The Tucker County Board of Education met in Special Session this past week at Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School for a public hearing on the 2014-2015 budget.
Board Vice-President Janet Preston called the meeting to order with all but one board member present.
Following a color guard by the Girl Scout Troop #4091, the pledge was said. Following the approval of the agenda for the special session and having no delegations, the board moved on to new business where financial director Dave Lambert gave a report on the proposed budget.
Lambert reported that due to an expected $100,000 (approximate) revenue shortfall, that he and Superintendent Campbell met and made budget cuts in many different areas. Some of the cuts listed were: $27,000 in maintenance, $44,000 in salaries (largely due to retirement of staff), $21,000 in transportation, $5,000 Superintendent’s office, $4,000 in Fiscal Services office, and $1,000 in Legal. These cuts along with an expected $14,000 increase in some of the revenues worked to offset the projected shortfall.
Following Lambert’s report, the Special Session meeting adjourned.
The floor was then turned over to Tucker County High School Principal Jay Hamric and Girls’ Track Coach Shane Eakle who gave a presentation honoring our high school track team. The team boast eleven state champions this year and forty-one all state medals, which is a new school record.
DTEMS Principal Daryla Rapp then took the floor and gave out many awards to deserving students at the school. Students were honored in many different fields, everything from young writers, awesome choices award , to even shoe tying club. Four students who met their reading goals in the accelerated reader program were drawn and won I-Pads and the 39 winners of the Awesome Choices Award each received a $20 gift certificate! Notably, students who scored 95 percentile or higher in a category on the ACT Explore test (a precursor to the ACT’s) were honored. This means that only 5% (or less) of students in the U.S.A. scored higher than these students.
The following students achieved this honor:
David Kines: English 95%, Rhetorical Skills 97%, Science 95%.
Samantha Kines: English 97%, Rhetorical Skills 100%.
Elizabeth King: Reading 100%
Jack Melnick: Composite 96%, Math 95%, Science 100%
Brandon Zirk: Reading 100%
Principal Rapp then honored Tucker County BOE Teacher of the Year; Bob King.
Following a brief recess after the awards the Board reconvened into regular session.
The Board heard a special presentation from Chris Tawney of Tawney Insurance regarding the offering of Voluntary Benefits of Critical Illness and Accident Insurance to full-time employees.
Next, Principal Rapp and a couple of LSIC Board members gave a report to the Board outlining their goals, concerns and accomplishments
Superintendent Campbell recognized Bob King as the Tucker County School’s Teacher of the year. He is our nominee for the State Teacher of the Year award. King, who is the Special Education Teacher at DTEMS will be retiring at the end of the school year after many years of dedicated service.
Having no delegations pertaining to agenda items the Board moved to Agenda Adjustments where minor adjustments were approved. The Board proceeded to Consent Items.
Consent Items were as follows:
The Board approved the minutes of the prior meeting with no corrections.
The Board approved the vendor account and paid bills report and then moved on to out-of- state Professional Leave Requests.
The Board approved the DTEMS 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C. and King’s Dominion Amusement Park.
The Board approved the paying of an invoice to the Tucker County Commission for the re-print of the May Primary Election ballots, the cost was split between the BOE and the County Commission.
The Board approved requests from both the Youth Leadership Association and the Tucker County Extension Office for the use of school buses for private transportation.
The Board approved the meeting dates for the remaining 2013-2014 school year.
The Board approved Eglon Farm Service as a work based site.
An intent to home-school was approved.
The 2014-2015 School Year Budget was approved.
The Board approved the offer of Voluntary Benefits Critical Illness and Accident Insurance from Tawney Insurance.
The Board proceeded into Information Reports. Included for the Board’s review were the Transportation Report, Superintendent’s Goals Report, the proposed revisions to the BOE policies, the schedule of important End-of-Year Events, Board Committee Reports and a draft of the Simulated Workplace Drug Testing Policy for the ProStart and Health Occupations programs.
Special Events:
Tucker County High School: Baccalaureate- Thursday, June 5, 6 p.m. TCHS Auditorium
Graduation- Friday, June 6, 6 p.m. Armstrong Memorial Field
Davis-Thomas: 8th Grade recognition- Monday, June 9th, 6 p.m.
Tucker Valley: 8th Grade recognition- Monday, June 9th, 6 p.m.
Having no delegations pertaining to Non-Agenda items the Board moved into Personnel Matters.
The Board approved the following recommendations:
Employment for the 2014-2015 school year:
James Cork- Social Studies teacher, full time, TCHS, (pending certification and CIB check)
David Helmick- Substitute Teacher
Robert King, Jr. – Substitute Teacher
Debbie Moore- Substitute Teacher
Phyllis Turner- Substitute Teacher
Tom Gutshall- Substitute Teacher
Preston Simmons- Substitute Teacher
Sarah Walters- Substitute Teacher
William Simmons- Bus Operator- 16A
Summer Employment:
Valerie Eye- Critical Skills Academy Summer Coordinator (pending sufficient enrollment).
Anita Helmick- Credit Recovery, TVEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Kellie Flynn- Writer’s workshop, Math Fundamentals, TVEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Christine Ward- Math Academy, Back to School Basics, TVEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Crystal Hardy- Back to School Basics, TVEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Erin Marks- Credit Recovery, Writers’ Workshop, DTEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Shannon McCann- Math Academy, Math Fundamentals, DTEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
Brittany Taylor- Back to School Basics, DTEMS (pending sufficient enrollment).
The Board accepted, with regret, the retirement of Debbie L. Moore, 1st Grade Teacher, TVEMS.
Superintendent Campbell said she’d be sorely missed and was glad his own son had the opportunity to have had her as a teacher.
The Board accepted the resignation of:
Colleen Dykstra- Special Education teacher, DTEMS
David Antolini- Substitute Teacher
The Board approved the following Extra Curricular Employments:
David Helmick- Asst. Girls Basketball Coach, TCHS
Fred Davis- Asst. Football Coach, TVEMS.
The Board approved the following Extra Curricular Resignation:
Shane Eakle- Asst. Boys Basketball Coach, TCHS
Having no further business the Board adjourned.
The next meeting of the Tucker County Board of Education will be on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. at the Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School, Parsons, West Virginia. For more information contact the Board at 304-478-2771.