Pocahontas County Schools Facing Major Technology Overhaul To Meet State Education Standards

Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County Schools Technology Coordinator Ruth Bland says the county is looking at a $328,000.00 technology upgrade in the next two years to meet West Virginia Dept of Education requirements. After that time, all students in West Virginia will be using digitized texts. Currently, Bland says that no one knows exactly what form that will be, or which devices will be required.

The funds will come from the West Virginia Department of Education’s E-Rate grant program. The requirement is to have a high speed wireless access point in every classroom. Of course, with the wireless limitations in place due to the National Radio Quiet Zone, Green Bank Elementary Middle School is a special case.

Bland says that infrared has been ruled out because it is too slow. Probably the only alternative is a wired system. Fortunately, the E-Rate system allows for substitutions. Much of the wireless equipment authorized can be converted to a wired system for Green Bank. However, to have a wired system will require a major upgrade to the electrical system.

In other technology News, Bland says that funds from the Tools For Schools program have been used to upgrade Marlinton Elementary, Hillsboro Elementary and Marlinton Middle Schools.

“This year, we have replaced all the computers in the Lab here at Marlinton Elementary. We have replaced all the computers at the Lab in Hillsboro. We’ve added computers to Marlinton Middle School. And every year, we buy the Odyssey Curriculum Update, and the monthly upgrades for every school.”

Bland says that next years Tools For Schools money will be used at Pocahontas County High School and Green Bank.

In other news, Board member Emery Grimes wants to get more public input into the Boards activities. He suggests they have meetings at times and places other than the School Board Conference room. There are some legal implications that will have to be worked out, but Board President Kenneth Vance, asked Grimes, Board member Margaret Worth and Superintendant CC Lester to explore their options.

Lester announced that the snow make-up days will be May 27 and 31 and June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th. The last two days will be for staff only. The Board approved the following personnel actions for the 2011-2012 school year:

Placement of Rebecca Spencer as teacher at Marlinton Elementary

Rescinded the full time placement of Shannon Anderson as teacher at Marlinton
Elementary and instead placed her as half time teacher at Hillsboro

Placement of Daniel Arbogast as itinerant supervisory special education classroom aide

And creation of a Teacher of mathematics position at Pocahontas County High School.

The Board also approved:

2 contracts for physical therapy services at Pocahontas County High School and a contract with James Monderine for Educational Training services.

The next meeting of the Pocahontas Board of Education will be on Monday March 28th