By Stephen Smoot
Pendleton County Board of Education’s final meeting for July took up a short duration of time, but at least one decision made could bring long-term positive benefits for students who need them the most.
JD. Wilkins, board president, gave the customary invocation, praying, “We ask that You would bless all that we do tonight . . . Bless us tonight, Amen.”
JP. Mowery delivered an abbreviated financial report that focused on a request for the Board to purchase a school bus. “This is taking about a year or longer, even with COVID being over.” He added that “we’re still waiting on a 54-passenger bus bought over a year ago.”
The new bus, a 77-passenger vehicle that costs a little over $160,000 “will take about a year or so for it to get here,” shared Mowery.
“Is this price locked in?” asked Sonny O’Neil, board member.
Mowery replied, “It’s locked in” to the “state contract price as it is now.”
He then explained to the board and Nicole Hevener, superintendent, that funding from the bus replacement fund depends on the value of the county fleet. Acquiring new buses raises the value of the assemblage of vehicles and opens the door wider for more money when needed.
West Virginia Code governs this fund. Pendleton County gets a boost in funding from having a more valuable fleet. Part of the bus replacement funding formula for each county includes “an amount equal to 8.33 percent of the current replacement value of the bus fleet.” Pendleton County also gets some benefit from having a sparse population, meaning buses get more wear and tear in such areas than in urban and suburban regions.
“We get the benefit of that right away, which works out well for us,” said Mowery.
The board and superintendent then heard about a proposed class at the high school for students whose disabilities require an individualized education plan, or IEP for short. This class, specially crafted for students with significant challenges on an alternate education plan, will teach basic life skills.
Board members were requested to approve standards for the class. Wilma Pitsenbarger, board member, queried, “Are these standards from the state?”
She was told that “these are standards that are county developed.” Pendleton County, Pitsenbarger was told, would use a set of standards developed for a similar class in another county.
Pitsenbarger asked, “What county did you get these standards from?” She was answered “Pocahontas County.”
“They need that. They need that,” said Pitsenbarger, who went on to add, “I’ve been telling people in Highland County . . . you need this.”
Betty Kimble, board member, shared that she has seen high school level students struggle to make change. A comment was made that a student’s question revealed that they did not know what a quarter was.
Hevener said, “I do recommend that these daily living skills standards be approved,” which the board did with a vote. This established two courses, Daily Living Skills I and II.
O’Neil shared the thought that “that would be a good class for any kid.” This class, however, is specifically geared toward students with developmental disabilities. It was generally agreed that most students need to learn basic life skills before leaving home for adulthood.
Hevener noted that she would “love to see an increase in this type of education.”
Next, the board and superintendent reviewed a memorandum of understanding with the organization Teach For America. This organization steers capable individuals from other career and educational pathways into teaching school. It helps many who have excelled in other fields to bring their experiences and abilities into education.
TFA will make “reasonable efforts to bring teacher candidates to employment in the school district,” explained Mowery. He also stated that it would “cast a wider net for teacher candidates.”
Hevener said that “is would be a wider net with a lot of holes” because they had no math teacher candidates available for the area. She added that “the cost is very reasonable, $3,500 for the first year, $1,000 for subsequent years with a minimum commitment of three years. O’Neil said “not a bad deal,” before the board voted to approve.
