Concerns at Green Bank Elementary/Middle School discussed at BOE Meeting

During the Delegations portion of the March 7^th Pocahontas County Board of Education meeting, Whitney Beverage wanted the board to create a position for a Trama Counselor at the Green Bank Elementary/Middle School because of a number of recent tragedies among the students there, she also expressed other concerns about the school’s performance.

Superintendent Beam responded to Beverage’s concerns.

“I think what we have planned to do for Green Bank (School) will be more than what we’ve done so far,” said Beam. “And I think it will meet with a lot of approval from your school. I can’t share what that is right now, but I don’t want you to think ‘well, they didn’t hear anything you said,’ because I heard everything you said.”

During his Superintendent’s Report, Beam added that he had met with the staff of the Green Bank School on February 20^th and spent an hour discussing with them their ideas to improve the academic achievement levels at the school, which has been designated by the state as being academically challenged.

Beam also said that he sees a need to have an ambulance standing by during home basketball games, as they do at home football games.

He said that just as the schools joined a class-action law suit against a vape manufacturer a couple of years ago, they are considering a request from the same law firm to join a class action suit against social media companies for the damage they cause to school performance.

For his special recognitions, Beam provided the below list of names of student winners of the Young Writers Contest and the Social Studies Fair:

Pocahontas County

Social Studies Fair Winners:

Division I

Division II

Division III

Terrell McSweeney discussed safety concerns because of a lack of a visitor’s WI-FI network at the schools. She said that while she attended a basketball game at the middle school where her daughter was playing, her son broke his wrist while playing at the high school basketball game in Bath County, and people couldn’t reach her to get her authorization for him to get emergency medical care in Bath County, although they eventually contacted her through the Sheriff’s Department.

Chris Sutton, a Math Teacher at PCHS told the board that there is a need to add a full-time STEM teacher to replace the current half-time Math Teacher. He said for a fairly small increase in salary, with no increase in benefits cost, the STEM teacher would be able to also teach additional courses to help students win Promise Scholarships.

Additionally, the board:

• Approved the state proposed Levy Rates: Class I: $19.40; Class II :$38.80; Classes III and IV: $77.60.
• Approved the proposed school calendar for next school year.
• Approved their annual agreement with the WVU Extension Service and with the County Extension Service.
• Approved an agreement with WVU and it’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, School of Social Work to allow their students to provide clinical education and fieldwork here to provide WVU students educational opportunities and encourage students to go into Social Work.
• Approved an agreement with the WV Department of Education’ s Community in Schools (CIS) to implement the CIS Model of Integrated support at Marlinton Middle School.
• Approved a brand new program – The Grow Your Own Teacher Apprentice Program to provides daily classroom services in the county schools.
• Approved to add the CVB’s Road Clean-up program to PCHS’ approved fundraiser list.
• Approved the recommended list of personnel actions, which can also be seen by clicking on this link to the official meeting agenda: 3-7-23 Official BOE Agenda PDF