RAEFORD — The Hoke County Schools Board of Education has a new chairman.
At the board’s Dec. 9 meeting, the board elected Ruben Castellon as the new board chair, taking over the role from Catherine Blue.
“I appreciate the board’s confidence in me in this important role,” Castellon said. “I truly hope that in the next 11 months, we move forward and do everything we can for the students, staff, faculty and the parents.”
Castellon was elected in by a 3-2 vote, receiving support from Blue and Angela Southerland.
Board member Rosa McAllister-McRae received two votes for chair.
In addition, Southerland was voted in as the vice chair, with Jessica Brown and McAllister-McRae voting against her nomination. Southerland served as board chair two years ago.
The board was also briefed on potential renovations for some Hoke County High School restrooms.
“There are two restrooms located in the guidance hallway at Hoke County High School,” said Assistant Superintendent Chad Hunt. “They are currently nonfunctional, and they’re in need of a full renovation. The goal is to get these restrooms upgraded to meet ADA requirements as well as to support daily use from our students on campus.”
The district put out a request for proposals and after getting no responses to it the first time, they received one response the second time around by Thomas Plumbing.
The company’s proposal was to complete the project for $149,000, as $150,000 was allocated for the renovations by the county commissioners as part of the school system’s capital project master plan, along with a potential $16,000 additional add-on of a mini-split system for the HVAC.
Thomas Plumbing stated it would complete the project by May 1 and are also offering a 12‑month warranty period.
District staff plan to go back before the commissioners and ask for capital project budget funding to be reallocated to afford the add-on.
“We’re going to present the information back to the Hoke County Commissioners and inform them of the amount of money that we have saved throughout the projects over the timeline so far this year and request that we are allowed to reallocate the money into other projects,” Hunt said.
The Hoke County Schools Board of Education will next meet Jan. 13.
