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Burke Co. school board member sworn in

By Steve Ohnesorge - bio l email

MORGANTON, NC  (WBTV) – Just one week after the election, the changes have begun for the Burke County School Board.

Susan Stroup, who overwhelmingly defeated board chair Tracy Norman for the western seat on the board, was sworn in Tuesday afternoon by County Commission Chair Ruth Ann Suttle.

Stroup was a member of the so called “SWAT” team that wanted to unseat the board majority to change the direction of the School Board.

They were upset with the majority after the ouster of popular superintendent David Burleson and court battles that have cost the school system tens of thousands of dollars.  

The SWAT Team consisted of two newcomers, including Stroup and two incumbents. They all won their respective races by landslide margins of close to nine to one.

Stroup won the seat that was vacated when another board member resigned in April and the man appointed to replace him, John Aulgar, decided not to run. 

Two years were left on the term and Stroup would have to run again in 2011, if she wants to remain on the board. 

Because of the circumstances involved in that race, Stroup was allowed to be sworn in as soon as the votes were certified.

The Board of Elections in Burke County completed its work just after eleven in the morning and signed the paperwork making the vote totals official.

The other members of the SWAT team, newcomer Catherine Thomas, incumbents Sam Wilkinson and Buddy Armour, will be sworn in during a special ceremony at Heritage Middle School on December 3.

It will not be a regular board meeting, but Wilkinson says the public will be allowed to speak up and tell the new board what it expects of them.

Wilkinson says there will be no time limit on the comment period and “we’ll go all night if we have to and order breakfast if need be.”

Absent from the swearing in ceremony Tuesday was the new superintendent Arthur Stellar, and the current majority block on the board. 

People on hand said they didn’t expect those officials to show up, especially current board Chair Tracy Norman.

Jimmy Steele, who supported and campaigned for the SWAT ticket, said in regards to Tracy Norman, “She got beat so bad if I was here I wouldn’t show up either, I guess.” 

When new board member Stroup was asked about the absence of Norman and the others she said “it’s possible they had other things planned before this was scheduled, but we still want to reach out to them and cooperate and try to find a way to work together.”

After the new board is sworn in, the first official meeting will be December 7.

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