Board of Education Meeting Highlights Achievements And Challenges

In a Barbour County Board of Education meeting held on November 13, 2023, all members convened, including Superintendent Eddie Vincent, along with ten other people from the education system and the community. The meeting covered a range of topics, from sports recognition to critical discussions on legislative measures affecting the education system.

The meeting commenced with the approval of minutes from the previous sessions on October 23 and November 6. Recognitions highlighted outstanding achievements, including girls' soccer, volleyball, and football teams, as well as mentioning standing ovation the band received at the football game at Mingo. Adam Starks and Eddie Vincent both mentioned the high percentage of student involvement in extracurricular activities.

Jared Nestor commended the exemplary behavior of students at the Mingo game, noting notable attendance in the stands. Dave Everson highlighted the success of the Band Invitational and the Junior Elementary Thanksgiving feast, which drew a massive crowd, fostering a sense of community. Nestor also pointed out improvements at the high school, specifically citing upgrades to windows and a pond.

Joanne McConnell brought attention to outstanding individuals such as Braylyn Sparks, nominated for State Player of the Year in soccer, and Joseph Hymes, a recipient of the National FFA honorary degree. Mrs. Bowen's appointment to the FBLA Board state board was acknowledged, along with Hayley Taylor's selection to the state choir. Special mention was given to the Board's social media team for effectively disseminating information.

Adam Starks addressed this week's gas leakage incident at the high school, praising the efficient response despite the challenging circumstances. Superintendent Eddie Vincent commended the timely evacuation and emphasized the necessity of the procedures, acknowledging that small adjustments to the drill would be made for future preparedness.

Gabby Rhoades, Title I Director and Elementary Curriculum, presented the implications of House Bill 3035, the Third Grade Success Act. The bill aims to ensure all third grade students are reading at mastery level by the end of the year, with benchmarks required through Grade 8. The first class to be impacted by this bill is current kindergarten class, although the benchmarks are completed with all grades.

Concerns were raised about the short timelines for program implementation, huge amounts of training, summer programs, and potential financial burdens on counties. The bill, which was passed by the state legislators, and was not consulted with any educators, is indicating that any student who does not achieve mastery in reading by the end of third grade will be recommended to be held back. Even though the state mandates county boards to issue these recommendations, the decision will ultimately be on parents or guardians.

Any student not hitting benchmark scores is to be immediately placed in the intervention group. This poses significant challenge with the kindergarten group at their first assessment at the beginning of the school year, since there are no baselines for comparison or assessing their proficiency since they just started school. Additionally, the counties will be required to provide after school hours or extra tutoring as well as summer programs for the students falling behind. In Barbour County, tutoring program and after school programs are available currently, but Rhoades said that summer school will provide financial challenge. Rhoades also stated that requirement to have an aid in every classroom has not put strain on special ed programs because the aides had to be moved to regular classrooms.

McConnell inquired about number of letters that have gone out, and if the Board can be apprised of the number of students falling behind. Dave Everson commented about taking money out of the public school system to be sent to private and charter schools that don't have to follow any of those rules, while Starks asked if the state would increase for all the extra funding for training, hiring of new aides, and materials.

Superintendent Eddie Vincent discussed the urgent need for a new roof at Philippi Elementary, emphasizing the deteriorating condition of the 23-year-old roof. He will be attending School Building Authority meeting, where he will show his presentation and will be asking for the funds to replace the school's roof. Two classrooms are currently unusable due to water damage, leading to an estimated cost of nearly $1.7 million. The board can contribute $50,000 in funding, which is why the additional funding from the state is paramount. Total of 40 out of 55 counties will be the SBA meeting requesting funds for building improvements. Vincent added that there are more projects that would require SBA funding, such as Belington Elementary roof replacement and drainage problem on Belington campus. The Board should hear about the decision by mid-December.

A presentation on the ClearGov Budget Cycle Management Suite sparked discussions on its $19,000 annual fee and $11,000 initial payment. Questions arose about grant processing, cloud storage, and budgetary implications, leading to a decision to table further discussion until the next meeting for more information. The program is supposed to help out with the man hours needed to complete the budget, as well as providing ease of work and more accuracy, but the Board members did not feel comfortable voting on such expense without receiving more information.

During the delegation segment, questions were raised about the Department of Education's recent performance review regarding Covid funds. Total of 37 out of 54 counties, included Barbour, were found to have used some funds in improper way. However, when it comes to Barbour County, report states that it was not improper usage per se. Out of more than $800,000 received, 31 percent of county's Covid funding expenses were audited. It was found that close to $27,000 was properly used, but that the state mandated purchasing procedures were not completely followed. An additional $14,000 was used with the vendors not registered with the Secretary of State, including out of state vendors.

The note in the review does state that this happened during the height of lockdowns in 2020 and later in 2021, when the schools were required to purchase items such as hand sanitizers and masks, and since there was a shortage of these items, the school systems across the state had to resort to purchase them out of state, wherever they could get them. Compared to nine counties that have been now ordered to pay back the funds that were used for items such as pool passes, out of state choir trips, athletic equipment, prom, etc., Barbour County's infractions are deemed to be more of bureaucratic standards due to state not having clear procedures in place to begin with.