By Stephen Smoot
Last week, the Pendleton County Board of Education met to address items of pressing business, one prior to the official meeting and the other just after it commenced.
First, the board held a public meeting to hear any concerns or comments on the school calendar for 2025-26. The calendar and related information were read aloud in a presentation that lasted approximately 13 minutes.
With no one speaking for or against, the board members approved the calendar.
One change will take place, but it does not affect Pendleton County students specifically. For 16 years, Pendleton, Grant, and Hardy counties have worked to synchronize their calendars with that of the South Branch Career and Technical Center in Petersburg, which teaches vocational and trades courses to students from each county.
For 2025-26, Hardy County opted out of the informal consortium to accommodate their Local School Improvement Councils’ plans. Charles Hedrick, Pendleton County Schools superintendent, said that Pendleton County remains in the agreement because it “keeps us all in the same place at the South Branch Career and Technical Center.” Starting in 2025-26, he said, “It will just be us and Grant” working on matching school calendars.
Sonny O’Neil, board member, asked the rhetorical question, “How’s that going to affect vo-tech” for students from Hardy County?” Then he said, “It will probably impact them in a negative way.”
With the opening of the official meeting, board members and superintendent recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, J. D. Wilkins, board president, said the invocation, in which he prayed, “We thank You for all those who are out treating the roads.”
Then came the other work of major importance for the day. On the agenda’s list of Pendleton County Schools employees requesting retirement was Charles Hedrick, superintendent.
Board members voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Hedrick, affixing the informal honorific of “with much regret” as part of the official record.
After the vote, Wilkins said, “Motion passes with much regret and much thanks.”
Next, J. P. Mowery gave reports on the treasury and finances. He explained that “cash revenue drops this time of year” due to tax payments and grant fund disbursements both tapering off. That said, Mowery shared that the county schools still had a robust balance of $2.7 million.
For a point of comparison, he shared that in some years “we only had a couple hundred thousand” at the same point in the calendar.
In going over the December bills that needed payment, Mowery shared an expense related to innovative instruction.
“We bought some special tables,” he explained. The tables have a surface that can be used as a whiteboard for writing and drawing upon with specified markers. Travis Heavner explained that the tables would work in the “vertical learning” program. Small groups work out academic problems and can show both work and solutions on the table. Hinges allow the table top to be propped up vertically so the teacher and other students can see as well.
Mowery also stated that the school system purchased hamburger meat from the lowest bidder, Lost River Meat Company, for $4.65 a pound. “There’s a cost to having local and fresh,” he said, “but it’s good to have that.”
Across West Virginia, school systems had turned in their official head count. Pendleton County shared a distinction with only four other counties, showing an official gain in student population. While the gain represented four students, Mowery said, “Gains have only happened a handful of times in the past 30 years.”
Pendleton County has a head count of 851, which is higher only than Calhoun at 789 and Gilmer at 720, but the state funds sparsely populated counties’ systems at 1,400 students if they fall below that threshold.
Heavner shared in his facilities report that Pendleton County Schools “did purchase some equipment for ourselves.” He added that school system personnel “treated our parking lots without needing our contracted person.”
Also, Heavner stated that he would provide a date soon for the official presentation on the new alternate education building.
