Union County Board of Education members and Board Office staff acknowledged student success and vital school partnerships in their first regular meeting of 2025 on Thursday, Jan. 23.
To start, UCMS seventh-grader Sadie Cochran received recognition for having been chosen in a competitive process to be the featured artist on the School System’s 2024 holiday card, which was mailed to more than 200 people in the county.
Continue reading with a subscription.
North Georgia News — serving Union County since 1909.
Cancel anytime.
Cochran painted a lovely mountain snow scene of a deer with a cardinal to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Next, the 2024 UCHS Softball Team was given major kudos for having a successful season that ended in a Sixth-Place finish in the AA State Tournament.
“They had an incredible season – they fought very hard all year,” Athletic Director Mandy Hunter said. “They started off strong and it got kind of rocky through the middle, but they definitely came together at the end when it counted in a crunch time.”
Softball players receiving certificates that evening were: seniors Lily Collins, Sloane Dyer, Lily Helton, Reese Kelley, Jordane Mullanack, Mikala Southern; juniors Peyton Grisham, Ayla Jamison, Zady Ludlum, Delaney Moses, Jade Passmore, Jaslyn Roberts; sophomores Ella Akins, Izzy Anthros, Jules Dyer; and freshmen Stella Collins, Lexi Davenport, Alani Gibson, Leighton Hunter, Kensley Payne and Addison Whitener.
Softball coaches were also recognized: Robby Roxbury, Kaitlyn Payne, Wade Hodges and Laken Boyett.
For its Partners in Education Awards, the board welcomed North Georgia Technical College Blairsville Campus Director Matthew Mashburn, as well as University of North Georgia Blue Ridge Campus Director Sandy Ott and Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Achievement Suzanne Jabaley. A Young Harris College representative was unable to attend.
“I wanted to talk about these folks, they are representative of our closest colleges, our Partners in Education that we work with,” School Director of Teaching and Learning CT Hussion said. “They’re on our College & Career Academy Board; they’ve been there since the very beginning and helped us get that going. They send student teachers to us all the time.”
Showcasing the impact of these partnering post-secondary institutions, Hussion asked people in attendance to stand up if they or their child had taken a dual enrollment course at Union County High, and at least half the room stood.
“We really appreciate everything that you all do – we couldn’t do it without you,” said Hussion, to which Superintendent John Hill added, “Anytime we call these guys, they answer the phone, they help us. They will move mountains for our children, and we truly appreciate you so much.”
Moving along, Hill spoke about the challenges of the extended school closure associated with the Jan. 10 snowstorm, adding that he had heard very positive feedback from parents who took advantage from the optional day on campus Jan. 17.
“I just want to reiterate that I appreciate the grace that parents have shown us,” Hill said. “When we make these decisions … I want you to know the level of ownership and thought we put into making a weather-related decision.
“Because your children … are the most important things that we have, and we have to keep them safe at all times. But we’ve got to balance that with getting them in school, getting them educated, getting them fed, keeping them warm and taking care of them.”
During the closures, the School Transportation Department purchased and installed a scrape blade on one of its trucks to help clear campus and dealt with a busted water pipe at the Union County Primary School amid extended subfreezing temperatures.
Director of Accountability and Compliance Dr. David Murphy gave an update on the nearly complete accreditation process through Cognia. He noted that the accreditation nonprofit is so impressed with Union County Schools that it wants to send staff here to take notes on how the local CTAE programs are run.
Part of finalizing the process is a charter renewal interview coming up Feb. 27, for which Murphy said Union County had been selected as one of two districts to receive an in-person interview, a clear nod to the quality of education available at the 2024 Georgia State Charter System of the Year.
The board watched a video highlighting construction progress at the new Union County Elementary School, which is taking shape nicely. The E-SPLOST project is still on schedule to open by Fall 2025 and continues to be under budget.
Also in the meeting, the School Board gave a vote of confidence in recent board leadership by returning Member Tony Hunter to the chairman position and Member Patrick White as vice chair.
The board also approved the Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Audit, the findings of which were presented by CPA Christopher McKellar of accounting firm Mauldin & Jenkins in the work session that preceded the regular meeting.
McKellar said the audit came back “clean,” that is, the district’s financial statements were accurate and complied with state accounting standards, and he thanked School Finance Director Karen Bundy and her staff for their assistance during the independent audit.
After hearing a presentation led by Assistant Facilities Director Derrick Pruitt, board members decided to table a decision on a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract to replace the aging bleachers at the UCHS gymnasium, citing the need for additional information on the available options.
The board also approved the 2025-2026 School Calendar and the Fiscal Year 2026 Board Meeting dates, as well as personnel recommendations for the next school year.
Public comments from the meeting are described at length in a separate article in this week’s newspaper.
