Pocahontas BOE Denies PCHS Staff Role in Selecting Principal

During their June 16^th regular meeting, the Pocahontas County Board of Education members heard from Alex Hummel who told them that the PCHS Faculty Senate voted to ask that PCHS staff members be allowed to participate in the selection of a new Principal at the high school. Superintendent Williams said that while school staff do have a roll in hiring other staff members, as Superintendent, she is responsible for selecting the leadership at each school. At the end of the meeting during member comments, Member Sam Gibson objected to that, prompting Board President Emery Grimes to respond: “Where else do you get to hire your own boss?” to which Gibson had no reply.

Director of Special Education Phillip Anderson reported that the WV Department of Education’s Special Circumstance Review for Special Education has asked for additional compliance indicators about our Special Education program that must be provided them by July 11^th. Anderson said these are basically minor indicators that are really not that bad, and they will provide the state with those by July 11^th.

The members voted approve the consent agenda items, however Sam Gibson voted against approving the minutes of the last meeting because Joseph VanMeter’s delegation comments were not included in them, however it was pointed out that VanMeter was not speaking as a delegate. The minutes passed on a 3 to 1 vote.

During Personnel matters, although all presented were eventually approved by a majority vote, Sam Gibson made a motion to not hire Michael McWilliams as the Assistant Principal/Athletic Director for County-Wide Secondary Schools. His motion did not receive a second, causing it to fail and as a result, McWilliams was hired with Gibson’s vote being the only “no” vote.

Also over Sam Gibson’s objections, the board voted to give the Superintendent permission to hire prior to board approval through October 23^rd.

Rachael Taylor, a Physician Assistant with Community Care of WV made a presentation about their School-Based Healthcare Programs. She said they provide a wide-range medical services at Marlinton Elementary School every Wednesday from 7:30 am to 11:15 am; at Marlinton Middle School every Wednesday from 12 noon to 3:30 pm; at PCHS every Tuesday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm; and at the Green Bank School every Thursday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Additionally, she said she personally alternates on every Wednesday between PCHS and the Green Bank School between 7:30 am and 3:30 pm. She said that Community Care serves 45 schools in the state as well as 2 colleges and no schools are charged by Community Care for this, despite an annual 1-million-dollar cost to Community Care.

The members also heard a presentation about the School Nurse Program. There is one RN and 3 LPN Aids at the schools and Pocahontas County Schools has more nurses per student than any school system in the state.

Dr. Williams reviewed with the board a new form used for early re-entry of a student following an expulsion. Before the student can be readmitted, both the student and guardian have to sign this form, in which the student agrees to display very strict future behavior, attendance and assignment completion requirements before being readmitted, with re-expulsion being the result of failing to live up to the agreement.

During the matters of the board discussions, Sam Gibson said the board needs to stop voting to rush and approve things before extensive discussions about them have been conducted.