BY KARISSA MILLER

Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education members clashed on Monday over the selection of a permanent chair, delays in filling the vacant District 2 seat on the board and public comment policy.

The 4 p.m. meeting was marked by tense back-and-forth exchanges between board members followed by accusations of a rigged appointment to the board and the “orchestration” of the public comment period.

The friction began immediately when board member Brian Sloan moved to hold an election for a permanent board chair. The seat has been effectively vacant since the departure of former chair Kevin Angell following an incident with board member Mike Kubiniec that almost came to blows.

Kubiniec, who seconded Sloan’s motion, said that board policy requires an election at the next regular meeting following a vacancy. He asked why the vote for a permanent chair was not placed on the agenda.

Acting board chair Doug Knight explained that he chose not to include the election on Monday’s meeting agenda because the previous vote had ended in a tie.

“I didn’t go through a perfunctory vote,” Knight told the board. “I figured it would be 3 to 3.” 

School board attorney Dean Shatley spoke up in an attempt to provide context.

“Mr. Shatley, you were not recognized to speak,” Kubiniec said to him.

Shatley went quiet.

“Mr. Kubiniec, you will not chastise legal,” Knight said as Kubiniec continued to try and talk over him.

The acting chair warned Kubiniec that he would ask him to leave if there are any more outbursts or disruptions to the meeting.

The motion to add the election of a permanent chair to the agenda failed after a 3 to 3 tie, leaving Knight in the acting chair position for the foreseeable future.

Despite their differences, board members did vote to accept Angell’s resignation of the District 2 seat. Angell resigned his seat in late January following an altercation with board member Kubiniec.

Board member Cindy Haynes cast the opposing vote. She previously stated she would not accept Angell’s resignation until Kubiniec resigned from the school board.

District 2 seat

Next, the board turned its attention to the District 2 vacancy.

The Iredell County Republican Party Executive Committee nominated Matthew Youngblood, a teacher at Statesville Christian School, to fill the empty seat during a meeting last month.  

Sloan made a motion Monday to appoint Youngblood as the District 2 representative on the board.

“I think this motion is pretty self-explanatory…we are already a month late putting him on the board,” Sloan said. “We accepted Mrs. Haynes’ (nomination) the next meeting, in which we should have. I think the same should be done for Mr. Youngblood.”

“I one hundred percent support this motion,” Kubiniec said.

Anita Kurn, who also supported the nomination, called the GOP’s selection process was “rigorous” and “democratic.”

“We had a lengthy debate with several candidates. The candidates had ample time to speak. The guests had ample time to ask questions. It was a very thorough vote. It was done in accordance with N.C. General Statute,” Kurn said.

Knight, however, voiced his concerns about the selection process.

“I do have concerns with whether the state law was followed for that vote,” Knight said, noting that the process seemed different from past appointments.

Board member Ronda Hoke also questioned whether the nomination process followed statutory procedures.

“I think there was a pre-determined decision, before this thing was even made —that they already knew who they wanted for this position. I think there’s too many conflicts of interest going on here.

“I’m sorry, if it touches toes,” he added, “but we’ve got people on this dais that are on the executive committee … they were there to influence a vote from that side and are here on this side to accept that vote.”

Hoke mentioned that the process was not the same as it was done when Haynes was selected as the District 3 school board member by the executive committee in 2025.

He also questioned why long-time District 2 board member Charles Kelly, who expressed his interest in filling the open seat, did not emerge as the best person for the job.

“After all the interviews, we had a man standing there who had been on this board for 20 years. He was elected by the people of District 2 for five consecutive terms. Five terms,” Hoke said.

The discussion quickly expanded beyond whether to accept the GOP’s nomination.

“Can we hear the differences (in how Haynes was elected)?” Sloan asked. “We can’t just say there were differences.”

“The GOP executive committee knows how it went with me. If this goes to court, I need to save that evidence for that moment,” Haynes replied.

Kurn said that Haynes could vote for herself and that Haynes did not have any opposition.

“It was a much more rigorous process for Mr. Youngblood than it was for Cindy. I applaud you for rising to that debate and winning that appointment,” Kurn said.

Kubiniec called for a motion to vote on accepting Youngblood’s nomination. The motion failed after ending in a 3-3 tie. Sloan, Kubiniec and Kurn supported the motion. Knight, Hoke and Haynes did not.

Superintendent Jeff James, in an interview, said that the matter will likely be resolved in court.

“They will have to prove that the process that they used was legal,” James said.

Public comment discussion

The board also continued to disagree over the timing of the monthly public comment period.

Kubiniec asked to move the public comment period to the beginning of the meeting. He argued that the board should show “respect and kindness” to parents and the elderly who currently have to wait hours to be heard at the end of meetings.

Haynes disagreed. She stated that the public comment period has become “orchestrated” and there’s a “warped view of reality.”

Haynes claims that during a two-hour phone with Kubiniec, he admitted to organizing speakers for the public comment period.

“I’m hoping that there will be no minor children present when public comments are being heard,” Haynes said, citing concerns over “non-child friendly” language being used by some of the speakers.

The board voted on a motion to move the public comment period the beginning of the meeting. That vote also ended in a 3-3 tie, meaning it will remain at the end of the meeting.

Playing politics

After the board refused to appoint Youngblood to the District 2 seat, board members Sloan, Kurn and Kubiniec would not vote to support any routine agenda items later that evening.

Among those items, included an easement at the new Weathers Creek High School, the current expense budget request, an activity bus and multiple policy updates (that impact graduation, military students and school employees).

The acting chairman said the board had lost sight of its mission.

“I’m concerned. This will impact the schools and the kids. This is letting politics impact education. Kids are more important than politics,” Knight said.