PARSONS – With projected shortfalls in the budget and a dwindling enrollment, Tucker County Board of Education members voted for a reduction in force for six professional personnel and one service personnel position during Monday’s meeting. The group approved transfers for an additional 10 professional personnel and one service personnel position. Tucker County BOE Vice-president Janet Preston said she spent a lot of time contemplating the RIFs.
“I spent a lot of time, as did every board member here, looking at these,” Preston said. “We were trying to find a way to do this differently. I want to tell you that I did try to find a way to do this differently. I know these people (being RIFed) did a great job for us, including the people on the transfer list. While this is a financial decision, it is also a decision geared to allow your principals the opportunity to make some changes within their schools which they feel will improve education in the long run for our students. That is very important.”
Tucker BOE members Preston, President Tim Turner, Chopper Evans and Kevin White voted in favor of the RIFs, while Judy Fairbanks abstained from voting.
“I have prayed about it and tried so hard,” Fairbanks said. “I know we (the school system) cannot absorb $1.5 million but it’s just too hard.”
Professional personnel that were reduced include Lauren Hicks, special education teacher at TVEMS; Emilee Amaro, second-grade teacher at TVEMS; Stephanie Hood, sixth-grade teacher at TVEMS; Valerie Eye, fourth-grade teacher at DTEMS; Brittany Taylor, fourth-grade teacher at TVEMS; and Alison Rapp, title I teacher at DTEMS. Stephen Andrew Minear, custodian at Tucker County BOE Office and pre-k annex was the only service personnel staff reduced.
BOE members voted unanimously to transfer 10 professional staff and one service staff member. Transfers include Isaac Kahler, CTE math instructor, TCHS; Rebecca Moore, Alternative Learning Center instructor at TCHS; Heidi Hamric, TIS at TCHS and DTEMS; Megan Helmick, second-grade teacher at DTEMS; Lisa Smith, kindergarten teacher at TVEMS; Jaqueline Roy, title I at DTEMS; Susan Heckler, academic coach at TVEMS; Robert Masten, music and band at TVEMS; Tracy Harlan, title I at TVEMS; Amy Moore, TIS at TVEMS and Dian Pennington Shifflett, kindergarten aide at TVEMS.
The following continuing contracts were approved for the 2017 to 2018 school year:
Professional Personnel: Joshua Evans, math teacher at TCHS; Lacey Dent Evans, business teacher at TCHS; James Alex Cork, social studies teacher at TCHS; Chelsi Primavero, special education and arts teacher at DTEMS; and Rachel Stafford, social studies teacher at TCHS.
Service Personnel: Diane Pennington Shifflett, kindergarten aide at TVEMS; Jonathan Cooper, custodian at DTEMS; Robert Leard, custodian, TVEMS; Lois Lambert, secretary at TVEMS; and Clayton Price, bus operator.
The following probationary contracts were approved for the 2017 to 2018 school year:
Professional Personnel: Sheryl Kines, Spanish teacher at TCHS; Jamie Chenoweth, math teacher at TCHS; Kimberly Johnson, guidance counselor at TCHS; Jerod Caligiuri, math teacher at TCHS; James Marple, math teacher at TCHS; Courtney Nestor, library media specialist at TVEMS; Judy Pitzer, PE and health instructor at DTEMS; Christopher Wilson, English teacher at TCHS; Carrie Shahan, ProStart instructor at TCHS; Vickie Smith, PE and health instructor at TVEMS; Melinda Mauzy, math teacher at DTEMS; Stephen Cosner, vice principal at TCHS; Douglas Rabel, social studies teacher at TCHS; and Kasie Gafner, preschool special needs teacher at TVEMS.
Service Personnel: Grace Snyder, cook at DTEMS; Crystal Nutter, cook at DTEMS; Tina Price, custodian at TCHS; Nick Hovatter, maintenance; Thomas Harper, bus operator; and David Bennett, bus operator.
Turner reported that the system will begin looking at weighted grades.
“We will be looking at when those will be implemented and where we will start with that,” Turner said. “The state policy allows us to weight AP grades. We are going to look at the honors program at TCHS and make changes. They are looking at what an honors class should look like. This will be something well worth the time.”
Chopper Evans, Tucker BOE member, said he is working with April Miller of the Tucker County FRN to start a SADD Chapter in Tucker County.
“We are going to be co-advisors and right now we are in the early stages and are looking to apply for grants,” Evans said. “We are trying to get the ball rolling.”
BOE members voted unanimously to hire Felicia Goldizen as payroll coordinator pending a background check.
Also on Monday, BOE members hosted a public hearing for comments on the Tucker County School 2017-2018 calendar. Turner said the Board did not have any samples of a calendar and Preston asked if anyone had any ideas they wanted the board to consider while constructing the upcoming school calendar.
Audience members said they thought it was a good idea to have a spring break built into the calendar because the students need a break. One instructor asked that 2-hour delays for professional development be placed earlier in the year.
Campbell said the public calendar meetings are the best way the public can have input into the school calendar.
“In the past, we have conducted on-line surveys and we debated doing that again, but we always get the same results. People want to start as late as possible and get finished as soon as possible. Everyone wants two weeks off during the Christmas season and they want a week off for spring break and Thanksgiving,” Campbell said. “For the most part, I think our calendar will look very much like it did this year. It actually lines up a little better for the coming year.”
The Tucker BOE will hold a second school calendar public hearing during its next meeting at 4:30 p.m. April 18 at Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School. Approval of the calendar will be during the BOE meeting at 4:30 p.m. May 1 at Tucker County High School.
