Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The Pocahontas County Board of Education met July 21, where Superintendent Leatha Williams provided training information to the board concern- ing special education and Local School Improvement Councils – (LSICs).
Williams also gave information about the Individuals with Disabilities and Exceptionalities Act and explained the services schools are required to provide to students with IEPs – Individual Education Plans.
Each student with an IEP has a plan that includes their evaluations and medical records that correspond to their disability or exceptionality. Those plans are available for parents to review with the teachers and principals as they see fit.
Williams also explained that there are levels to the IEPs and while the county receives funding for all students, the Level 3 students require more assistance and special programs that cost more than a Level 1 student.
In the LSIC training, Williams provided information about who serves on a schools LSIC and when they are to meet.
The training was for the new board members who took their positions at the beginning of July, as well as a refresher course for the board members they joined.
Williams also reported that she received a closing letter from the state concerning the Special Education On-Site Monitoring. The letter stated that the school system has completed its requirements and the monitoring has come to a close.
In updates:
• Director of Maintenance Duane Gibson gave a report on the projects taking place this summer at all five school facilities, including upgrades to classrooms and maintenance to the door locks and restrooms. There will also be window tinting at all schools for safety.
Gibson also shared a rundown of the electric bills for the field house at Pocahontas County High School.
In the rundown, Gibson had monthly electric bills dating back to 2022. He explained that the 2026 bills have increased exponentially, with the month of January being $4,830.49. This is compared to $1,969.39 in January of 2025.
Gibson said he does not know exactly why the field house electricity costs this much, but he is doing more research and said he hopes to find a reason and possible fix for the issue.
• Julie Dunlap, Director of Child Nutrition, gave a report on the proposed revisions to the Hope Scholarship Policy. Dunlap explained that she researched other counties in West Virginia and said that each county has its own requirements and that there is not a uniform policy across the state.
Dunlap explained several of the requirements for students who receive the Hope Scholarship who are homeschooled but still want to participate in a class or extracurricular activity at the public schools. Those include sharing their immunization status, paying for breakfast and/or lunch if they wish to eat at school and the parents or guardian are responsible for transporting the student to and from the school and to arrive no more than 15 minutes prior to the class or activity.
The policy will be posted for a 30-day comment period.
In new business, the board approved the following:
• Memorandum of Understanding between West Virginia Mountain State Academy SESC and Pocahontas County Schools.
• Contract between West Virginia School Building Authority and Pocahontas County Board of Education for a $918,086 grant.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Marshall University and Pocahontas County Board of Education.
• Sanitary sewer easement agreement between Pocahontas County Board of Education and the Town of Marlinton.
• to place proposed Policy Revision 9270: Home Instruction, on public comment.
In personnel management, the board approved the following:
• Employment of David Gibb as teacher of behavior support at Hillsboro Elementary School, for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Requested transfer of Krystal Lewis from special education/multi-categorical at Marlinton Middle School to teacher of second grade at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• Employment of Dreama Sharp as instructor of criminal justice at Pocahontas County High School for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Resignation of Michael McWilliams as assistant principal/athletic director for countywide secondary schools, effective July 1.
• Resignation of Glenn Jackson as teacher of multi-subjects at Marlinton Middle School, effective July 15.
• Employment of Cindy Solak as head principal at Marlinton Elementary School, for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Employment of Shannon Arbogast as $1 assistant basketball coach at Pocahontas County High School for the 2026-2027 season.
• Employment of Bridget Koerber as $1 assistant football coach at Pocahontas County High School, for the 2026-2027 season.
• Employment of Heather Kerr as head cheer coach at Pocahontas County High School, for the 2026-2027 season.
The next board meeting is Tuesday, August 4, at 6 p.m. at the board of education conference room in Buckeye.
