Editor’s Note: For the first time in Cleveland County School’s recorded history has an individual School Board Member, Ronnie Grigg, taken it upon himself as a Citizen to use his lawful Constitutional Rights of Free Speech to come up with an innovative, smart, common sense approach to multi-task problem solving with a fiduciary responsibility to produce a “PLAN’” and then go straight through a staid, bureaucratic and corrupt school board led by a self-serving, self-declared aristocratic and delusional chairman, directly to the Cleveland County Commissioners (who control the funding) and to the citizens of Cleveland County. Ronnie Grigg is a Hero in this endeavor and we all should be proud of this historic “Plan” that Mr. Grigg has proposed to the Commissioners and the people of Cleveland County.
Folks, what Mr. Ronnie Grigg has just done is NOT a brand-new way of doing things. It is based on our Founding Father Ben Franklin’s saying in his Poor Richard’s Almanac: “Waste Not, Want Not!!!” Then applying that historically sound approach to the major “Waste” problems presently going on at Cleveland County Schools. It is likely Mr. Grigg learned about Ben Franklin’s statement from his learning experiences in Cleveland County Schools. Way back when our schools actually taught reading, writing, arithmetic, History, and morality instead of the indoctrination-al and gender fluidic junk our teachers are required to teach now in 2023.
So, folks, without further ado, Mr. Ronnie Grigg’s “Letter” that includes plans to save $Million$ is included below. Let these words sink in and realize that something new is happening on the School Board and it is up to us Cleveland County Citizens to make sure that this “flame” is NOT snuffed out by corruption, greed and the ever present “nay-sayers” that will automatically say this plan won’t work. Or worse, refuse to discuss any new ideas or better ways of doing things. Say nothing, Do Nothing and then lie to the people, AGAIN, to get elected in 2024. Figuring Cleveland County Citizens are too stupid to remember anything that far away.
Commissioners, READ and HEED!!! Wasted tax dollars will fall on your heads the most. If You continue to raise taxes, knowing that the tax dollars will be wasted, YOU will be wasted too in the 2024 Elections.
Cleveland County Commissioners April 27, 2023
311 E Marion Street
Shelby, NC 28150
Kevin Gordon
Deb Hardin
Doug Bridges
Ronnie Whetstine
Johnny Hutchins
To whom It may concern:
My name is Ronnie Grigg and I recently won by large numbers, a seat on the Cleveland County School Board. I got involved with this school system after many requests and at the request of my good friend, the late Doug Shytles.
Since my involvement I have witnessed many things that literally have turned my head and has given me more drive than ever to work harder for the community. Our education however, is not where it should be and we hear many times that we are above other schools which is not saying a lot considering where the state is currently. The other thing seems to be a constant need for spending.
In 2022 the school system paid a company $360,000 to do a study about growth, development and school needs such as roofing, heating and air, water and such but when the team was drilled about where the information came from there never was a clear answer and Danny Blanton asked several times. They even went as far as saying we were not growing in Cleveland county and therefore, we could afford closure of Graham and Marion schools which would save money and a new school would not be needed for at least ten years. We have highly trained maintenance people at our schools who had first-hand knowledge of what the school needs were but yet $360,000 was spent to have a report put together by that firm.
Less than 3 weeks later at a county forum we heard about 3,000 housing permits were bought and this was just the start. Here it is a little over a year since the report came out and we are hearing that schools are pushing the limits with kids and we are overcrowded in schools.
Two months ago, at a board meeting we heard about a plan to put trailers at Bethware in order to build on and tear down the oldest part of Bethware because of growth in Kings Mountain which I did not vote for because it was the first I had heard of any of this. Within a day or two an email came out from a developer calling 3 board members out saying we voted no for political reasons. My reply was simple and it was that I did not have enough information to vote yes. I won my seat for 4 years or until 2026 and had no reason to be political or the need for votes, however 5 members are up for re- election in 2024 that did vote yes. I guess that could be looked at as political.
If I were a developer I would want to be surrounded by good schools and I could see why the yes vote was so important. However, the school system is not in the real estate business and we have to focus on the current needs and view all of Cleveland County. We hear often from the finance chair that we don’t have the money for anything. I know I’m not the one to put the plans together for this school system but as a private citizen I too have ideas to ease the growth and save money in the process. I know, as I’ve been told by the school board chairman, that I’m not a contractor or engineer, however sometimes those are the people with the least amount of common sense.
When I was elected it was to make sure our educational system was working and to raise the standards of our grades, fight for the parents and community members. I realized building schools would be a part of this also and I’m sending my thoughts of a plan for Kings Mountain and Shelby.
- First, we build 4 to 6 classrooms on to the junior high school in Kings Mountain. Move the 6th grade children to the junior high.
- Second, we close down the KM Intermediate School and turn it into a K-1 through 5th grade school.
Open up the school for elementary kids and from my understanding that school holds up to 800 or so kids.
Rename the school.
- At Bethware, we can do the demolition to the areas that will need to be torn down and clean up those areas as this takes away from the need to build as of now.
- In Shelby we can take what is needed to fix the plumbing in the Marion School which hold at least 500 or more kids and rename this school also.
By doing this I feel that we will open up a 3 to 5-year window in which we can do better planning with the finances. We cannot be solely focused on spending when we should be focused on savings and education.
After all. most emails from the board chairman and the school administration to parents end with this saying: “It is our goal to create an exceptional educational experience for our students and to prepare them to be successful in their secondary careers.”
With this being said, let us follow this outline.
Sincerely,
Ronnie E. Grigg
Citizen of Cleveland County
More from Mr. Grigg:
Above is the letter I sent to the county commissioners about the closing of 2 schools and further school construction.
I am in no way saying this is what should take place by my recommendation alone, however, this is just an attempt to show that we as a board should rally around options that do not include millions in spending of taxpayers money that we apparently don’t have and not solely be a one-man decision.. After all, we have nine members for a reason.
We have heard that Cleveland County Schools is not replacing teachers that leave or retire and will cut more due to finances. If we do this, my guess is the question becomes “were those positions needed in the first place and if we cut more to save money, then we need to be looking at options on building. Remember education is our goal.
Education does not call for big, brand new buildings, but it does call for dedicated teachers and the appropriate curriculum for teachers to teach with. By all means, if building new schools would raise the grade level and learning to an all-time high, I would gladly say yes to new schools. But we all know that the newness or size has absolutely nothing to do with it.
We need to make sure if we should do any construction on any school, that we put out and get up to 5 bids in order to make sure we get the best for our money and that everything we ask for is included in that bid so the contractor does not come back with additional fees when we are in the final stages of construction, as has happened.
I realize that as part of the board I’ll probably be the most unpopular member as well as with the administration, but if you followed my campaign, then you know I did not run to be popular or make friends. It was to do what’s best for the children, the community and Cleveland County as a whole.
Cleveland County I am asking for you to get more involved with this school system and show up for the (School Board) meetings.
Editor’s Note: Perhaps Mr. Grigg will continue providing such informative letters on a regular basis. Other School Board members too. Danny Blanton and Aaron Bridges especially. Cleveland County Citizens would certainly appreciate such information from their favorite School Board members. Commissioner’s too.