By Stephen Smoot
On the day that he retired as head coach of the Pendleton County Middle/High School golf squads, Charles Burgoyne, former board of education member and county commissioner, made a public plea in a regular meeting of the Pendleton County Board of Education for a van to transport smaller sports teams and other activity participants.
Now, that plea has been fulfilled.
The meeting opened, as per tradition, with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation from J. D. Wilkins, board president. He prayed, “Bless us as we make decisions tonight with wisdom and discretion.”
One of the first actions of the board in the meeting lay in accepting the retirement of Malynda Kopp, central office secretary, “with regret.” They then approved the advancement of Michael Eye from assistant to head coach of the golf program.
- P. Mowery then presented his reports, focusing first on the county schools’ cash balance. He noted on this occasion, as in past meetings, that the late year dip in property tax collections means less monthly revenue for the schools and a normal decline in the cash balance. Mowery remarked that he saw “a slow start to our cash balance declining” and that they “still had a healthy fund balance, historically speaking, for this time of year.”
He then went on to share highlights from November’s bills off of a sheet that all attendees received. One was $65,745.20 for a 15 passenger Ford van. Mowery said that “it seems like a very nice van” and will be used “for various events.”
Mowery added that he hoped “it will benefit us for many years to come.”
When asked about qualifications to drive the van, Charles Hedrick, superintendent, stated that a driver would not need a CDL to operate the van, but “there must be some training done . . . to make sure they have experience.” Those driving must have prior authorization and only nine students can be transported at a time.
Other expenses for November mentioned by Mowery include $4,806 to repair the bleachers at PCMHS, $8,232.73 to replace the dispose-all in the Franklin Elementary School kitchen, and $60,651.21 for food.
Mowery also discussed the four-year lease for a 77-passenger school bus to add to the existing fleet. Hedrick cautioned that a capacity of 77 passengers does not mean what it’s advertising because it assumes three elementary school students per seat.
Next, Travis Heavner discussed the status of county schools’ facilities. He shared that work on the alternate education building is finishing soon and that there will likely be a ceremony to honor the people and the program that provided it.
Wilma Pitsenbarger, board member, asked if the new facility would have its own bathrooms. Heavner said that it would not, but that the old facility lacked them as well.
Additionally, despite removing most of the corner overhang from the Pendleton County Schools central office building, a contractor delivering to the Franklin Post Office once again hit the roof by taking the corner too sharply. He shared that they identified the driver and that insurance will pay for the damage.
Betty Kimble asked about the conditions of lockers in the middle school, relating that she had heard some complaints. Heavner explained that contractors had examined lockers throughout the building and recommended a multi-phase effort to replace them. He shared that the price of metal since COVID had skyrocketed and will have an effect on the cost of the project.
The board also renewed an agreement that will continue Pendleton County Schools’ partnership with the nursing program at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College.
