The Gaston County school board voted 6-3 Monday to name Morgen Houchard as the new superintendent, but the brief discussion leading up to the vote revealed a bitter split over the process of choosing him.
All members indicated they’ll support Houchard, a top administrator who has worked in the district for almost eight years. Two members indicated a different applicant had been the favorite until recently.
“This board handled this matter in an unethical way. As far as I’m concerned this has been the biggest joke I’ve ever been associated with,” said Tod Kinlaw, elected to the board in November.
The board has worked with the North Carolina School Boards Association since May to search for and hire a successor for Jeff Booker, who resigned in April. Discussions about the applicants have taken place in closed sessions to protect confidentiality, as allowed by law.
On Monday night it wasn't clear what Kinlaw was referring to. On Tuesday he told WFAE that the vote to hire Houchard took place in a closed session last month — a meeting where three of the nine members were absent, allowing four members to win the vote.
The public vote to approve a contract for Houchard took place at a special meeting Monday afternoon, with about 15 minutes spent in closed session before the board returned to open session. An audience of colleagues burst into applause and cheers when the motion was made to hire Houchard, who has been running auxiliary services and human resources.
Kinlaw said he has no ill will toward Houchard, but he said there had been a majority consensus earlier in the process. “We had members of this board who created controversy and hoodwinked some of us and took advantage of people not being present during our meeting,” he said, calling it a dirty and underhanded process.
Board member Robbie Lovelace said she was going to vote against the hire because “I was not present during the time that this was discussed and decided upon.”
Board member A.M. Stephens III also voiced concerns about the process, but said he supports Houchard.
“We did have a majority prior to a work session where our decision as a majority had been made, and then hijacked that decision,” Stephens said. “I don’t like the process that they took to get there. But I like the man that they chose, and I’m excited to work with him and I know he’s going to do what’s best for Gaston County Schools.”
Board Chair Jeff Ramsey said Houchard’s extensive experience with different roles in Gaston County Schools will serve him well in the top job.
“Dr. Houchard is the ideal person to serve as our superintendent. And we are confident that he will take us in new directions and begin moving us forward right away,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey, Stephens and Kinlaw did not return calls seeking more information about the process Monday night.
Ramsey, Stephens, Vice Chair Dot Cherry and members Josh Crisp, Lee Dedmon and Brent Moore voted to hire Houchard. Kinlaw, Lovelace and Dot Guthrie voted against him.
Guthrie, the board’s only Black member, spoke before the vote about the need to connect with the entire community and build trust.
“I hope that you will start, Dr. Houchard, start off knowing the community. Gaston County, not just a special population,” she said. “Sir, I am willing to support you 100%, but I want to know that our families are going to be supported by you.”
Houchard starts Feb. 19, and will make $210,000 a year. After the vote, he talked about the good experiences he, his wife and his daughters have had with Gaston County Schools.
“I am so proud to be a part of Gaston County Schools, and truly honored to be its next superintendent,” he said.
