Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When heavy rains washed out sections of roads and flooded parts of Pocahontas County a few weeks ago, several buildings at Pocahontas County High School were affected by the high water.
At the July 6 Pocahontas County Board of Education meeting, superintendent Terrence Beam gave a report on the damage and the efforts to get the school ready for students and staff to return in August.
“We are seeking emergency funding from the SBA [School Building Authority] to help with the cost of that,” he said. “We’ve got some real concerns up there with the sewer system and damage that may or may not have been done to that. With school coming up in about another month, we’re really starting to be concerned about it being ready when school starts.”
Along with the sewer system concerns, there was water in the vocational building, causing damage to two classrooms, as well as water in the main building.
“We’re working on that right now – as far as trying to get the high school ready to open up for school.”
With the 2021-2022 school year fast approaching, there are other concerns that Beam hopes will be addressed and finalized before the year begins.
At this time, there are between 12 and 15 positions yet to be filled, including several teaching positions and the principal’s job at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
Beam said he and board office directors Ruth Bland and Lynn Bostic will interview two applicants for the principal position next week, but if neither of those applicants are qualified, he is looking into other possibilities to fill the position.
“I have to kind of play chess and think what’s going to happen if we don’t recommend anyone,” he said. “None of our principals want to apply for this job, so where do we go from there? The principals start three weeks from Thursday.”
Beam said he reached out to board attorney Jason Long to discuss the possibility of hiring an individual who will receive their administration degree in December.
“We have three or four other people that are in our system working right now that will be certified to be a principal in December,” Beam explained. I know at least two of those are definitely interested in getting a principal’s job as soon as they can.”
Beam said if one of those individuals is hired into the position to start in August, he has asked Bland – who served as principal at GBEMS previously – to be a mentor and work at GBEMS during the first semester.
“It is a possibility we could do that,” he said. “The state department probably would not care because we would have a certified principal on the grounds who would be mentoring them as they go along. The other option is just trying to find a retired principal to come up and sub.”
Beam is hopeful that one of the applicants going through the interview process will be recommended for the position, but he added that he is not going to put someone into the position that is not a good fit.
“Filling that job is not going to be an easy thing,” he said. “We said that from day one. I’m not going to recommend either of these people Thursday if I’m not convinced that they can do the job. I would rather wait for the right person than hire just anybody to get them up there. That won’t work.”
Beam also reported on the American Rescue Plan – which is a plan detailing how the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER] Fund money will be spent on Pocahontas County Schools. The plan has been submitted to the West Virginia Department of Education and is out on public comment on the Pocahontas County Schools website.
It may be reviewed at pocahontas-k12.wvnet.edu/boe for those interested in reading the plan and making comments. The links are outlined in neon green on the website to attract attention. The comment period will end July 20.
During the hear callers portion of the agenda, agriculture education teacher Erwin Berry addressed this board and asked it to consider changing the term of employment on the agriculture education teaching position from 220 days to at least 240 days.
Berry is retirin, and he said he is concerned it will be hard to fill the position. He has talked to several applicants who took jobs elsewhere because the term of employment was longer which led to a higher salary. He explained that he was fine with being a 220 employee and working more days than that because that was what he needed to do for his students.
Beam said that he kept the posting at 220 days because he didn’t want to offend Berry by offering more days – and therefore more pay – to a new employee. Beam added that if the board does choose to change the term of employment, it is possible.
Beam suggested that the board keep the position at 220 days and offer to extend the employment period if the new teacher does a good job of continuing the program that Berry rebuilt. Board president Sue Hollandsworth said she liked that suggestion.
At this time, there are applicants for the 220 day position, so the board decided to keep the position as is, but if none of those applicants are hired for the position, the board will reexamine the positing and consider changing the term of employment.
In miscellaneous management, the board approved the following:
• addition of AP Physics I to the curriculum at Pocahontas County High School for the 2021-2022 school year.
• Travelers Insurance Company to provide Workers’ Compensation Insurance Policy at an annual premium rate of $33,087 for the 2021-2022 school year.
• purchase of two Blue Bird gasoline powered 77-passenger Vision conventional school buses for Pocahontas County Schools at $87,496 per unit, at a total purchase cost of $174,992.
• agreement between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Pocahontas County Parks and Recreation regarding the use and funding of the Wellness Center in Marlinton, effective July 6, continuing to June 30, 2022.
• updated/revised Neola policy for the 2021-2022 school year – po3120.12 – Substitutes in areas of Critical Need and Shortage.
• Dr. Sue E. Hollands-worth to continue as the Pocahontas County Board of Education representative on the Southern Educational Services Cooperative [SESC] Committee for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
• H. Samuel Gibson to continue as the Pocahontas County Board of Education representative on the West Virginia Extension Office Committee for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
• Morgan G. McComb to continue as the Pocahontas County Board of Education representative on the Day Report Committee for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
• signing of deed, Tract B-2.2 acres, more or less, from the Green Bank Slaven Property to Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority.
In personnel management, the board approved the following:
• Resignation of Julia A. Shifllet as athletic director for Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, effective at the end of the 2020-2021 athletic season.
• Resignation of Deborah A. Wolfe-Irvine, due to retirement, as physical education teacher at Marlinton Elementary School, effective June 30.
• Requested transfer of Laura M. Pritt as teacher of multi-subjects at Hillsboro Elementary School to teacher of multi-subjects – providing physical education – at Marlinton Elementary School at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Employment of Melissa S. Murphy as teacher of multi-subjects at Marlinton Elementary School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Resignation of Royal C. Shearer, due to retirement, as custodian III, at Marlinton Middle School, effective June 30.
• Employment of Loretta L. Irvine as custodian III at Marlinton Middle School, at state basic pay, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 220 days.
• Resignation of Phifer E. Berry, IV, due to retirement, as teacher of agricultural education at Pocahontas County High School, effective July 31.
• Abolishment of position teacher of music at Pocahontas County High School, effective July 1.
• Abolishment of position of Pocahontas County High School band director, extra-curricular, effective July 1.
• Creation of position teacher of music/band director at Pocahontas County High School, at state minimum salary based on degree and experience plus equity and additional supplement of $1,800 for the band director portion of the position, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 220 days.
• Employment of Joseph P. Rose as custodian III at Pocahontas County High School, at state basic pay, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 220 days.
• Requested transfer Ashley Wilt-Smith as itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aid at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School to itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Hillsboro Elementary School, at state basic pay, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Requested transfer of Cynthia J. Landis as cafeteria manager at Hillsboro Elementary School to itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Marlinton Elementary School, at state basic pay, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Employment Tomma J. Johnson as itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, at state basic pay, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Employment of Michael D. Sharp as half-time custodian III at Hillsboro Elementary School and half-time custodian III/truck driver/ groundsman at the central office, at state basic salary, effective for the 2021-2022 school year. Term of employment is 220 days.
• Employment of Deborah A. Wolfe-Irvine as an academic interventionist at Marlinton Elementary School, effective August 23 through May 13, 2022, at $22 per hour, three-and-a-half hours per day, up to five days per week, as needed, not to exceed $12,000.
• Employment of Goldie L. Greene as band day camp cafeteria manager at Pocahontas County High School, at state minimum salary, effective Sunday through Thursday, July 25-29. Wages are contingent upon actually working the band camp program.
The next board meeting will be Tuesday, July 20, at 6 p.m. at the board of education conference room.