By Stephen Smoot
To open the first Pendleton County Board of Education meeting of August, J. D. Wilkins, board president, gave the invocation, praying, “We ask for Your blessings,” then the attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
First, the board received thank you notes. The first came from 4-H, thanking the school system for loaning them a transport van. Students from North Fork Elementary also thanked them for additional books for the school library.
Charles Hedrick, Pendleton County Schools superintendent, said, “That was nice of them to do that,” to which Wilkins added, “I do appreciate that.”
- P. Mowery, treasurer of Pendleton County Schools, in the interest of transparency always shares financial statements and budgetary information with the board. In this meeting, he highlighted invoices paid to give a sense to the board of what funds pay for. This included approximately $17,600 to Advantage Tech for the running of the wireless system, $18,500 to Appalachian Signals and Products for locks and access portals for the new alternative education building, and $5,100 for “quality used furniture” and other products.
Mowery explained that “you can get good deals” by purchasing used as opposed to brand new.
He also said that Pendleton County Schools finances “appear solid at the moment.”
Travis Heavner provided the facilities report, starting by informing the board that phase one of the paving project at the bus garage had just finished. He said, “It looks pretty good,” especially since “there was a lot of breakup” in the old pavement before work started.
Next, he shared that the corner of the main office in Franklin, twice hit by box trucks making deliveries to the post office, was repaired. Crews angled off the roof at the intersection to prevent damage from trucks in the future.
The big and anticipated news, however came in the form of the new alternative education building. After expecting delays in the arrival of the second half of the structure, delivery did occur and cranes were brought on site to set it in its permanent home. Basic school system infrastructure, such as communications, fire alarms, and fiber need to be done, but the expected date of use moved from the end of the calendar year back to November.
“These guys at the correctional facility (where the buildings were assembled) worked really hard. They did a really good job,” Heavner explained. He went on to say that “it’s probably overbuilt,” meaning that the building brings more than expected, and “it’s going to be a really nice building.”
Wilkins suggested that the board send Huttonsville Correctional Facility a thank you card for the work performed on behalf of Pendleton County Schools.
The board then saw a brief training and information video from the West Virginia Department of Education concerning changes in state code regarding local school improvement councils.
Next, the board approved a memorandum of understanding with Pendleton County Emergency Rescue on coverage of athletic events. Then they renewed the lease with main office tenant Tiny Tots.
Finally, in the superintendent’s report, Hedrick shared that the school system had 31 new students sign up with more expected to come. He emphasized that “these were not our students last year.”
