The Alamance Burlington School System (ABSS) has faced a series of controversies recently, raising serious concerns about leadership and governance. This overview highlights key issues that have affected the quality of public education in Alamance County. Links to coverage in The Alamance News are used to provide additional details.

The Mold Scandal

Just before the school year was supposed to begin, mold was discovered at Cummings High School and Broadview Middle School. (Possible mold contamination discovered at two more ABSS schools, August 21, 2023) The mold problem escalated quickly, affecting more than a dozen schools and delaying school openings by a week across Alamance County. (No. of ABSS schools with potential mold problem grows; fifth with possible problem: Williams High School, August 22, 2023; ABSS officials acknowledge widespread mold contamination in ABSS schools, August 22, 2023; Mold assessment of ABSS schools will delay school openings across Alamance County until Sept. 5, August 22, 2023) Once toxigenic mold was discovered at additional schools — bringing the total number of ABSS facilities with mold to 33 — school openings were delayed by another week. (ABSS school openings delayed for another week, until Sept. 11 because of mold, September 2, 2023)

What were the potential root causes? Short-sightedness, indifference, and incompetence are likely answers. Noteworthy, almost $19 million initially allocated to air quality improvements was diverted to one-time bonuses in 2021 and 2022. Meanwhile, repeated violations related to water damage at ABSS schools remained unaddressed as ABSS failed to use appropriated funds to jumpstart key roofing projects.

• In October 2021, the ABSS Board of Education voted 4-3 to divert $10.5 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funding toward Christmas bonuses. Votes in favor were cast by Ryan Bowden, Sandy Ellington-Graves, Patsy Simpson, and Donna Westbrooks. Votes against were cast by Wayne Beam, Allison Gant, and Tony Rose, who insisted the money be used for air quality improvement projects. Patsy Simpson responded: “We will find a way for our children to breathe better later on when it comes to air quality.” Then, in November 2022, the Board of Education again voted to divert another $8.2 million from air quality improvements to one-time bonuses. (Didn’t the school board vote to use designated money for air quality improvements on teacher bonuses? August 24, 2023)
• Several of the schools where mold was reported had been repeatedly cited for violations related to water damage by inspectors within the county’s environmental health division during annual site visits to the schools. (County Health Department’s repeated (annual) warnings to school system of water damage from leaks seemingly ignored, August 24, 2023).
• Agreements signed by the ABSS Board of Education with Builder Services for mold remediation lacked firm limits on potential fees and violated certain statutory requirements. (County continues to express concern over ABSS’ “open-ended” mold contracts, December 28, 2023)
• Despite the Alamance County Board of Commissioners having appropriated $15.6 million for roof repairs over the past several years, the school system spent less than a third, $4.3 million. (County has given ABSS millions of dollars for roof work, but most of the work hasn’t even begun, February 3, 2024)

Lack of Performance

Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) reported alarming overall performance scores, with 17 of 35 traditional ABSS schools receiving Ds or Fs, and a declining four-year graduation rate for the second consecutive year. (Nearly half of county schools receive D & F school performance grades for 2022-23, September 7, 2023; Four-year graduation rate declines for second year in a row, September 7, 2023)

Governance and Transparency Issues

In May 2023, the ABSS Board of Education voted 6-0 to give Superintendent Dain Butler a huge raise, increasing his yearly salary to $218,400. (School board gives superintendent nearly $21k raise, May 25, 2023) That is $15,000+ more than the salary of the Governor of North Carolina, who receives $203,073. Questions about conflicts of interest arose when it became known that Chairman Sandy Ellington-Graves represented the Superintendent in not one, but two large real estate transactions in 2023. (Is it legal, appropriate for realtor ABSS board chairman to represent Supt. in real estate transactions? November 9, 2023)

The ABSS Board of Education’s 5-1 decision to institute fees for public records requests requiring more than four hours of staff time raised concerns about potential limitations on public access to information. Votes in favor of the new fees were cast by Ryan Bowden, Sandy Ellington-Graves, Chuck Marsh, Charles Parker, and Donna Westbrooks. The sole vote against was cast by Dan Ingle. (ABSS likely to start charging fees for public records requests, October 12, 2023; School board OKs new fees for ‘extensive’ public records requests, November 30, 2023) Not too long afterward, The Alamance News revealed that the school system had fallen victim to a phishing scam, resulting in an initial loss exceeding $302,000 in capital funding. Rather than being disclosed publicly, knowledge of the incident emerged following a request for public records. (ABSS falls for phishing scam, which costs $300K; insurance to cover loss, December 14, 2023)

Financial Mismanagement

The most recent audit revealed that ABSS had overspent its budget in the 2022-23 school year by approximately $743,000. (Audit: School system overspent last year’s budget, November 24, 2023) Perhaps not surprisingly, the North Carolina General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has recently been tasked with investigating the school system’s policies and financial decisions. (General Assembly commission to investigate ABSS finances, February 5, 2024)

These challenges collectively raise questions about the leadership and governance of the ABSS administration and Board of Education. The gap between their actions and their mission to “Engage and empower every student to learn and become knowledgeable, responsible community members” is evident, prompting reflection on the future of the school system and its leaders.