THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County Board of Commissioners in public session, Sept 15, 2026. | County video feed screenshot Government and Education — At Tuesday evening’s September public meeting, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners restored the $500,000 originally pulled from Cleveland County Schools in the FY2026-27 County Budget. Never mentioned, but buried in the consent agenda, Chairman of the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners sai

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Gardner-Webb University pictured in July, 2026. | Chuck Thompson BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – More shakeups are happening at Gardner-Webb University (GWU) as the school announced it had laid off roughly four percent of its workforce at the end of last week. After a university meeting on Thursday, layoffs commenced. Of the roughly 400 people employed at GWU, approximately 14 employees were no longer employed by the weekend. These layoffs,

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | The Shelby Independent State / Affects Local – Twenty years since launch with four scratch-off instant games, the North Carolina Education Lottery and its policy objective have reached a new crossroads courtesy of online slot machine gaming offering an 87% payout rate. In a performance audit report from first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek, he and his staff have recommended the Republican majority chambers of the Ge

Staff Reports | Cleveland County Schools Board of Education press release EDUCATION — The Cleveland County Board of Education is proud to share the outstanding academic progress achieved during the 2025–26 school year, following the official release of accountability data by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. District-wide Grade Level Proficiency rose by 7% compared to the previous 2024-25 school year, with Cleveland County Schools outperforming the North Ca

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Chief Financial Officer of CCS, Rob McDaniel, center white shirt, talks about the concerns of operating with $500,000 less than what the county gave CCS last year with state mandated pay raises during the Finance and Personnel committee meeting last Wednesday. However, the state did not supplement more money to the school systems to cover the raises this school year. | Chuck Thompson, Shelby Independent. Education — As summer ends

Staff reports | Cleveland Community College SHELBY, N.C. — Cleveland Community College (CCC) has been selected as a workforce development partner in the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas, known as the Carolinas Grid Engine, a regional initiative that could bring more than 10,000 jobs to the Carolinas while modernizing the nation’s electric grid, strengthening domestic energy supply chains, and preparing workers for high-demand energy careers. "As an organization

By Chuck Thompson | the Shelby Independent Dr. Stephen Fisher is awarded the honor of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Jack Copeland, Executive Director of NC School Superintendents Association. | Chuck Thompson Education – Monday’s Cleveland County Schools (CCS) Board of Education meeting was Dr. Stephen Fisher's last official regular scheduled public meeting as superintendent. At the June 8 meeting Dr. Fisher gave his last superintendent update to the board. On Feb. 27, 2

Staff reports | Pinnacle Classical Academy Pinnacle Classical Academy Class of 2026 Education – Sixty-eight seniors graduated from Pinnacle Classical Academy on May 30 in a ceremony in the school's gymnasium. Twenty-two of the 68 were part of the school's first kindergarten class in 2013, and 75% of the graduates received an associate's degree or certificate from Cleveland Community College along with their high school diploma. Commencement speaker Jeremy Tate, CEO of the C

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College President Dr. Jason Hurst has announced the President’s and Dean’s Lists for the Spring 2026 semester. To be named to the President’s List, students must carry a minimum of 12 credit hours and receive a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average. The following students were named to the President’s List (listed alphabetically) Follow The Shelby Independent on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To contact Chuck about a

By David Beasley | The Center Square A wall-mounted defibrillator device. Photo: Vladimir Srajber / Pexels | The Center Square. Education / Affects local – Two years ago, 13 North Carolina students suffered cardiac arrest while at school, one of whom died. Now, two state lawmakers want to ensure that all public schools – roughly 2,500 in total – stock defibrillators. The legislation, which has already passed the House,was sponsored by State Rep. Wyatt Gable, R-Jacksonville

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College honors 48 students at National Technical Honor Society induction ceremony. | CCC Cleveland Community College — CCC recognized 48 outstanding career and technical education students as the newest inductees into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) during a ceremony held Monday, May 4. The students were selected for membership based on their academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to excell

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent All CCS Board members unexpectedly raise their hands to vote 9-0 to the Marion Resolution presented Monday night. | CCS YouTube photo still Cleveland County Schools – It was a quiet uneventful vote Monday night, as the Cleveland County Schools voted on the resolution to move forward with the bid process to accept Jerry Allen’s bid on Marion School property. Unlike meetings in the past regarding Marion, it was a calm process, with

Staff Reports | Pinnacle Classical Academy The $28 million in loans made the building's construction and expansion possible. | Submitted photo: PCA Pinnacle Classical Academy – Federal, state, and local officials joined Sen. Debbie Clary, co-founder and board chair of Pinnacle Classical Academy, at the official dedication of Pinnacle Classical Academy's grade 4-12 school building at its Joes Lake Road campus on April 10. Sen. Clary thanked the USDA for the $28 million in

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | the Shelby Independent Education – Fifty-four percent of North Carolina public school high school graduates passed at least one-college level course while still in high school, education officials said Thursday. “For those who have been around a moment and have gray hair or less hair, understand the magnitude of that number, that percentage,” first-term Democratic Superintendent Mo Green told members of the state school bo

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – Five county school districts of low wealth in North Carolina have lost the plan for potentially billions of dollars in improvements following Thursday’s vacating of the historic Leandro case by the state Supreme Court. A 2022 decision by the bench, consisting of different justices, authorized funding. The General Assembly, by state statute, has appropriation authority and legislative leaders and t

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Crest fb page public courtesy photo CREST HIGH SCHOOL – A potential gunman at a school or a tornado; either one would frighten students, teachers and parents alike, but for both to happen at the same time, is both scary and yet a sigh of relief, once it was discovered the incident at Crest was a false alarm. As the skies swirled above southwest Cleveland County, an active shooter alert sounded in the classrooms at Crest High Scho

By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent The CCS Board of Education during their public meeting, March 9, 2026. The discussion over Marion took the main focus last night , as school board members made their thoughts known, keeping in line with where they had been before, months ago, with a few exceptions. Board of Education members Aaron Bridges and Gloria Sherman seemed to have shifted slightly, not in their sincerity to sell the building, but in shifting to supporting an open

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College – On Saturday, March 7, Cleveland Community College’s women’s basketball team captured the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Region 10 Championship with a victory over the Fayetteville Technical Community College Trojans. “This championship is a reflection of the work these players put in when nobody was watching,” said Head Coach Ford “Scooter” Lawrence. “They earned this

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College (CCC) has received a $10,000 community investment from AT&T to expand its Digital Navigator Program, further strengthening digital access and literacy efforts for adult learners and community members throughout Cleveland County. CCC is one of only eight colleges selected to receive this funding. On Tuesday, February 24, Kathleen Evans, Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T, accompanied by Chrisy

Staff Reports | Cleveland County Schools Board of Education Dr. Stephen Fisher's will retire as Superintendent effective July 1, 2026. Courtesy photo SHELBY, NC — In a press release late Friday afternoon, the Cleveland County Board of Education announced the upcoming retirement of Superintendent Dr. Stephen R. Fisher, effective July 1, 2026. The statement said: Dr. Fisher is a beloved leader whose unwavering commitment to students, educators, and families has cultivated e