Immediately following the work session, the Pocahontas County Board of Education met in regular session on Monday, August 11, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the Pocahontas County Board of Education Conference Room with the following members present:
Emery G. Grimes, President
Cheryl M. Beverage)
Jessica Hefner)Members
Suzanne Stewart)
Steven C. Tritapoe)
INTERVIEW OF INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN FILLING THE VACANT BOARD OF EDUCATION SEAT…
Steven C. Tritapoe, a resident of the southern district of Pocahontas County, interviewed for the Board of Education seat vacated by Janet E. McNeel, representative of the southern district of Pocahontas County.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
On motion of Ms. Beverage, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously approved a call for Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter. The Board went into Executive Session at 6:15 PM, and at the conclusion of the Executive Session, on motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board agreed to return to the agenda at 7:02 PM.
APPOINTMENT OF REPLACEMENT BOARD MEMBER
On motion of Ms. Beverage, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously appointed Steven C. Tritapoe as replacement Board of Education Member to fill the seat vacated by Janet E. McNeel, representative of the southern district of Pocahontas County, effective August 11, 2014 until such time as a successor is elected and certified (per WV Code 18-5-2).
MINUTES
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approved the Minutes from the Board of Education Meeting held on Monday, July 21, 2014 at the Board of Education Conference Room.
MINUTES
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Beverage, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously approved the Minutes of the regular Board of Education meeting held on July 28, 2014 at the Board of Education Conference Room.
AGENDA
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Beverage, seconded by Mr. Tritapoe, the Board unanimously approved the agenda.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Superintendent Bechtel introduced P. Erwin Berry, the new Teacher of Agriculture Education at Pocahontas County High School. Dr. Bechtel stated that Mr. Berry is beginning his 32nd year as an educator, he has been awarded the John Deere Regional Agricultural Educator award in 1986, Agriculture Teacher of the year in 1996, runner-up Teacher of the Year in 1996, and had the first hydroponic greenhouse in a school. Dr. Bechtel said that Mr. Berry is a ‘possibility thinker’ and he is very excited to him join the staff at Pocahontas County High School.
Superintendent Bechtel then introduced Mr. Michael Adkins. Dr. Bechtel stated that he is recommending Mr. Adkins for the position of Assistant Principal at Pocahontas County High School. Dr. Bechtel did say that Mr. Adkins traveled over 20 hours from Texas to interview for the position of Assistant Principal at Pocahontas County High School. He has taught in Japan on two separate occasions, and this would be his first administrative position. Dr. Bechtel stated that he felt Mr. Adkins holds a wealth of knowledge.
HEAR CALLERS
Jennifer Beverage approached the Board to discuss the Pocahontas County Youth Football League. Ms. Beverage stated that the insurance policy covering the players expires in September 2014.
Ms. Beverage also told the Board that the parents were pleased with the schedule that Ricky Sharp, principal, had developed for the fifth grade students at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School.
INFORMATION/REPORTS/UPDATES…
Ronald G. Hall, Director of Maintenance, addressed the Board with an update on the improvement and repair projects at school facilities.
Mr. Hall began by commending the county’s custodians. He said that the custodians do a wonderful job of making old and crumbling building look new. He said that it was their dedication and hard work that has kept the buildings from being in a state of disrepair.
Mr. Hall said that the roof on the gym/music room at Marlinton Elementary School was leaking. He pointed out that the roof has far surpassed its life expectancy. He provided the Board with a sample of a silicone based roofing material that he believes would be ideal for replacing the roof. He said that replacing the entire roof would be extremely expensive, so, as a cost saving measure, he suggested just replacing the seams of the roof with the silicone based material. He noted that this would cost approximately one-third of the cost of replacing the entire roof.
Next, he updated the Board on the state of the facilities at Pocahontas County High School.
He said that there is fresh water seeping into the sewer system. Head custodian, Morgan McComb contacted West Virginia Rural Water Association to complete a smoke test to identify leaks in the system. Mr. Hall stated that Mr. McComb found a complete sewer systems in Webster County that the entity was willing to give away for free. Pocahontas County Schools is second in line for the system, if the competing company decides the system is not suitable for its uses, then Pocahontas County Schools will be next in line.
Mr. Hall stated that he is not happy with the abuse the field house at Pocahontas County High School has taken. He agreed that the repairs were not made to the highest standard, however, the students have not been held accountable for the damages caused. Mr. Hall stated that the field house should be able to be shut down completely during the winter months. This will require some thought and planning as to where the football players should weight-train, but thinks this would be best for the building and cost of heating and possible repairs due to burst pipes and water leaks.
Mr. Hall told the Board that the roof at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School required extensive repairs to the roof. Mr. Hall stated that he found a company that could repair the gymnasium roof, and do a quality job for approximately $5,900 – he said that he will, of course, advertise the repairs for bid.
Mr. Hall said that the maintenance crew and custodians do a wonderful job of keeping the schools looking like new – other counties have newer schools in worse conditions.
Mr. Hall then told the Board that the maintenance men have been pulled away from their tasks periodically to deliver commodities for food service. He stated that he is not allowing the maintenance crew to deliver commodities any more. The crew consists of two people and there are too many repairs needed and not enough time for them to be done.
APPROVAL OF REVENUE & EXPENDITURE SUMMARY AND BANK RECONCILIATION…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Beverage, the Board unanimously approved the Revenue & Expenditure Summary and Bank Reconciliation for June 2014.
APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF VENDOR LISTING OF CLAIMS…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Tritapoe, the Board unanimously approved payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $19,452.68.
APPROVAL TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF VENDOR LISTING OF CLAIMS …
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Mr. Tritapoe, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approved to authorize payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $27,758.64.
APPROVAL TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF VENDOR LISTING OF CLAIMS (LOCAL GOVERNMENT PURCHASING CARD)…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously approved to authorize payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $7,775.18.
APPROVAL TO ABOLISH POLICY…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Beverage, the Board unanimously approved to abolish Policy GBQC – Critical Needs/Shortage – Substitute Teachers.
APPROVAL FOR MELISSA FERRELL TO ENROLL HER CHILD IN POCAHONTAS COUNTY SCHOOLS…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Mr. Tritapoe, the Board unanimously approved for Melissa Ferrell, a resident of Greenbrier County, to enroll her child in Pocahontas County Schools, effective for the 2014-2015 school year.
APPROVAL TO ACCEPT BIDS…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Ms. Beverage, the Board unanimously approved to accept bid from Woodford Oil Company for diesel, gasoline, and #2 heating oil, per the terms of the bid; effective August 15, 2014 through August 14, 2015.
APPROVAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION SCHEDULE…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously approved the Continuing Education Schedule for August 12, 2014 and August 13, 2014.
APPROVAL CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND McCOY COUNSELING SERVICES….
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Beverage, seconded by Mr. Tritapoe, the Board unanimously approved the contract between Pocahontas County Board of Education and McCoy Counseling Services, to provide training for staff of Green Bank Elementary – Middle School on August 13, 2014. Pocahontas County Schools will compensate McCoy Counseling Services with a fee not to exceed $300, all costs included. Fees will be paid through Title I funds.
APPROVAL OF CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND RITA FORNEY….
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Mr. Tritapoe, seconded by Ms. Stewart, the Board unanimously approved the contract between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Rita Fortney, M.S. CCC/SLP to provide speech/language pathology and other evaluation services to students enrolled with Pocahontas County Schools, at the rate of $75 per hour for speech/language pathology evaluations, speech/language pathology therapy and speech/language consultation (including IEP and SAT meetings) not to exceed $15,000 (4.5 hours per week for 40 weeks), effective for the period of August 18, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
APPROVAL OF CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND MELANIE MASON….
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Ms. Beverage, the Board unanimously approved the contract between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Melanie Mason, PT, to provide physical therapy services for Pocahontas County Schools, at the rate of $110 per hour with a minimum of 5 hours per week, not to exceed $9,000 for the period of August 18, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
APPROVAL OF CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND KIMBERLY ROBIN GROVES, PTA ….
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approved the contract between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Kimberly Robin Groves, PTA, to provide physical therapy services, as requested, at the rate of $85 per hour with a minimum of 2 hours per week, not to exceed $10,000 for the period of August 18, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND DAVID B. WAMSLEY…
On motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approved the contractbetween Pocahontas County Board of Education and David B. Wamsley, Certified/Licensed School Psychologist, to provide Psychoeducational Assessment services for the Pocahontas County school system during the 2014-2015 school year, at the rate of $325 per Psychoeducational Assessment and $45 per Rating Scale, the rate for conferences and consultation assigned by the Special Education Director will be renumerated at $95 per hour, not to exceed $2,500 – it is understood that a minimum of four hours consultation fee shall be due in the event that no other services, including Psychoeducational Assessments, are rendered on the same day.
APPROVAL OF CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND CHRISTINE A. SMITH…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approve the contract between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Christine A. Smith, to provide gifted services and other evaluation services to students enrolled with Pocahontas County Schools, at the rate of $275 per day for gifted services, evaluations, and consultation (including IEP and SAT meetings), not to exceed $12,000 (1 day per week for 40 weeks), for the period of August 18, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
APPROVAL OF CONTRACT BETWEEN PCBOE AND NANCY T. MARTIN…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Mr. Tritapoe, the Board unanimously approved the contract between the Pocahontas County Board of Education and Nancy Martin, to provide Technology Support Assistant Services to the schools within Pocahontas County Schools, at the rate of $200 per day, not to exceed $28,000 (140 days) for the period of August 12, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
APPROVAL OF MOU BETWEEN PCBOE AND NCWVCAA, INC. HEAD START PROGRAM…
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Stewart, seconded by Ms. Hefner, the Board unanimously approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Pocahontas County Board of Education and North Central West Virginia Community Action Association, Inc. – Head Start Program for services described in the memorandum of understanding, retroactive to July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2016, negotiated annually.
PERSONNEL
On recommendation of the superintendent and motion of Ms. Hefner, seconded by Ms. Beverage, the Board unanimously approved the following professional and service personnel.
Green Bank Elementary – Middle School:EMPLOYMENT: / LUCY M. RITTENHOUSE, as Academic Interventionist at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
EMPLOYMENT: / SHANNON B. BIRCHER, as Academic Interventionist at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
EMPLOYMENT: / ABRAM J. RITTENHOUSE, as Teacher of Health/Physical Education/Social Studies at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective August 12, 2014 for the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 200 days.
EMPLOYMENT: / ALISON FLEGEL, as Teacher of Art (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective August 12, 2014 for the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, term of employment: 200 one-half days.
REQUESTED
TRANSFER: / VALERIE H. LAMBERT, from Cook II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School to Cook II at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective August 12, 2014 for the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic pay, term of employment – 200 days. Shift: 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM
ABOLISHMENT OF
POSITION: / Cook II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective for the 2014-2015 school year. (Pending approval of requested transfer of Valerie H. Lambert from Cook II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School to Cook II at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School.)
ABOLISHMENT OF POSITION: / Secretary II/Accountant II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, effective for the 2014-2015 school year. (Pending approval of requested transfer of Sarah E. Hamilton from Secretary II/Accountant II (half time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School to Secretary II/Accountant II at Hillsboro Elementary School.)
CREATION OF
POSITION: / Cook II/Secretary II/Accountant II at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, at state basic pay, effective August 27, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 195 days (NOTE: Term of employment shall be 215 days each year thereafter.) (Pending abolishment of Cook II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School and abolishment of Secretary II/Accountant II (half-time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School.)
CREATION OF
POSITION: / Classroom Aide/Bus Aide at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, at state basic pay, effective August 27, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 190 days. (NOTE: Position pending on more than 33 students enrolled in Kindergarten at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School.) Shift: 7:40 AM – 3:40 PM
Hillsboro Elementary School:
EMPLOYMENT: / LINDA H. VANREENEN, as Academic Interventionist at Hillsboro Elementary School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
REQUESTED
TRANSFER: / SARAH E. HAMILTON, from Secretary II/Accountant II (half time) at Green Bank Elementary – Middle School, to Secretary II/Accountant II at Hillsboro Elementary School, effective August 12, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 205 days (NOTE: Term of employment shall be 215 days each year thereafter). Shift: 8:15 AM – 4:15 PM
Marlinton Elementary School:
EMPLOYMENT: / TERESA W. BARB, as Academic Interventionist at Marlinton Elementary School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
EMPLOYMENT: / LYANNE B. ZELINSKY, as Academic Interventionist at Marlinton Elementary School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
CREATION OF
POSITION: / Teacher of Multi-Subjects at Marlinton Elementary School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective August 27, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 190 days (NOTE: Term of employment shall be 200 days each year thereafter).
Marlinton Middle School:
EMPLOYMENT: / JEAN O. SRODES, as Academic Interventionist at Marlinton Middle School, effective August 25, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – three hours per day, as needed – not to exceed $8,400.
Pocahontas County High School:
EMPLOYMENT: / MICHAEL ADKINS, as Assistant Principal at Pocahontas County High School, at a salary pursuant to WV Code 18A-4-2, in accordance with Pocahontas County Administrative Salary Schedule, commensurate with experience and educational level, effective August 12, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 210 days (NOTE: Term of employment shall be 210 days each year thereafter).
Pocahontas County Schools:
EMPLOYMENT: / Of the following as Parent Involvement Coordinator for Pocahontas County Schools, effective August 12, 2014 – May 8, 2015, at $20 per hour – 250 hours – not to exceed $5,000. Schedule to be determined by the Director of Federal Programs, but cannot be extended beyond May 8, 2015:
M. Susan Arbogast
Lucy M. Rittenhouse
RESIGNATION: / KENNETH VARNER, as Substitute School Bus Operator for Pocahontas County Schools, retroactive to August 5, 2014.
EMPLOYMENT: / Of the following as Substitute Teacher for Pocahontas County Schools, effective August 12, 2014, as needed, for the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic pay.
Edward R. Hill
Linda Wilfong
TEMPORARY
EXTENSION OF
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: / GARY BEVERAGE, as Technology Systems Specialist, from a beginning date of August 12, 2014, to a beginning date retroactive to August 5, 2014, effective only for the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic salary based on degree and experience.
CREATION OF
POSITION: / Itinerant Special Education Classroom Aide/Bus Aide for Pocahontas County Schools (assignment Marlinton Elementary School), at state basic pay, effective August 25, 2014 for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, term of employment: 191 days (NOTE: Term of employment shall be 200 days each year thereafter). Shift: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT