Gaston County Board of Education Updates August 17, 2026

Gaston County, NC (WNN) - Gaston County's first Board of Education meeting for the 2026-2027 school year was held on August 17, 2026. The meeting included several updates on finances, capital projects, and speaker and awards hosting.

Good News

Several students and staff were awarded for their efforts in and around the school system. Rex Dover, a senior at South Point High School, was a 2026 recipient of the NC Governor's Volunteer Service Award. Rex is at the top of his class, and in 2021, Dover helped found the Belmont Chapter of Abilities Tennis NC, a volunteer organization that trains people with intellectual disabilities. He has also secured a grant and has been working with another initiative, the Beyond the Court Literacy Program.

The next section honored some of Gaston County's music directors with the Program of Distinction honor from the North Carolina Band Masters Association. This is the highest state recognition a NC music teacher can receive. The Gaston County bands that achieved this are as follows:

Carrie Lineberger - Belmont Middle School

Cindy Owens - W.C. Friday Middle School

Cole Crawford - Cherryville High School

Brandon Taylor - East Gaston High School

Connor Settlemyre - South Point High School

Kameron Radford - Stuart W. Cramer High School

Jayden Nolley was recognized for being the NC state champion in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.99 seconds. He was unable to be recognized in the previous year and won by 1/500 of a second. Then, Mason Powers and Madison Potter were recognized for representing Region 6 of the NCHSSA student council. This is awarded to students with strong leadership skills and who excel in sports and the classroom. The final recognition of the night was for Dr. Brian Dention, the interim Chief Financial Officer for Gaston County Schools. He was one of four recipients of the Dr. Samuel Huston Leadership Jr. Award. This recognizes graduates of the aspiring superintendent program for continuous improvement, high ethical standards, and preparing students for the workforce of the future. 

Public Expression

Three of the evening's speakers came to represent the same issue. Ashbrook and Hunter Huss High School did not receive Chromebooks at the same time as the rest of the county. These speakers questioned why this was. Dionna Graham, the Vice President of the Gastonia branch, opened by thanking the educators and Janna Smith for their willingness to ask the hard questions needed to make sure the schools provide a proper education. She believes the BOE was asleep at the wheel during the financial hardship faced during the previous year. She wants resolution, not explanations, and more questions being asked.

“Who decided which schools and grade levels would receive Chromebooks on day one? What criteria was used?” - Dionna Graham, the Vice President of the NAACP Gastonia Branch

She wanted to know whether the achievement gap between black and white students was considered when the decision was made not to supply these schools on day one. This was followed by the branch's president, Sean Bates. He believes we need to focus on and fight for ensuring each student has the best opportunities. He is worried that schools that aren't doing as well are being pushed into labor-intensive jobs instead of being given what they need to pursue the path they want. Each child is the responsibility of the board, regardless of any religious or racial difference. According to Bates, no one should rest until each child is given a proper opportunity. 

Chéz Adams also spoke on the issue at Hunter Huss and Ashbrook. As a graduate of Hunter Huss and a community advocate, she feels that the community outcry has been loud. She wants to make sure the community is aware of what's going on. While Ashbrook has received its Chromebooks, Hunter Huss’ principal issued a statement that their students would go two and a half weeks without any Chromebooks. This puts these students behind everyone else. She wants to make sure our schools are treated equally and that this issue is addressed expeditiously. 

Jerry Whitlock also spoke on his work as a reader at five of the Gaston County Schools. He thanked the board for their hard work and added that he was the recipient of the Gaston County Community Choice Award for Public Service for Community Reading. He feels this work is important and wants to see more volunteers follow the example. He believes mentoring these children will give them an experience they can carry for the rest of their lives.

Reports and Updates

Dr. Brian Denton spoke on updates to funding. During the 2026-2027 school year, teachers will receive a larger pay raise than in previous years. On average, this was an 8% raise and a bonus of either $ 1,750 or $ 1,000, depending on their salary. The amount of contribution to retirement has also increased to 26.1% from 20.39%. Health insurance costs also rose by 5% to 41.52%. 

Then, Bessie Harvey, the Assistant Superintendent for Operations, spoke on the summer project updates. 28 schools had their emergency radio projects completed, to allow for better communications with emergency services. Capital improvements included: 

• Ceiling tile and grid replacements
• Bottle filler replacements
• Urinal replacements
• Camera and intercom replacements 
• HVAC repairs and renovations
• Lighting upfits
• New security vestibules
• Canopy walkway replacements, 
• Forrestview High School football field renovations 
• Flooring repairs
• Parking Lot Repairs
• Interior and Exterior Painting
• Pressure Washing
• Tree removal and trimming

The meeting was then closed out with comments from Superintendent Dr. Morgen Houchard. He feels that the beginning of the school year has gone well, and thanks the staff for their hard work over the summer. He is grateful to the families, teachers, and staff for their involvement in keeping the schools functioning well. He also mentioned that the system will see four new teacher work days:

• September 16, 2026
• October 28, 2026
• February 10, 2027
• April 14, 2027

These sessions will focus on teacher training in topics such as content and grade-level standards, classroom management, teacher practices, data analysis, and student progress monitoring. He wrapped up the night by saying he is impressed by the increases in student performance and academic growth, though he cannot share exact numbers at this time. 

Watch the Full Meeting

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