BUCKHANNON – Members of the Upshur County BOE along with Superintendent Dr. Sara Lewis Stankus and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Debra Harrison welcomed Eric Brand as the new assistant principal at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School for the 2019-2020 school year during their Tuesday meeting at French Creek Elementary School.

“We are really excited to introduce Eric Brand as the new assistant principal at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School,” Stankus said.

Brand said he grew up in Clarksburg and said he taught elementary music for eight years.

“I finished up my first-year teaching kindergarten,” Brand said. “I am excited to be a part of Upshur County Schools and the Buckhannon Academy Elementary School staff.”

Stankus also introduced intern Brandon Williams during the meeting. She said Williams is working at the Upshur County BOE Office while completing his degree in administration.

Williams said he is completing his fifth and final semester going though an education leadership degree online through Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

“When I finish in August, I will have an administrators’ license in the state of Virginia,” he said. “I will then seek reciprocity to have a license in West Virginia.”

Now that students are out for the summer, the board also covered some maintenance projects underway across the county.

Facilities director Tim Derico said areas in all nine Upshur County Schools would be painted. He said in each school, some spots are already taking on that start-of-school shine.

The board also:

-Heard a presentation by West Virginia State Auditor John B. McCuskey about a new system on financial transparency and budgeting that would be free for the school systems throughout the state. The tool is called West Virginia Checkbook and it layers on top of WEIVS and gives real-time access to reports. McCuskey said so far, two school boards are using West Virginia Checkbook: Logan and Brooke counties.

-Voted to approve the extra-curricular and curricular trip drivers for the 2019-2020 school year along with out-of-county attendance requests.

-Voted to continue Policy 5026, the personal leave incentive.

-Voted to approve the 2019-2020 BOE meeting schedule. Meetings will be held at the BOE Office, BAES, Rock Cave, Hodgesville, French Creek, Washington District, B-UHS, B-UMS, Tennerton, Union and Fred Eberle Technical Center.

-Announced the approval of a bid from Huffman Corporation, subject to approval of the School Building Authority, for the additions and renovations to Hodgesville Elementary School. The bid was for $1,555,000 and will take 180 days to complete.

-Voted unanimously to approve the continuation of a lease agreement with Fred Eberle Technical center for use of building for the Alternative School. This is a continuation of the lease agreement that has been in effect for many years.

In other business, Upshur County BOE members voted to approve the following personnel recommendations following a 30-minute executive session.

Resignations

1. Christina Nestor as head cheerleading coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective May 28, 2019.
2. Mary Miller as science teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective May 30, 2019.
3. Todd Lane as JV baseball coach at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective May 20, 2019.
4. Ann Clem as junior class advisor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective May 30, 2019.
5. Teresa Knight as counselor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective October 1, 2019, due to retirement.
6. Michelle Riffle as 2nd grade teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School, effective June 30, 2019.
7. Shannon Lewis as assistant principal at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective with the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
8. Shannon Lewis as SAT leader at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective with the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
9. CORRECTION:  May 28, 2019 Approved A. Resignations 4. Teresa L. Knight as Senior Class Advisor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective June 30, 2019, SHOULD READ:  4. Teresa L. Knight as Assistant Senior Class Advisor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective June 30, 2019.

Employment, pending appropriate certification and background checks

1. Alice Howard as multi-categorical special education teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
2. Lauren Pavlic as guidance counselor at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
3. Robert Greenough as head girls’ soccer coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
4. Amy Travise as assistant girls’ soccer coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
5. Eric Brand as assistant principal at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
6. Angela Starkey as itinerant special education aide, multi-categorical with autism, at Rock Cave Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
7. Jessica Grose as itinerant special education aide, multi-categorical with autism, at French Creek Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
8. Debbie Shapiro as extended school year special education multi-categorical teacher at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective June 10, 2019.
9. Roberta Hatcher as assistant track coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 season.
10. Denise Hyre as head cross country coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 season.
11. Sheena Westfall as head volleyball coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 season.
12. Ellen Shepherd as special education teacher multi-categorical with autism at Union Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
13. Caitlin May as fifth grade teacher at French Creek Elementary, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
14. Brian Brandish as a volunteer assistant coach for boys’ soccer at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
15. Darrell Gould as bus operator for extra-curricular special needs mid-day bus runs, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
16. Stephen Clark as bus operator, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
17. Jerry Roberts as guidance counselor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
18. Kelsey Riggleman as head cheerleading coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective June 17, 2019.
19. Brittney Barlett as head tennis coach at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
20. Katie Yeager as assistant senior class advisor at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

Transfers

1. Brooke Weese from first grade teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School to second grade teacher at French Creek Elementary School.
2. Kayla Sesco from second grade teacher at Buckhannon Academy to fourth grade teacher at French Creek Elementary.
3. Beth Johnston from kindergarten teacher at French Creek Elementary School to pre-k teacher at French Creek Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year, pursuant to WV Code 18A-4-7a(t).
4. Jenny Tenney from first grade teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School to second grade teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year, pursuant to WV Code 18A-4-7a(t).
5. Christina Anderson from special education aide at French Creek Elementary School to supervisory aide/ECCAT: kindergarten at Rock Cave Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
6. Donna Phillips from kindergarten aide/ECCAT at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School to supervisory aide/ECCAT: kindergarten at Union Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
7. Samuel E. Errett IV from full time itinerant bus driver to bus operator, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
8. James D. Sayre from custodian III at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School to bus operator, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.
9. Tiffany Beets from special education teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur High School to Kindergarten Teacher at Union Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

This BOE meeting was originally scheduled to be at the BOE office but was moved to French Creek Elementary School so BOE members and administrators could travel to Selbyville to attend the VIP dinner during Upshur County Younger 4-H Camp. BOE member Kristi Wilkerson thanked everyone for moving the agenda around so they could attend 4-H camp.

“It was nice to go to camp,” BOE president Dr. Tammy Samples said.

BOE members also met in executive session to discuss a student discipline issue.

The regular Upshur County Board of Education meeting for Tuesday, June 25, 2019 has been cancelled. The next Upshur County BOE meeting is a statutory meeting scheduled for Monday, July 1, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Board of Education Office.