Pitt County Board of Education approves revised capital requests, open‑enrollment list and early‑college calendars; moves to closed session

The Pitt County Board of Education met in a special session on Feb. 6, 2026, and approved routine business before taking action on facilities, enrollment, calendars and strategic planning.

Erin Erickson told the board the district completed gym renovations at Ada Middle, Farmville Middle and Welcome Middle and said the projects came in well under budget. "Our actual final cost was $884,262.20," Erickson said, adding that the district's revised balance in the Public School Building Renovation and Repair fund is "$1,108,876.76." Erickson asked the board to authorize submission of revised funding requests for two planned projects — he cited an estimated $640,000 (including design fees) for Aden Middle's HVAC replacement and an estimated $445,000 (including design fees) for the E.B. Cox gym-floor replacement. James moved to approve the request Erickson presented; Mary seconded and the motion passed.

The board then considered the proposed 2026–27 open-enrollment and school lottery list. Sarah English said, "All of our high schools, with the exception of DH Connolly High School, is on the open enrollment list with all grade levels open at this time," and described several elementary-level changes, including the grade span listed for Pactolus Global. Board members asked whether the district could provide clearer, public-facing information about which schools have open seats; English said principals monitor capacity and staff will work to signal when schools approach maximum capacity. Benjie moved to approve the proposed open-enrollment and lottery list; James Cook seconded, and the board approved the list.

Dr. Kamara Roach presented proposed calendars for Innovation Early College High School and Pitt Early College High School for 2026–27, noting the calendars were aligned "for transportation purposes, just trying to be a little more efficient." Roach said both schools' first student day would be Aug. 6 and the last student day would be May 20, with matching semester and winter-break dates. Amy moved to approve the calendars; Jennifer seconded and the motion passed (board members recorded as seven in favor where noted).

On strategy, Dr. Matkins provided a midyear update on development of the district's five-year strategic plan. Staff reported roughly 24 focus groups with 388 participants and about 4,500 survey responses, describing emerging priorities including community partnerships and engagement; communication, transparency and trust; equity and student supports; facilities and technology; mental health and student well-being; academic rigor; and teacher recruitment, retention and support. Matkins said staff will refine the data, set priorities and develop measurable goals for the final plan.

Staff also reviewed upcoming engagement dates for the district's "Road Ahead" series and described plans for a Feb. 16 legislative lunch at South Central High School — staff recommended inviting one teacher from each school, parents, business partners and student presenters to attend the meeting with legislators, while limiting unscheduled public questioning of legislators during the board's session. The board scheduled a retreat for March 2 from 12–5 p.m.

At the end of the public portion of the special-called meeting, a motion was made and seconded to enter closed session pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §143-318.11 to discuss confidential personnel matters and to consult with the board's attorney regarding potential or actual claims; the board voted with all seven members present in favor and entered closed session.