By Stephen Smoot
The Pendleton County Board of Education held its initial meeting for July and also for fiscal year 2027 last week. J. D. Wilkins, board president, opened the meeting with the customary invocation, praying, “We thank You for the opportunity to see our nation’s 250th birthday and we thank You for everything that took place there.”
Katie Hott and Wilkins, along with Marilyn Propst, newly elected board member, took the oath of office. Nominations were made and accepted for board president and vice president. Wilkins accepted nomination and election as president with Sonny O’Neil as vice president.
O’Neil was confirmed to accept an appointment to the EPIC board of directors. Hott returned to the 4-H committee with Wilkins to the South Branch Career and Technical School board of directors and Betty Kimble to the Pendleton County Foundation.
Board members heard a presentation on the 2026 edition of Energy Express by Shay Dove. The Franklin Elementary School teacher also led classes with Energy Express. This discussion included the reasons behind the program, operated by West Virginia University Extension with community partners.
These partners include Greer Lime, South Branch Ruritan Club, Pendleton County Commission, Pendleton County Family Support Center, American Woodmark, Bruce Alt, Sugar Grove Lions Club. Burke and Herbert, Modern Woodmen, Hott’s Ag Service, and Franklin Moose Lodge.
Energy Express has the twin goals of providing nutritional meals during summer break that some children may not have the opportunity to get otherwise. The program also aims to “stop the slide,” or the loss of fundamental academic skills over the summer.
Dove cited studies that showed many children do not get read to during the summer months. “They’re not reading in the summer. That interested me enough to apply for the job and go to the trainings,” she said. She then discussed a couple of things that made her fall in love with Energy Express.
One of the best pieces of news lay in the fact that the program hit maximum enrollment with 32 students. Each program can have eight children per adult mentor and currently only four are working with the program. They hope to recruit more next year to also expand the number of students they can serve in Energy Express.
“We have 20 from Franklin Elementary, 10 from Brandywine, and two from North Fork, which makes me sad,” shared Dove. She speculated that news of the program may not have reached enough parents in that area. Later, she stated that “Pendleton County has a culture (where) you have to come in and work to show everybody that it works before people buy in.”
Dove added as well that “when I applied for this job, I said I was just the kind of kid that needed it.”
Mentors from the program included Paigelyn Long, who graduated from Pendleton County Middle/High School in 2025 and has an associate’s degree in education from Potomac State. She will further her education at Concord University. Vivian Pownell graduated from PCM/HS last spring and will complete her associate’s degree at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College.
Laney Sites-Woods was also introduced. The recent graduate, it was shared, changed her major to art education. Mentors are also part of AmeriCorps and earn a $1,500 stipend. Should they serve for two years, they get a semester of tuition paid for at an institution of higher learning in West Virginia.
Next came a discussion of how the curriculum builds on itself through the course of the session. This includes reading, writing, and art from the students every day they come to learn. The unique aspect to Pendleton County’s program lies in its partnership with Experience Learning, which arranges a different field trip each Friday to a local site where they can get hands-on education.
It was also shared that students who go through the program will have school year progress charted to assess the impact of Energy Express.
Community volunteers also stop in to deliver presentations or perform activities. Amelia Bolden, the alternate West Virginia University Mountaineer, stopped in, and Kim Seymour talked about dogs. Wildcat varsity football players also made an appearance this summer.
Under employment of personnel approvals, Janice Hevener was named as the new principal at PCM/HS.
After discussing budget revisions, J. P. Mowery, Pendleton County Schools treasurer, listed proposals for a year of workmen’s compensation coverage. He reported that PCS had earned a .65 in risk with one serving as the average score. Below average indicates a good record of employee safety. Mowery stated that “we finished the year of 2026 paying $22,003.35” with Travelers Insurance. That same company bid to provide coverage for fiscal year 2027 at $21,252.
“Travelers has been great to work with,” shared Mowery, who added “they also came in with the best premium. I think it’s a good relationship, which is why I think they feel comfortable with us.”
Mowery then discussed HVAC costs in recent years, saying “some of it’s parts. Sometimes it’s repair. Sometimes it’s preventative maintenance” but “we are, in my estimation, paying as much or more than we ever have in that particular area.” He stated that he would prepare a report breaking down how much went to labor, to parts, and maintenance.
“It’s not unreasonable charges,” he noted, “we’re just having a lot of work being done.” Mowery added “I do want us to take a further look at that.”
Next, he shared that work on the stage floor at Brandywine Elementary School had been repaired and replaced.
Mowery then discussed meetings of state legislators concerning the school funding formula. He and the treasurer from Cabell County Schools were the only two present holding that position.
“We had a pretty strong discussion in that room,” he stated and added that “the fact that there is no allowance for inflation” in the formula served as an issue of concern. He echoed Sheena van Meter’s, Hardy County superintendent, criticisms that as school systems have been asked to cover more functions, “there’s been no change in how many personnel they allow.”
Mowery shared that at one point, “it was also mentioned, do you want to pick apart all of these things or do you just want to give counties an allowance for additional personnel and say it’s been a long time since you’ve had an increase?”
Travis Heavner then provided a facilities report, which included $1 million, a grant from the West Virginia School Building Authority, towards HVAC work at Brandywine Elementary School. It was of only eight projects approved by the State.
On a recommendation by Nicole Hevener, superintendent, the board moved their public meeting time from 5:30 to 5:00 p.m. for added convenience to all concerned.
