Folks, this will be a relatively short article. It being New Year’s Eve and all.

A new School Board Majority has been sworn in tn their December 14th Meeting. The Shelby Star has begun the attack by taking up for CCS filing a three-million-dollar lawsuit against Sheriff Alan Norman as the New School Board fires the lawsuit lawyer.

Schools are set to reopen full time for K-4 on January 19, 2021. Rogue teachers, believed to be instigated by renegade School Board Member Phillip “Poodle” Glover are signing petitions to keep the schools closed. “Poodle” comes from Glover’s days as a Highway Patrolman assigned to “chauffer” around former State Senator Walter Dalton. Don’t know why “Poodle” was the nickname, but the 2020 Elections took away Glover’s opportunity to “Bully” anybody anymore.

Cleveland County has hired a third lawyer. Martha Thompson. Just in time for a brand-new Federal Lawsuit against Cleveland County, Commissioners. Commissioner Doug Bridges and DSS Director Katie Sawyer individually and officially. For discrimination and retaliation. I might be a witness for the Plaintiff.

New School Board Majority to put Ten Commandments up inside school front door. Along with First Amendment. School Board Member Dena Green says wait until the ACLU hears about this. The Ten Commandments are already posted on back wall of Commissioner Chambers. For many years.

No word on the pending Federal Lawsuit against Commissioners, County Manager Brian Epley, former Health Department Director Dorothea Wyant and Sam Lockridge for sexual harassment. I might be a witness for the Plaintiff on this one too. Defendants already calling me a liar. I say, bring on the jury. Perhaps this one has been settled already.

The commissioners are going to raise your property taxes in 2021. They are calling it “re-evaluation” of your property but most of us will end up paying more taxes.

Cleveland Community College will begin teaching a Gunsmith class in January. For $125 you may learn how to make the parts to turn your AR-15 into a M-16. But Walmart will not sell you ammo anymore.

Happy New Year, All y’all.

I will start this off by saying “I told you so!!!”

The Shelby Star published a deceptive piece on December 27, 2020 titled School District to seek new attorney. As soon as I saw this, I knew that, after only one school board meeting with the new School Board Majority, that this new School Board Majority was under attack. An attack totally meant to cover-up all the corruption in the past and put the New Majority Chairman Robert Queen, Vice Chairman Joel Shores and members Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton under attack. I am in the process of writing detailed articles about the Shelby Star article and other CCS issues.

Now, just a few days later, comes another attack on Facebook under the guise of a liberal Facebook group (www.Change.org) who are attacking the new School Board Majority with other deceptive attacks, Like former Shelby School Board member John Schweppe who says the new School Board is off to a “rocky start” and needs training from the NC School Board Association. I say hokum to that. I say Cleveland County voters gave the new school board members an overwhelming victory that should be considered, as it is, a mandate to clean house of the ”riff-raff” in the CCS administrations staff at the highest levels. Schweppe also takes up for the Tharrington and Smith big-shot Raleigh high priced lawyers who filed the frivolous and stupid lawsuit against Sheriff Alan Norman.

And then this Susan Bell, who claims to be this and that, says the New School Board should follow the recommendations of Science and Medical experts. I would agree with that except the new Cleveland County Health Department Director Tiffany Hansen refuses to provide the School Board, New and Old, with recommendations regarding starting CCS back up. I have complained to the Commissioners but they also refuse to do anything. Most of Susan Bell’s other statements are also either Hokum or N/A in my opinion.

I believe the new School Board criticism is overwhelmingly “sour grapes” from those who are sorry their candidates for School Board (Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker and Roger Harris) lost the 2020 election by very-very large majorities. I will predict that this is only the start of a “smear campaign” in an effort to influence the NEW School Board Majority to “lay low” and do nothing as John Schweppe recommends.

My recommendation to the NEW School Board Majority is to speed up the changes that are known to be needed and speed up the investigations of complaints and take the appropriate actions. And take them quickly!!!

New School Board Majority members; Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton: the vast majority of citizens and especially the voters of Cleveland County are 1,000% behind you in starting up Cleveland County Schools, cutting wasteful spending, cutting the top heavy bureaucracy and teaching our students how to read, write and do arithmetic proficiently in order to succeed in our present society. (As well as getting rid of sexual offenders.) It is a heavy burden and you are way behind because of the systemic corruption of those that have gone before you. Now YOU have the mandate and you have the authority to do what is necessary. Your greatest mistake would be to follow those foolish nay-sayer recommendations and do nothing to solve the real problems that plague CCS.

The December 15, 2020 Cleveland County Board of Commissioner’s Meeting was a bit of a surprise for me. Commissioner Doug Bridges was the Chairman and Commissioner Deb Hardin was the Vice Chairman. I wondered how this came about. Last I knew Ronnie Whetstine was the Vice Chairman and when the Chairman, Susan Allen “retired” it seemed likely that Whetstine would move up into the Chairman position. Something had happened and something had gone on that I had missed.

So, I “nosed around” a little and found out some other things that were also a surprise.

Johnny Hutchins, Ronnie Whetstine and Kevin Gordon had won the 2020 Election for Commissioner by a wide margin. Their only Democrat opponent was a young black man who was openly a homosexual. Virtually certain to get beat badly. However, I had recommended single shot voting for the Democrat opponent as a “Protest” vote in the 2020 elections for Commissioner. My protest was the several $Billions lost on the corrupt sale of the Hospital and other Healthcare facilities in Cleveland County for only $100 Million plus the under the table bribe of only one million dollars that was “donated” to the American Legion World series in 2013. Although the Young black homosexual Democrat lost the Commissioner’s race, he still gathered more votes than Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker and Roger Harris in the School Board race.

Anyway, the Commissioner swearing-in was set for December 7, 2020 at the LeGrand Center at 10:00 AM. The Swearing-in was the only item on the December 7, 2020 Commissioner’s Meeting agenda. Moving the Swearing in to the LeGrand Center for a morning meeting indicated to me that the swearing in ceremony would be only for show with plenty of county employees attending on “company time” and only for show. So, I decided I had better things to do that to be part of the “show.” I was wrong!!!

This swearing in ceremony also includes the commissioners deciding who would be the Chairman and Vice Chairman for the next year. Ho-hum I thought. Whetstine and Hutchins or Hutchins or Whetstine were sure things. Or so I thought. So, when I saw Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin heading up the Commissioner Board leadership at the December 15th Commissioner’s Meeting, I knew I had missed something and I would find out what happened. And, I did!

A trusted source told me that Ronnie Whetstine had refused to go along with some things (I did not learn what things) and PO’d the other Commissioners. The same for Johnny Hutchins. So, when nominations and the vote for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman were made, my sources said Hutchins and Whetstine both refused to vote and new Commissioner Kevin Gordon joined up with Bridges and Hardin to elect Bridges as Chairman and Hardin as Vice Chairman.

Actually, the teaming up of Bridges, Hardin and Gordon is encouraging. These are the newest Commissioners and the least involved and associated with previous corruption. Neither are they personally involved with the corruption still swirling around with Eddie Holbrook, the ALWS and the Hospital giveaway and bribery. Perhaps even Johnny Hutchins has seen the light as he questioned to COVID-19 numbers provided by the Health Department not being informative enough and refused to accept the mathematical gymnastics offered by County Manager Brian Epley on those deceptive Health Department numbers. Also, perhaps, the practice of Epley’s illegal one or two on one persuasive on the decisions related to County business will be eliminated. And Epley too.

All in all, the 2020 Elections may have served the higher purpose of electing new people on the school board as well as on the Commissioner’s board. WE, you the people and me, will do our part on shining the light on governmental corruption. And removing the people who refuse to see the light.

Stay tuned folks. If you have any questions, call your favorite commissioner. Tell them to do what is right. Now and forever.

History Overview from North Shelby School Website:
Northside (North Shelby) School was constructed at 1205 Northside Drive in 1965 at a cost of $189,267. It operated as a black elementary school from 1966 to 1971, and became a Title I kindergarten from 1971 to 1975. It became the Children’s Center for the special needs in 1975.

The Truth:
The 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education ruled that segregation of schools based on a separate but equal principle was not working as intended and therefore unconstitutional. Many states, including North Carolina sought to get around the Court Decision in many ways. In the early 1960s NC Governor Terry Sanford even threatened to shut down public education in North Carolina to stop integration enforcement. Also, a flurry of construction of new black schools was started in an effort to show the Federal Courts that schools in North Carolina were indeed “equal.” Northside School in Shelby and several other black schools around Cleveland County were constructed for this purpose.
The dreams of the black community in Cleveland County that finally at last the promise of a better education for black children appeared to be coming true. It quickly became obvious that those dreams were not coming true. The flurry of construction of black schools was only a ruse to ward off enforcement of full integration of public schools in North Carolina, Cleveland County and elsewhere.
The next ruse used by Cleveland County Schools to ward off integration was to consolidate the many neighborhood white schools as a prelude to construction two large “County Schools,” Burns and Crest High Schools and Middle Schools. After that construction was completed, then all the students in Cleveland County, black and white, would “feed” into those integrated schools. Burns and Crest High Schools did NOT include swimming pools and auditoriums because of the fears at that time of mixing races in large numbers in close proximity.
This “consolidation” caught me in the Eighth Grade when I was bused from Fallston to Belwood for the Eighth and Ninth Grades and then returned to Fallston for the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth grades. I graduated Burns at Fallston in 1965 never to have been to school with a black person. The “big” Burns High School was under construction and full integration began in 1968. Many of the newly constructed black schools ceased operation at this time because white parents didn’t want their kids to attend former black schools (as they were somehow inferior) and were sold off cheap to “friends” of local government officials. It always seems to happen that way. Somehow Northside School in Shelby escaped that fate. That school remained under the ownership of Shelby City Schools.

Besides the opening in Burns and Crest High Schools in 1968, something else happened that taught me about the “separate but equal” so-called defense of segregation. 1968 was a Presidential Election Year, I had turned 21, a Junior at NC State University majoring in Nuclear Engineering and my first time to vote. As I was in the line to vote, a young black man that I knew, maybe a year or two older than I, a product of Cleveland County’s segregated schools was right in front of me. When the Poll Worker handed the black man his ballot, the black man asked for help with his ballot. He COULD NOT read. The Poll Worker pointed to a place on the ballot and TOLD the black man, “right HERE is where YOU vote “Straight Democrat!” the black man hesitated and asked for more help. The Poll Worker, an older white man, short and wearing his glasses down on the tip of his nose, reared back his head so he could look down his nose at the taller young black man, raised his voice and TOLD the young black man “RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU VOTE STRAIGHT DEMOCRAT!!” The young black man took his ballot and walked away. To this day I do not know how that young man read his ballot or marked it. To this day I remember that incident and became convinced that school segregation based on the “separate but equal” principle was a farce and a lie. I also continue to NOT understand why black voters vote straight Democrat when the results of doing so are so often NOT in their best interest.

Back to the article.

Sometime later, Northside School became North Shelby School and the school was used for children with “Special Needs.”
Also, there was the merger of Cleveland County Schools, Shelby City Schools and Kings Mountain City Schools into one School District and one combined school board. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction began tightening up on school operations and school performance expectations.

The North Shelby School’s special needs program was exempt from many of those school performance expectations and requirements. Other Cleveland County Schools were not exempt and failed in school performance expectations according to NCDPI testing standards. The NCDPI ordered improvements to Cleveland County failing schools and put down time limits for improvement. Otherwise NCDPI would take over operation and control of the failing school or schools. If that would happen the “cat would be out of the bag” that the failing schools were a product of a failed OLD school board that never wanted to hear any bad news. Or let anybody know that bad things were happening at CCS. They did NOT want it to get out that the OLD School Board had broken all their promises that everything was going well and everybody was happy with things just like they were.

So, instead of taking a good hard look at what was causing the failing schools to fail and what had to be done to fix them, the Old School Board along with the Old School Board’ s Old Superintendent-Stephen Fisher-the Old School Crowd conjured up this idea that the Old North Shelby School needed to be replaced with a newly constructed school building that was attached to a failing elementary school. That way they could kill two birds with one stone. They could just change the classification of the failing school by mixing in special needs students with the failing school student population. AND, throw some big money, Million$, to their favorite architect in the process.

The rest is history. Some old history and some recent history.

If you scroll on back to the first if this article, the “History Overview, you will find no mention of the NEW North Shelby School Project ever being built. You will NEVER see the figures where the New North Shelby School Project budget of $10 million ballooned to over $16.5 Million because of poor site selection and building construction on land that was unsuitable for such construction. If you look up the link to the North Shelby School on the internet, you will find the full text of the history of the North Shelby School that was not included at the first of this article that the full history of the North Shelby School history also never mentions anything about the new school construction and the carrying forward of the North Shelby School name. It is like the NEW North Shelby School just gobbled up the failing James Love Elementary School without leaving a trace of the failing James Love School. I reckon that is how the Old School Board and Old Superintendent Fisher pulled the wool over the eyes of the public as well as the NCDPI.

But these sets of Broken Dreams, Broken Promises, lies and corruption by the Old Cleveland County School Board and Superintendent Fisher had unintended consequences for the Old School Board. Robert P. Queen, a Registered and Licensed Civil Engineer was attending school board meetings while the Old School Board was planning for the NEW North Shelby School Project to be built on the James Love Elementary School property. Robert Queen recognized that the cost of the NEW North Shelby School Project would be prohibitive by the million$ of additional costs to level the steep slopes around James Love where the proposed new project was to be built. Unnecessary costs when compared with other available building sites without steep grades. Robert Queen informed the Old School Board of these problems and I reported them at the time.

The Old School Board was determined to be “stuck on stupid” and continue their plans to build the new project on James Love School property. (Those of us attending school board meetings at the time had not yet figured out the “failed school angle” that caused that particular site selection.) So, the Old School Board bought a 14-acre tract adjacent to James Love property with the intent of moving dirt off the additional tract to fill the slopes of the old track. Apparently thinking they were smart as they would reduce the cost of hauling the dirt from one tract to the other.

However, the Old School Board outsmarted themselves. Twice over. Soil testing of the remaining North Shelby site as well as the new tract showed that the top six feet of soil was not suitable for compaction that would be suitable for the new North Shelby School construction. The “bad” top layers of acres and acres of soil would have to be stripped away and hauled somewhere else. The soil below those acres and acres of “bad” soil would have to be3 scrapped up, moved to the building site, compacted and the “bad” soil would have to be brought back and spread around to level up the areas surrounding the construction site only for use in planting grass, scrubs and such. Robert Queen had warned the OLD School Board of that too. Only to be ignored again. Such a waste, bad construction site selection topped by ignoring good advice, obviously set Robert Queen on his course to run and win the Chairmanship of the Cleveland County School Board. That is a continuing story for other articles.

The windup of the bad soil conundrum was the ignorance and arrogance of the OLD School Board in building construction practices allowed them to be talked into still using the bad soil, with a grid of “piles” dug down to good soil and poured full of concrete to support the construction of the New North Shelby School project. The overall construction cost of the New North Shelby School ran up to $16.5 million. Eighty-six TIMES the ORIGINAL cost of the Old North Shelby School and $6.5 Million over budget.

Now, the New North Shelby School has suffered damage to poured concrete floors that have settled due to the poor soil as well as inadequate pile support. Cost accounting has shown that floors and doors have been repaired at the new school. But, hey! Robert Queen told them so. I am sure such stupidity by the CCS administration will not be repeated as long as Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton are in charge at CCS.

So, now let’s discuss the REST of this story. How the Old North Shelby School, which could have been refurbished for further special need use as it was has moved from Broken Dreams and Broken Promises to Broken Windows. On top of More Broken Dreams and Broken Promises. And the same old lies and corruption.

Crime rates in Shelby have increased dramatically. Especially among young black men. In just one week in recent days, eight young men, five black and three white, have been arrested and jailed. Charged with first degree murder. Many of the eight were school age and several were known to be CCS Turning Point Academy drop-outs.

Without further ado from me, I am going to include a message from Willie Green to Shelby, Cleveland County and CCS leaders, black and white, that speaks for itself. Things don’t have to be this way.

December 18, 2020
From: Willie Green

To: Pastor Lamont Littlejohn, Jeff Ross

Copy to: CCS School Board, All School Board, Dante Murphy; Robert Williams; Clyde Edgerton; Rev Ray Lockhart; Charles Webber, Pastor Billy Houze; Pastor Wade Wallace, Emanuel Hunt Jr; Mary Accor; Rev Michael Hill; Mary Degree; Rev James Smith, Velvet Brisco; Mayor Stan Anthony; Melvin Clark; Rev Robert Devoe; SPD Chief Jeff Ledford, Andy Dedmon; Andrew Hopper; Mike Philbeck; Rev Roger Fuller, Willie McIntosh; Marcus Strong; Joyce Coleman; Rick Howell; Andrea Fite; Donna Huie-Brooks; Violet Dukes; David Causby; David White; Eric Hendrick;

Subject: N. Shelby School: A Possible Broken Windows Theory. Please Keep Your Promise You Made to the Community

Reference Link

Pastor Lamont Littlejohn,
The purpose of this email is to give you an assessment of the N. Shelby School and to also encourage you to keep the promise you made to the young people in the community. The promise that you would purchase the N. Shelby School and use the school as a community center.
I visited the school this morning and I notice several windows are now boarded up. As early as this morning or late yesterday afternoon, the front door window had been busted out and the school’s locksmith was there at the same time I was this morning boarding up broken windows. Prior to your church’s decision not to finalize the sale, there was no prior vandalism or the breaking of windows. Now it looks like windows are being broken out on a daily basis and the school system is having to spend thousands of dollars on expensive plywood and manhours to board up the broken windows and keep the property free of unwanted guests.
I understand that you and Jeff Ross have had extensive conversations and meetings with City Manager Rick Howell. I pray that those conversations included the City helping you fulfill the promise you made to the community for a community center. Since Mr. Howell or the City Council would not support my sports facility concept.
You made a promise to the community, please keep it. Or if you feel the project is too much of a financial burden for Mt. Calvary Church to handle. Or running the day-to-day operations of a community center is not your area of expertise. Then please support my efforts to build my facility and let me do what is needed for the community, so the promises made to the students will be promises kept.

I look forward to your response.

Willie A. Green, Sr.

Editor’s Note: The Old North Shelby School now has about 20 percent of its windows broken out as well as the front door. Rev. Littlejohn and Mt. Calvary Baptist Church still owe $522,500 of their $550,000 bid on the Old North Shelby School Property. That $523,500 payment is about 9 months in arrearage.

To the New School Board: The Old North Shelby School, as it stands now, is a wasting asset and a nuisance to the community. A place for drug use and vandalism. The fact that the School Board has not acted on settlement of the legal debt owed by Mt. Calvary on their legitimate bid in the past nine months and refusal to maintain the property they bid on, indicates some action must be taken. And taken SOON. If the debt is not settled soon, CCS must rule the account delinquent, repossess the property, collect damages on the property since the bid and take further action to either dispose of the property or put it to some good use.

It is also my understanding that Rev. Dante Murphy has, during this delinquent debt period, submitted a bid on this Old North Shelby School Property-but that bid was rejected by CCS and the deposit returned. I would suggest an investigation on:
1. How the previous negotiations between CCS and Mt. Calvary Baptist Church was handled.
2. Immediately begin collection of the $522,500 from Mt. Calvary.
3. If the Property is repossessed by CCS, determine what to do with the property. Beginning with contacting Rev. Dante Murphy to see if he is still interested.

The fact is the Northside School (OLD North Shelby School) was born out of an effort to delay segregation, relegated to low priority service, and finally used and misused for corrupt purposes clearly shows a legacy Broken Dreams, Broken Promises, Broken Windows, lies, corruption and lost opportunities. Which sadly corresponds with the OLD School Board and the OLD CCS Superintendent “blowing through” over $100 million dollars during this pandemic, leaving a legacy of children not in school and virtual learning mostly a failed proposition.

We are fortunate that the voters of Cleveland County saw fit to “clean house” on the School Board in the 2020 School Board Elections. We are blessed that the candidates that were elected, along with Danny Blanton have a new vision and direction for CCS, just when we need new vision and direction the most. I look for good times for CCS are coming and coming soon. Anything less will be a disaster for the future of Cleveland County!!!

Editor’s Note: Mr. Willie Green provided this information to me as well as to the Shelby Star on December 7, 2020. I gave the Star a week to provide this information to the public. To my knowledge, the Shelby Star has not written one word.

Folks, So much for the Shelby Star. All you get from the Shelby Star-who no longer is in Shelby-is a pack of lies and deceptions. If you want to know what is going on, you had better just come here in the first place.

The following is the Contents of Mr. Willie Green’s letter and comments to the local news media updating his progress in a lawsuit against Mr. Stacy Heavner. Mr. Heavner is the person who spoke out against Mr. Green’s rezoning request of Property at the intersection of E. Dixon Boulevard and Main Street at an official Shelby City Council Meeting. In official and sworn court documents Stacy Heavner has admitted that former City Councilman Dicky Amaya and Councilman David Causby put him (Heavner) up to coming to the meeting, speaking up and providing false information and allegations that caused Mr. Green’s rezoning request to be denied.

The following email and information that Mr. Willie Green provided to me, the Shelby Star and others are included below-exactly as written.

From Mr., Willie Green
December 7, 2020

The biggest “threat” to the City of Shelby’s economic growth:“Not having effective leadership in place to encourage and “capture” growth opportunities… and Lack of diversity” … City of Shelby 2017 City of Shelby Economic Development Strategic Plan, Sponsored by ELECTRICITIES OF N.C., INC.

Robert,

Please see the attached notice for Depositions for Councilman David Causby and former Councilman Dicky Amaya in my lawsuit against Stacy Heavner. We are waiting to hear back from Mayor Anthony & Planning Director Walt Scharer on our demand for their availability for Deposition & Mediation Settlement Conference before Mayor Anthony’s and I February 8, 2021 court date.

We have made several attempts to resolve all litigation with city officials. Sadly, the city’s attorneys out of Gastonia and Raleigh – who has accumulated over $150,000 in legal fees paid by the city – have refused to engage in any discussions where it would allow me to do the things that the city’s own 2017 Economic Development Strategic Plan and 2008 Parks & Rec 10-year Master Plan both called for. Those out of town lawyers are the people the Mayor and the City Council is allowing to dictate the decision that our elected officials are supposed to be making, due to the fact that we don’t have the “effective leadership in place to encourage and “capture” growth opportunities.”

Finally, I do find it ironic that the City Council passed Resolution No. 30-2020 Condemning Racism at June 15, 2020 meeting, while continuing its’ discrimination practices against minorities doing business in Shelby. In August of this year, the city denied another African American business owner zoning application, even though the City Planning Board and Planning Department recommended the city approve the application. But the city council voted to approve four other zoning applications, although those four approved applications were deemed inconsistent with the City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

I will keep you and the public updated. As taxpayers, we have a right to know if our public officials are using our tax dollars and their political office to betray the public trust.

Willie A. Green, Sr.
Please excuse any misspelled words.

Editor’s Note: Folks, I underlined several passages that every taxpayer in the city of Shelby should be concerned with. As everyone should remember, the 2020 Election is winding down and the 2021 Election year-including the City of Shelby officials are just starting up. You taxpayers and voters should remember that the $150,000 Shelby Taxpayers have paid in legal bills in this matter could have been settled early-on for only $10,000 in Small Claims Court. In the end, this could cost the City of Shelby in the $Million$. I would agree with Mr. Green as well as the City of Shelby’s own documents that say the city is very weak in “effective leadership.” Stupid and corrupt leadership may be a better description.

Also note that Dicky Amaya and David Causby were asked to do their sworn depositions either on December 16, 17 or 18th. That is THIS WEEK!!!

Microsoft Word - 5-Star Amaya and Causby Deposition Request Letter.doc

In regard to my last article regarding the December 14, 2020 School Board meeting being moved to the LeGrand Center and Starting at 5:00 pm, former school board candidate Junie Barrett made the following comment:

After working for the disappointment of a system mentioned (CCS) for 23 years (which throws its employees under the bus to cover-up its wrongdoings) and now working for a totally different school system (which has been refreshing); I see how a school system runs without the Good Ole Boys mentality. Cleveland County school board, you could learn a lot from your neighbors!

We concur with Junie Barrett. It would be wise for the new School Board majority to turn away from the corrupt “Good-Ole Boys” ways of the past and cast a wide net looking for better ways to run the CCS organization. Beginning with your neighbors. Pinnacle Classical Academy and neighboring school districts.

Editor’s Note: Junie Barrett was a Republican candidate running in the 2020 school board elections. We supported Junie in that Republican Primary election and we support her now. My understanding is that there were some dirty dealings in the Republican Primary 2020 Elections against Junie Barrett and Matthew Canipe. Not from the other Republican Candidates but from the Republican Party itself. When I find out the details, and I eventually will find out, I will share it with the public.

Also, folks. Do you remember several years ago when the female high school student at Burns High School was abandoned by her parents and became homeless? How people in the upper end of Cleveland County took in the homeless girl, found her a place to stay and a job at Burns High School? The girl worked for Junie Barrett. And when the girl graduated from Burns, she won a full-ride scholarship to Harvard University. And who drove the girl to Harvard and helped the girl get settled in at Harvard?? Junie Barrett. I don’t know about the rest of you folks, but when Junie Barrett speaks about doing what is right for the students at Cleveland County Schools, I listen. And, so should YOU.

Folks, my last article stated that the December 14, 2020 School Board meeting would be at the Central Services and begin at 6:00 PM. This information is now updated to say that the December 14, 2020 School Board Meeting will be held at the LeGrand Center and will begin at 5:00PM. I suggest all you folks that want to witness and celebrate the beginning of a new era at Cleveland County Schools come a bit early to assure that you will be able to find a seat.

Also, I have attached a copy of the December 14, 2020 agenda at the end of this article for your convenience. Note that the “OLD” Board prepared this agenda, but after the “NEW” School Board majority of Joel Shores, Robert Queen, Ron Humphries, Greg Taylor and Rodney Fitch are sworn in early in the meeting, they will be able to (and should) amend the agenda as they see fit.

One reason I mention this is School Board Policy 2110 Board Member Elections (UPDATED) is approved, paragraph two of “Qualifications” states that “Any person elected or appointed to the Board and also employed by the Board must resign his or her employment before taking office as a member of the Board.”

2110 Board Member Elections LEGAL UPDATE for Full Board Review (markup) - Copy

Incumbent School Board Member Phillip “Bully” Glover is presently employed as a “private” Driver’s Education teacher and because CCS Superintendent Stephen Fisher has allowed three Driver’s Education teachers to retire without replacing them with new teachers, Driver’s Education students have been required to take their driver’s training from Glover. Such unethical (and probably illegal) practices as this are probably just one of many instances where Superintendent Fisher has abused his position as CCS Superintendent to pad the pockets of a school board member. And certainly, raises the fact that Board Member Phillip Glover should be forced to resign immediately. I would suggest that the new School Board majority immediately appoint Samantha Davis to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Phillip Glover from the School Board.

Dec 14th CCS School Board Agenda - Copy

Five Weeks ago, on election day, Cleveland County voters overwhelmingly threw out the “Old” and voted in a completely “New” set of School Board members. A majority of five-all Republicans-who will have complete control of Cleveland County Schools. Beginning at the December 14, 2020 School Board meeting when they will each be sworn in. Those five new school board Republican members, plus Danny Blanton equals six of nine school board members. A super-majority by any standard,

Elections have consequences. After decades in office and poor and declining leadership, it was well past the time for a change on the CCS school board. And citizens-taxpayers and voters just made such an across the board change possible. Actually, demanding such a change for the better. Mandating a change. A drastic change-top to bottom.

Now, December 14, 2020 is just seven days away. Let’s take a look at what the NEW school board majority has to do to separate themselves from the bad leadership and corruption of the old school board has-beens.

A new administration team!!

The New School Board must decide whether or not to stick with the old set of CCS administrators. Administrators who were chosen based on who they were kin to, where they went to church, how well they sucked-up and other corrupt factors. Instead of how well they were qualified, experienced and trained for their particular administration jobs.

Some would say, keep the old incompetent and unqualified crowd and provide them more direction and more oversight. I say “Hoey” to such nonsense as that!! My suggestion to the new school board majority is, at the December 14th meeting, to assign new personnel to the following administrations positions:

1. Superintendent: Such actions as suing the Sheriff for 3 Million without consulting the full school board is enough to fire the Superintendent for cause. Lots more where that came from.
2. Assistant Superintendents; Eliminate all positions and Reclassify or replace all existing personnel in those positions with qualified personnel at a lower level. It’s called flattening the organization chart. A reduction of the number of unqualified management people communicating information from the bottom to the top. Go back to just about any school board meeting video and you will find plenty of examples here. HR, Maintenance and Child Nutrition are other areas where excessive layers of management have led to unnecessary problems.
3. Title IX Coordinator: Replacing this position is probably necessary to settle the Federal Title IX complaints and possibility of reducing multi-million-dollar fines.
4. Reorganize the School Resource Officer Program under a single law enforcement controlling agency-the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department-with school safety and disciplinary control authority.

Also note that the COVID-19 school shutdowns ordered by State Officials are still in place.

I would suggest that the new school board adopt the policy for COVID-19 (and any other emergency situation) that CCS will either:

1. CCS will operate all schools and all grades five- days a week.
OR
2. Shut-down all schools and all grades until further notice.

The Old School Board burned through around $100 Million in funding during their shutdown, mostly spinning their wheels on the thousands of options that changed daily. All the while, the Cleveland County Health Department Director, under the Cleveland County Commissioners, refused to make recommendations on whether or not to operate the Cleveland County Schools. Even though they are the experts hired just for such matters. My recommendation to the NEW school board is to require the Commissioners and the Health Department (those already tasked with keeping up with the COVID19 Pandemic) provide specific recommendations to either operate or close the schools due to the pandemic.

And there are other pressing matters:

Since all four high schools in Cleveland County are over 50 years old, have unequal facilities (No swimming pools and auditoriums at Burns and Crest High Scho9ols) and other schools are aging, I would also recommend that the new school board appoint a committee that includes members of the public to study all the schools and facilities within CCS to:
1. Develop an overall strategic plan and schedule to determine what schools need to be retired from service, renovated or continue to operate as is.
2. Develop Preventive maintenance plans and programs to extend the life of all schools and facilities.
3. Develop a single set of architectural and equipment requirements for all schools to encourage equal facilities and maximum economies of scale.
4. Coordinate funding requirements and priorities for all school construction or maintenance with the Cleveland County Commissioners.

I would suggest the target maximum useful life of existing Cleveland County Schools be set at 70 years, since we are where we are because of the inactions of the old school board.

I would also suggest the NEW school board include members of the general public who are qualified, interested and willing to provide expertise, assistance and advice to the new school board regarding facilities construction, maintenance and equipment requirements. One of the priorities of school and facility construction and equipment selection is energy efficiency such that utility cost savings will significantly offset school and facility operation costs.

The biggest utility expenses at CCS and about everywhere else spring from heating and Cooling (HVAC) systems. Therefore, energy efficiency in school and facility construction should be of high priority as well as proper design, specification, selection of HVAC systems and equipment, preventative maintenance, proper operation and control and a handful of other considerations are inter-related and all are important. Again, go back and watch past school board meeting videos for plenty of examples of know-nothing administrators presenting know-nothing information and recommendations to the know-nothing “OLD” school board. Probably the best (perfect in my book) example of this are the past several school board meetings regarding Mold, water leaking and air conditioning the gymnasiums at Burns and Crest High Schools. I would recommend the NEW school board stop all work on air conditioning the Burns and Crest High School gymnasiums until such time that qualified persons can evaluate this situation. Since I have 40 plus years engineering experience designing, maintaining, specifying and evaluating contractor bids on such HVAC and other mechanical work at large (and small) facilities, I would be glad to assist the NEW school board on doing what is right and cost-effective for this work.

Folks, this December 14, 2020 School board meeting is just the beginning of making changes at Cleveland County Schools that are cost effective, innovative, equitable, fair to all, common-sense, fiduciary responsible, etc., that will have as its top priority the best educational experience and results for our children. Just as “Rome was not built in a DAY” Cleveland County Schools will not meet all expectations by December 15, 2020.

But the new School Board members have attended school board meetings just like I have attended school board meetings. They have seen what I have seen and they have heard what I have heard. They know what has to be done and they know what it will take to get it done. So, hopefully concerned citizens and parents will turn out in large numbers at the December 14, 2020 school board meeting to witness the “changing of the guard” and experience the hope of better days ahead for CCS and the economic benefits of a well educated workforce in Cleveland County of wherever our graduates have to go to obtain the best jobs that their skills can provide. And back-up our new school board in all that they endeavor to do to make these hopes a complete and total reality. In record time.

See you there. And come early to get a seat.

The mandatory arbitration hearing on Willie Green v. Stacy Heavner lawsuit was scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 3:00. All the parties, their lawyers and subpoenaed witnesses Shelby City Council Members Dicky Amaya (in office when the basis for the lawsuit occurred) and David White and Shelby Attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite were there early, so Presiding Judge Pete Gilbert started the hearing early. And immediately got down to business.

Stacey Heavner had attended a Shelby City Council Meeting and spoke in a Public Hearing against a rezoning application that Mr. Green had submitted for approval. Heaver, although not living in the neighborhood, had come to the City Council meeting to speak against Mr. Green’s rezoning request. According to Heavner’s statements to the Shelby City Council Mr. Green was going to build low income housing and had demanded $100,000 from the City of Shelby. Heavner also stated that there would be traffic problems, rainwater drainage problems and other such things although he was no expert of had valid credentials for any of the things he described. Mayor Stan Anthony denied Mr. Green the right to speak in behalf of his $500 dollar rezoning request and the Council voted to deny Mr. Green’s rezoning request, without any statement of why, although the Shelby Zoning and planning board had unanimously voted to approve Mr. Green’s request and said so at the council meeting.

So, Mr. Green was left with no other option than legal actions.

Mr. Green first sued Stacy Heavner in Small Claims (Magistrates) Court, but the Magistrate Judge dismissed the case saying it was too complex for her to make a fair ruling on the case. Mr. Green bumped the case up to District Court and started from there.

In District Court, Mr. Green filed for “Discovery,” which is a legal procedure that allows the parties to ask questions of each other and received sworn answers. It was in this “Discovery” that Stacy Heavner provided written and sworn statements that it was Former Shelby Councilman Dicky Amaya and Councilman David White who had communicated to him (Heavner) the false statements that Mr. Green had demanded $100,000 from the City and that he was going to build low income Townhomes. Heavner also stated under oath that Amaya and White had put him up to attending Mr. Green’s Rezoning Request Hearing and speaking out against Mr. Green’s Rezoning Request Application.

At today’s (December 1, 2020) Arbitration Hearing, Heavner’s Attorney Daniel Talbert submitted a Motion to Dismiss Mr. Green’s lawsuit. According to Attorney Talbert all Mr. Green was doing was launching a “Fishing Expedition” trying to round up some body to sue. Talbert never mentioned that his client Stacy Heavner had implicated Amaya and White of having told him the false information and put him up to make those false statements to the Shelby City Council. Arbitration Judge Pete Gilbert denied Talbert-Heavner’s motion to dismiss.

Gilbert also allowed Mr. Green 30 days to amend his District Court complaint to better represent his case in District Court from the lesser requirements of Small Claims Court. Although Judge Gilbert did not say so in exact words, in my opinion Judge Gilbert knew that Mr. Green would, sooner or later, amend his complaint against Stacy Heavner to also include Dicky Amaya and David White. And possibly the entire Shelby City Council and the City of Shelby.

It is also my opinion that Stacy Heavner, Dicky Amaya and David White’s secret actions to cover for the Shelby City Councils denial of Mr. Green’s Rezoning Application borders on criminal conspiracy. Which is a felony crime. I have to suspect that Stacy Heavner’s sworn (I’m not going down alone) confession of Amaya and White’s involvement in what appears to be a criminal act; as well as all the Shelby officials continuing to file Motions of Dismissal. Motions based on a lack of evidence-knowing full well that such early stages of lawsuit procedures have not yet gotten to the point of entering into the record evidence, testimony and and proof. All questionable and likely unethical legal tricks to get the damning lawsuits dismissed without actually having to testify under oath.

My take is; when the truth ever comes out, somebody up and including the whole Shelby City Council, will be fitted for prison clothes. Note that District Attorney Mike Miller is copied with this article. Sheriff Alan Norman too. SBI.

Stay Tuned!!!