Sarah Townsend

PARKERSBURG — Wood County Board of Education member Sarah Townsend said Monday she is stepping down from her position due to health reasons.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board,” Townsend said. “I have great admiration for the other board members and the administration.”

She said health reasons were the only factors in her decision and that she has learned a lot about the district in her time on the board.

“We have a tremendous school system in Wood County,” Townsend said. “The dedication of teachers and staff is amazing.”

She was elected in May 2022 and took office that July. She also serves on the Wellness Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Board President Justin Raber said it was unfortunate Townsend was stepping down but that he understood the circumstances.

“A person’s health is always the most important thing,” Raber said. “Sarah (Towsend) has been an invaluable member of the board who brought a different perspective that was vital to the decisions the board makes.”

The board will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. to discuss the process for filling a board seat vacancy.

Wood County Clerk Joe Gonzalez said the process for selecting a replacement would be the same as it was when Debbie Hendershot stepped down at the end of January to run for Wood County magistrate with the exception that a special election would not be needed.

The board appointed Rick Olcott to fill the vacancy temporarily at that time and that seat is on tonight’s general election ballot, with Olcott running against Chad Conley, Ryan Henry and Randy Modesitt to fill the remainder of the term.

Gonzalez said the board has up to 45 days to name a replacement and that person would fill out Townsend’s remaining term.

By law, no more than two members can be seated from the same magisterial district, of which there are three – A, B and C – in Wood County.

Towsend is from District C. Board member Ron Tice is from District A, with Raber and board member Judy Johnson from District B.

For those on the ballot tonight, Olcott, Henry and Conley are from District C and Modesitt is from District A. If a candidate from District C wins the election, the board could appoint a replacement from either District A or C. If the candidate from District A wins the election, the board would have to choose someone from District C to fill the vacancy.

The next meeting of the Wood County Board of Education is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday and will be held at the board offices at Plum and 13th streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com