The Braxton County Board of Education opened their most recent meeting on June 7 with recognizing retirees and the Teacher and Service Personnel of the Year. Retirees were Cynthia Shuman, Katrina Dennison, Anita Shaver, Brian Nottingham, Sally Hart, and Treva Simmons, who was also the Service Personnel of the Year. Members of the Braxton County Association of Retired School Employees provided snacks for those in attendance honoring the new retirees. Retired teacher Suzanne Cunningham also presented them with their lifetime membership cards to PALS (Professionals Appreciating Leaving Schools).
Teacher of the Year Nikki Harper from Little Birch Elementary and Treva Simmons, custodian at the Braxton County High School, were also recognized for their hard work and dedication to the students.
At the end of the meeting Board President DeAnna Whipkey welcomed Dr. Rhonda Combs as the new Superintendent of Braxton County Schools. Dr. Combs thanked the board for the opportunity to serve stating she was “honored to be here and excited.”
President Whipkey also took the opportunity to thank Dr. Martha Dean for filling in as a board member over the last few months.
Superintendent Kathy Hypes presented the board with two drafts for meeting dates for the upcoming school year. Evelyn Post moved and Dr. Kenna Seal seconded to set the organizational meeting for July 5 at 6:00 pm, and to allow new board members to approve the meeting dates for the new school year. The motion passed.
Ginger Altizer, Director of Finance, and Kim Dennison, Director of Federal Programs, reported to board members on the Federal Pandemic Relief Funds. The funds were to be used to help with learning loses and for the health and safety of students. They first discussed the timeline of the reporting on both the state and federal levels. The report reflected not only what funds had been spent for but also the budget for future spending of those funds. Technology, food services, PPE, and cleaning supplies were purchased with the first round of funds. The One-to-One devices (laptops), the summer learning program, and losses at the gate for high school athletic events were supplemented by Pandemic Funds. Budget transfers will be presented to board members in the upcoming weeks as some rearranging of the funds will need to be made for those that expire first to meet the required parameters. The budget for the CIS (Community In Schools) will be dropped and transferred due to the state grant covering all eight schools until 2024. The report for the funds will be released for public review.
Under regular business, the following consent agenda items were approved by the board on a motion by Evelyn Post with a second by Dr. Martha Dean: approval of May 24 special meeting minutes, May 24 regular meeting minutes, and May 31, special meeting minutes; payment of bills; and budget transfers and supplements.
The board approved the following professional, service, and extra-curricular personnel recommendations on a motion by Evelyn Post with a second by Dr. Martha Dean: employment for Karl Michael Boyce, 2022 summer student tutor, Camden Lawrence, Grace Belknap, Margaret Moore, and Johnna Cable, tutors for libraries, Brittany White Conley, from physical education/health teacher, BCMS, to 5th grade, Frametown, Tashauna Chapman, from 1st grade, Frametown, to Special Education/Gifted (LD/BD/MI/AU)(Itinerant), Frametown, Mahala Petrulak, from math, BCMS, to physical education/health, BCMS, John McElwain, physical education/health, BCHS, Carla Mauser, from special education (LD/BD/MI/AU) 1/2 time, Sutton, to 3rd grade, Burnsville, Zackary Cyriacks, 5th grade overage, Flatwoods, Ocie Allen, 1st grade, Flatwoods, Heather Arnold, from special education (LD/BD/MI/AU) Flatwoods, to special education (LD/BD/MI/AU), BCHS, April Ramsey-Boyce, English, BCHS, Deborah Doshier, math, BCHS, Randall Brown, from 6th grade social studies, BCMS to 7th grade social studies, Billy Rose and David McQuain, summer substitute mechanic, Marcy Hamilton, summer substitute bus operator, Helen Harper, Linda Lemon, Chasity Dawn Cutlip, and Donna Morris, summer substitute cook, Michall Sears, custodian, and Forrest Taylor, co-assistant football coach, BCHS; and resignations for Marcy Hamilton, summer bus operator, Folondi Shaver, volleyball coach, BCHS, and Deandre Williams, assistant athletic director.
The board went into executive session at 7:16 pm to discuss the cell tower lease on a motion by Dr. Martha Dean with a second by Dolores Wright. They reconvened at 7:48 pm with no decisions made.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 pm. The next regular meeting is scheduled for June 21. As always, members of the Braxton County community are encouraged to attend regular board meetings. Anyone wishing to speak as a delegate or with public concerns may do so by signing in up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.