By Stephen Smoot
“We ask that You bless this county, state, and country,” said J. D. Wilkins, president of the Pendleton County Board of Education, prior to its initial meeting for the month of May.
One of the key decisions made was one with tremendous support from all fields. Nicole Hevener, associate superintendent of schools, brought forward a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement between the county schools and Communities In Schools continues the working relationship between the two organizations.
Communities In Schools runs student assistance and support programs in every school in the county. The focus is on issues such as attendance and student well-being. County educators praise CIS for addressing non academic problems that students have, even down to fundamentals such as getting enough food to eat or providing personal hygiene products to those who lack them.
Charles Hedrick, superintendent of Pendleton County Schools, recommended a motion to approve. Sonny O’Neil, board member, responded by making the requested motion “with a hooray!” Katie Hott, also on the board, followed with “I second that hooray!”
Board members approved the motion with enthusiasm.
- P. Mowery, business manager for Pendleton County Schools, shared budgetary and other financial information. He noted in his report some spending highlights that included $6,321 to replace letters on the side of the Harold Michael Community Building in Circleville. Other expenses mentioned included $5,200 for a virtual tutoring program and $3,885.31 to pay for a county student’s participation in the Mountaineer Challenge Academy.
He then discussed the Guardian dental and vision plan. Employees remain free, but others would require a cost to be added to the program. Neither dental nor vision will increase for employees this year, but Mowery said, “This will probably be the last year at this rate.”
Next, Mowery showed dramatic changes in the cost of providing food to the county’s students. In fiscal year 2017, the year’s food cost hit $205,000. Numbers dipped in 2021 and 2022 due to lockdowns keeping kids from school at different times. The costs were $120,000 and $150,000 respectively.
In 2023, inflation and no lockdowns propelled costs to $320,000 with 2024 coming in at $350,000. The cost in the next fiscal year is expected to skyrocket to $391,000.
Mowery told the board that “challenges are kind of mushrooming on us in the past few years,” but overall, the budget is in solid shape. The school system projects an almost $20 million budget for the coming year with a healthy carry over of approximately $1.2 million from this fiscal year and more than $1 million in reserve.
“Is the budget balanced?” Mowery asked rhetorically, then answered “it is balanced. And with over a million in contingency funds.”
The preliminary budget is currently available for public inspection and comment and will be up for approval at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on May 21.
Board members then heard a short discussion from Mowery concerning enrollment changes over the decades. He reported that in 1993, Pendleton County Schools served approximately 1,500 students. Numbers have dropped significantly since then, with major declines tied to the closing of Hanover Shoe and the Sugar Grove Navy Base.
From approximately 2002 until this year, Pendleton County Middle/High School dropped from 589 to 381. Brandywine Elementary dropped from about 170 to a current number of 106. Franklin Elementary School fell from 406 to 260. “North Fork Elementary School has been the most stable over the past 25 years,” Mowery commented. In 2006, the student population there reached 118 and is currently at 107.
Toward the end of the meeting, Mowery suggested that the board grant permission to start the process of purchasing a new school bus. Hevener explained that “it takes so long to get the buses,” sometimes up to a year. Mowery mentioned the need “to get in line” and lock in the current purchase price of just less than $145,000
Travis Heavner in his facilities report shared that the school system used COPS grant funding to commence installation of access control badges. He said, “All of our teachers and staff have had an opportunity to get their badges made.” Chips placed in the badges will replace key fobs and the name of the user will appear when used. Additionally, training will start on the new alert system tied to the school’s office computer and classroom clocks.
Heavner described them as “simple alerts to direct teachers, staff, and students in case of emergency.”
He then briefly discussed the process of adopting new mathematics textbooks. Heavner shared that “our staff did a really good job analyzing the texts this year.” Four options were selected after the group examined the textbooks and observed demonstrations by publisher representatives.
