BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County Board of Education approved its revised employee absence/leave policy Tuesday evening during its regular meeting held at the Fred Eberle Technical Center.

The Tuesday meeting was the third and final time staff and residents had the opportunity to view and comment on the policy revisions. The policy passed unanimously and BOE members said the changes to the absence/leave policy mostly dealt with family leave.

“It includes family leave instead of just maternity leave,” BOE President Dr. Tammy Samples and Vice President Katie Loudin said following the meeting. “This revision is more inclusive. It gives fathers the option to take time off as well. That is the major change.”

Also, during Tuesday’s meeting, Upshur County Public Library Director Paul Norko presented the library’s budget and asked the BOE if they would be able to increase their donation to the library. He said currently, the BOE supports the library with $93,700. He asked BOE members if they could up their donation by $15,000 due to cuts in donations from the Upshur County Commission.

BOE members asked Upshur County Schools Business Manager George Carver to look into their budget to see if there is any place where the school system could come up with the additional $15,000 requested by the library.

“I think the library does good work,” BOE member Kristi Wilkerson said. “The library is top-notch. I love going to the library’s ramp dinner. Keep up the good work.”

Norko said the library’s summer reading in July will be for all ages – not just for children.

“This is brand new,” he said.

Samples said she has noticed an increase in the amount of programming offered through the Library recently.

“I think there are a lot more people coming in,” Norko said. “The staff said the library is busier. People are using the library and more funding would only increase people’s use of the library.”

Samples said she did not believe the BOE was in any place to vote on the increase Norko had requested.

“I would like to ask Mr. Carver to look at our finances and see if there is any place that we could increase the amount (of funding for the library) and report back to us at our next meeting,” Samples said. “I would like you to look it over and let you know what you think.”

Following a more than one-hour executive session, Upshur County BOE members unanimously approved the following superintendent’s personnel recommendations:

Resignations

• Sabrina D. Perkins as girls’ volleyball head coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective April 30, 2019.

• Cheryl R. Cain as assistant track coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective May 3, 2019.

• Cheryl R. Cain as head cross country coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School,
• effective May 3, 2019.

• Melba J. Black as special education aide at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective June 30, 2019, due to retirement.

• Catherine Coffield as head tennis coach at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective May 12, 2019.

• Rod Hunte as science teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective June 30, 2019.

• Diana Chewning-Hunte as special education teacher at Union Elementary School, effective June 30, 2019.

• Carrie Barton as fourth-grade teacher at Tennerton Elementary School, effective May 14, 2019.

• Carrie Barton as assistant boys’ basketball coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective May 14, 2019.

• Carrie Barton as head girls’ soccer coach at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective May 14, 2019.

• Taylor Houston as Title I interventionist at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

Employment, pending appropriate certification and background check

• Employ the following for summer maintenance and painting – crew leader, Ernest “Lee” Pappas; crew members – James Bailey Jr., Charles Brown, Jennifer Ervin, Cathy Grill, William “Bill” Groggs, Steve Mele, Craig Smith, Randal Starkey, Amanda Wingfield and Norman Workman.

• Taylor M. Stacy as assistant boys’ soccer coach at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Melissa McConnell as pre-K teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Kathryn Woofter as personalized alternative learning/special education multi-categorical teacher (position 1) at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Kayla Sesco as second grade teacher at Buckhannon-Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Sarah Critchfield as pre-K teacher (position 1) at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• David Dewey as custodian III at Buckhannon-Upshur High School and Union Elementary School, effective May 15, 2019.

• Homer Brown as custodian III at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective May 22, 2019.

Transfers

• Terry L. Karickhoff from supervisory kindergarten aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Union Elementary School to supervisory pre-k aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Hodgesville Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Crystal Frederick from supervisory pre-k aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Rock Cave Elementary School to supervisory pre-k aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Union Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Beverley Miller from special education kindergarten aide at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School to supervisory pre-k aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Christina Rexroad from special education aide at French Creek Elementary School to supervisory pre-k aide/early childhood classroom assistant teacher at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Mandi Neely from 2nd grade teacher at French Creek Elementary School to 5th grade teacher at French Creek Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Carolyn Blend from French/computer applications teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School to personalized alternative learning/special education multi-categorical (PALS) teacher at Stockert Youth Center, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Ann Osburn from special education interventionist and ISS teacher at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School to personalized alternative learning/special education multi-categorical teacher (Position 2) at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Erika Jeran from physical education/health teacher at French Creek Elementary School to physical education/health teacher at Tennerton Elementary School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Rescind the name of Teresa Halle from the 2019-2020 transfer list and return her to the position of itinerant special education aide at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective May 14, 2019.

• Sherri Frederick from cook II at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year, to cook II at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, effective for the 2019-2020 school year.

Leave

• Intermittent medical leave for Courtney Stafford.

The next Upshur County BOE meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 7 p.m. at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School.