointing a new District 2 representative.
Board members weigh in on January 12 meeting
Although a motion to discuss possible censure of Angell, Kubiniec and District 7 representative Anita Kurn failed to garner enough support to be added to Monday’s agenda, the agenda was amended to allow each board member time to comment on what happened during the January 12 meeting.
District 3 representative Cindy Haynes challenged the board members to read the district’s policy manual and do the job they were elected to do.
“The public does not have confidence that we, as a board, can transact the business of the school district,” she said.
“Act like adults. Stay on our lane,” Haynes added. “We are not the board attorney. We are not the superintendent. We are not a principial.”
Kurn’s conduct, which led to the early adjournment, and the incident involving Angell and Kubiniec, she said, were the latest stain on the board’s reputation, referencing the board’s earlier text messages in which board members disparaged groups of students and maligned elected officials. In those messages, Kurn proposed having unruly Statesville High students fight in a “Thunderdome” to raise money for the district.
“Let me be clear,” Haynes said. “I abhor what happened on January 12. I abhor the interactions between Mr. Angell and Mr. Kubiniec. I abhor the the unruly behavior Mrs. Kurn.”
Board member Ronda Hoke, who represents District 4, had strong words for his fellow board members as well.
“Members of this board need to do some soul searching,” he said. “Are we here for the students or for personal and political gains? If the goal of these individuals is to destroy the system, you are doing a fantastic job of it.
“Our students deserve better than this,” he added.”
During her statement about the January 12 meeting, Kurn, who made no mention of her role in the events leading up to the meeting being adjourned early, discussed in length the district’s policies related to bullying. Without mentioning any board members by name, she concluded that immediate resignation by anyone who violated the policy was appropriate.
District 1 representative Brian Sloan said the board needed to take action, although he did not offer any suggestions or identify who should be the target of the action. He did support the motion to discuss censuring Angell, Kubiniec and Kurn.
“We need to make this right. If a staff or student had done this, we would make it right,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kubiniec apologized for his role in the incident.
“I accept responsibility for my conduct following the adjournment of the January 12 meeting,” he said. “Emotions were high, and I regret the tone of the exchange. I do not believe I acted perfectly. That said, I respectfully believe it is important for this board to distinguish between heated words and statements that reference physical violence.”
Kubiniec, who represents District 5 and is running for a seat in the N.C. House of Representatives, said he was willing to accept any action by the board regarding his actions, but he stressed that Angell should receive harsher consequences.
“I was subjected to physical threats and aggression,” he said. “It occurred by someone in a position of authority and it occurred immediately after it was escalated. It was accompanied by other violent statements.”
By failing to take action against Angell, Kubiniec said, the board was guilty of “negligence by omission.”
Knight, the vice chair, had the final word.
The incident “made the whole board appear dysfunctional and for good reason,” Knight said. “We deserved the bad press, honestly. We deserve it.
“We’re the greatest show in town again, unfortunately,” he added.
Based on N.C. law, the board has very little power to discipline one of its members beyond a motion to censure, Knight said.
The best path forward, he said, is for each board member to commit himself or herself to the job they were elected to do.
“We’ve got to get on Team I-SS — not be Team Board Member or Team Political Party … but Team I-SS and do what’s best for students, teachers, and staff.”
He said it was their “moral imperative” to do so.
Finally, Knight said, Angell had done the right thing by accepting responsibility for his actions.
“The other person involved should also do so,” he added.
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