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Wood BOE elects vice president, makes committee appointments

By Douglass Huxley 6 min read

PARKERSBURG – The Wood County Board of Education elected member Judy Johnson to be vice president during its regular meeting Tuesday night.

The board also selected members to fil vacancies in their committees. Newly elected Randy Modesitt will sit on the Wood County Extension Committee and the Parkersburg High School stadium facilities committee. Debbie Hendershot will serve on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Wellness Committee and the Student Advisory Council. Board President Justin Raber will serve on the Parkersburg South High School stadium facilities committee and Johnson will serve on the Williamstown High School stadium facilities committee.

The board also held its first public delegation for the 2025-2026 school year calendar with no one speaking.

The board recognized Pam Argabrite, Pat McFarland and Phoenix Associates as Outstanding Wood County Supporters during the meeting. Superintendent Christie Willis said Argabrite donated a $10,000 WinSlate Communication Device to Wood County Schools in memory of her husband, Jeff Argabrite. McFarland donated his time to file the WVSSAC injunction on behalf of the board at no cost to the district, she said.

Willis said Phoenix Associates donated labor and materials to remodel the Wood County Schools' Executive Secretary's office.

Parkersburg South High School art teacher Emma Romanowski was also recognized by the board for being named the West Virgnia Art Education Association's Art Educator of the Year for 2024.

Blennerhassett Middle School Principal Matt Null gave the board an academic update on his school. Null highlighted the extensive facility improvements made at Blennerhassett Middle School, including indoor painting, restroom updates, auditorium upgrades, and improvements to the air conditioning, gym, parking lot, secure entrance, camera system, and new offices.

He expressed gratitude for the vision and hard work that went into these updates, emphasizing the goal of making Blennerhassett Middle School the "nicest" facility in the district. He said he plans to build on this foundation to move the school forward.

Null said a key focus for his school is instilling leadership, both in the staff and students. He said has implemented a "leadership team" to drive initiatives, including discussions with department chairs, specialists, and the community. He said there are monthly staff meetings and biweekly student leadership meetings aimed to coordinate services and promote student leadership.

"We are going to find ways to serve our community through our Student Leadership Organization," Null said.

He said weekly grade-level teaming is used to identify at-risk students and communicate with parents to support their progress. He said behavior management has also been a priority, with the implementation of policies like no cell phones during the school day. The focus, he said, is on eliminating classroom disruptions, identifying students with apathy, and working closely with parents. He said positive reinforcement is emphasized, with a "positive office referral" program and daily shout-outs to celebrate student achievements. Attendance has also improved, with a 5% decrease in chronic absenteeism, he said. Attendance celebrations are held daily to recognize students with perfect attendance.

"We want to put our focus just as much on positive behavior as negative behavior," Null said.

He invited members of the board to visit his school anytime they wish.

"I want to commend you on looking at what you needed to focus on and making it simple," Johnson said. "Where you know you can master that, and then from there, go on to great things. So I appreciate that and what you're doing and your focus."

Technology Integration Specialist Eric Murphy gave the board an an incident weather update.

He said the district has an Incident Weather Assessment Team that starts evaluating road conditions as early as 3 a.m., dividing the county into quadrants. He said this team works with the transportation department and superintendent to decide on closures or delays by 6 a.m. The district has a two-hour delay option that adjusts reporting times for staff and bus schedules, he said. They also have designated "OS days" built into the calendar to make up for missed instructional time.

Murphy said the district has an Incident Weather Notification Team responsible for disseminating the information through multiple channels – direct calls and texts to parents and staff, television and print media outlets, the district website, social media, and radio stations. He said this ensures the information reaches the broad community. He said the process considers the diversity of Wood County, with both metropolitan and rural areas that can have very different road conditions. He said the district makes efforts to reach all stakeholders in the event of a closure or delay.

Jessica Robinson, local American Federation of Teachers representative, spoke to the board during public delegation about the proposed increases to the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) that are expected to be approved Thursday. She said the proposed increases include:

* 14% premium hike for active employees

* 12% premium increase for retirees

* 40% deductible and out-of-pocket increases

* 100% prescription copay increases

* Spousal penalty increase from $147 to $350

She said these changes are expected to have a significant impact on retired teachers, service personnel, and those with lower incomes. She said the reduction from 10 tiers to 5 tiers for payment calculations will further burden those making the least.

Robinson stressed the importance of maintaining competitive pay and benefits to retain good employees in Wood County Schools and urged the school board to review and sign a resolution to present to state legislators, showing solidarity with other boards and public employees against the rising insurance rates. She said she aims to have 55 signed copies to distribute before the legislative session.

The next regular meeting of the Wood County Board of Education is scheduled for Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. The meeting 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.

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Items approved during the consent agenda:

* Articles of Agreement with Western Governors University for clinical experience.

* Jackson Middle School Secure Entrance Change Order 1 at no additional cost.

* Compass Minerals Road Salt contract in the amount of $9,800.

* To convert the vacant position of Assistant Network Administration/Systems Administrator/TSS 235-day contract to Server Administrator/Technology Systems Specialist 261-day contract.

* Rebecca Blake for the position of Payroll Coordinator effective Dec. 30, 2024.

* Zachary Wilcox for the position of Payroll Coordinator effective Dec. 30, 2024.

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