001Third to order. Stand. Say the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let's make a note that all members are present except Mrs. Hollingsworth because of the rain and unable to see is probably why all >> delegations >> go improvement updates data comparisons can be state benchmarks. >> Great. Um the first thing that I have um it's also in your packet is you would like to take one. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome to please take one pass. I think there's enough for the audience too. We've just completed our second benchmark and Cambian is the site where we take our general summitive assessment on. We administer this three
002times a year in preparation to understand content skills and concepts that our kids are and are not getting. So this is uh comparison data from benchmark one to benchmark two. So what you see in the first column for benchmark one is the number of students that were proficient that means meets or exceeds standards and the percentage in column two is benchmark 2 and that is the number of students on benchmark 2 that meets or exceeds standards. In column three um the green or a plus mark is growth. So, I'm just going to go through that because I didn't have time to get this to Miss Hammonds. Um, I thought I was going to get it to her in just a second. But anyway, for third grade, we had a 13% growth um in students that
003meets or exceeds the standard. In fourth grade, we had a 16% growth. That 16% of our kids, all kids that were in fourth grade, met or exceeded standards. In fifth grade, a 9% growth. And this is for ELA. In sixth grade, we had a slight slip there. We had um negative 10 kids slip backwards. So, we had a decline of 10%. Seventh and eighth grade, we kind of flatlined. We had about the same amount of kids that were meeting standard on this benchmark. If we go over and look, and this is the pivotal point because this is the first year that the third grade success act will um kick in. And that means the third graders that are not proficient on the benchmark. This is the retention bill, House Bill 3035. So we had uh
004a decline in the students that were in the lowest performing group. So the first one is how many were in the lowest per how many of our students were does not meet standards on the first benchmark. The second one is how many does not meet standards on the second benchmark and how many students we moved from that lowest performing tier. So here it is good when you see negative. So 32% of our students move to another performance category for third grade which is awesome. 12% move to another performance category um in fourth grade. 3% move to another performance category in um fifth grade. Sixth grade we see that we probably have some curricular issues there because we had six more kids in the lowest performing category which was equals 14%. Uh seventh grade 5% less
005kids and you can see that's about two kids or 5%. eighth grade, 2% less kids. And total countywide, we had 10% less of our kids in the lowest performing category. So what does that say? That says we're moving students from to proficiency and we're moving students that don't have the skills at all to the next or another performance category. So we're remediating for the upper kids and the lower kids. So we're closing that achievement gap. What do you think that 10% decline in sixth grade curriculum? >> Uh we uh gone over this with the principles at the last principal meeting and they are looking into it. Sometimes you can have a kid um that just met standards but it those skills are not secure. They have a content but the skills are not secure. So
006when they move on to a more difficult skill they slip backwards. That could be that. It could just be that they had a more difficult skill on the second benchmark which caused a little bit of slippage. Um it doesn't mean that they um that it's anything necessarily that our teachers did or in the curriculum. It just could be a a more difficult concept. So for math um same concept applies here for math benchmark one benchmark two and growth. So for math we had a growth of 13 students or 30 kids at third grade. Um for fourth grade we had a growth of 14 kids or 22% in fourth grade. For fifth grade we had a growth of 12 kids or 18% in fifth grade. Sixth grade we had a growth of 6% or 10% of
007our kids grew to the next performance proficiency level. Um seventh grade six kids or 8% grew. Eighth grade 12 kids are 24% which overall the grand scheme of things we had 63 kids that move from non not meeting standards to either meeting or exceeds standards in the county which is an astronomical amount of growth if our kids >> and remember this benchmark is uh a reflection of the type of bench of the summitive assessment they'll take at the end of the year Um then for the number of kids that move from the lowest performing does not meet to another performance either partial mastery meets or exceeds. We had nine kids or 17% of the kids moved in third grade. 11 or 18% of the kids in fourth grade. 9 or 18% of the kids in
008fifth grade. 9 or 16% of the kids in sixth grade. Then we had one kid in seventh grade that slipped. Um and then 8th grade 12% less 12 kids or 23% and a county total of kids that were in that bottom does not meet standard. 49 kids or 15% of our kids moved out of the lowest performing quantile. So we are doing an excellent job in moving our kids especially with all the snow days. I think our teachers and our principles should be applauded for the work that's going on in in light of the situation we've been in. >> Good job. A is program fairs PCHS. >> So, um this is just a verbal update. I don't have anything to go with it. But on Friday of last week, we launched our partnership with our
009various community organizations and New River uh career and technical college. We introduce students to possible careers collaborating with the hospital, collaborating with um the sheriff's office, collaborating with Superintendent Collins at Corre the Denmark Corrections, and each of our all of our kids went through a session that said, "This is the careers and the jobs that's available in our county. This is the type of education you need to get that and this is the type of associates degree you can secure in 11th or 12th grade and if need be necessary use the invest grant in um one year after. So it was a tremendous success. All the kids got the information. Um they got to go through every session. So, a CSI, a lab technician, an LPN, um a corrections officer. Um we had someone from
010Denmark come. I spoke with Superintendent Collins. The sheriff was there. Um Mr. Barlo was there talking about uh being a paramedic and what the qualifications are to that. So, we did a tremendous amount of good work with our kids and um I'm really proud of what happened. and we saw some pictures posted on Facebook. It's it's a good day for Pocahontas County schools. >> Good job. Chronically absent update again. I know I'm all these updates, but these are things that um I always want to focus us on our goals and a goal on our agenda is for this year in our strategic plan is that we will during the 2526 school year, the number of chronically absent students will decrease by 50 students with no school showing less than a 10% reduction in the number
011of chronically absent. So for Hillsboro, this one's the 2425 school year that I reported out to you at the beginning and that's at the top. That's how you know what it is. And this is to date, the second one. So Hillsboro, the percentage of students chronically absent at the end of last year was 27.7. And right now, the percentage of students chronically absent at Hillsboro is 3.22. That's a 24% increase decrease which is amazing. Greenbank from 24.35 to 20 again a decrease. Marlington Elementary from 25.37 to 20.70. Um Marlington Middle from 33.82 to 26.27. Now the high school we have seen a slight decrease increase increase and what is going on there is we have some students that have actually dropped out and their attendance is counting with against us until we get the paperwork
012and it gets processed. So that'll change as well but right now it's 35 to 41. So they had a slight increase. Pocahontas County schools has decreased from 29% to 26%. So, we're making great strides in our attendance of our students coming to school and I think that is um says a lot especially with all the snow days. That's a big celebration. >> Thank you. >> Item number five is a cons consent agenda item. A is approval of the agenda. B approval of the agenda minutes for January 20, 2026 and February the 3rd, 2026. Payment of bills subject to additions, deletions, or other changes prior to the board meeting. A payment of vendor listing $79,91.76. B payment of the PC card $30,94451. C February 17th 2026 employee payroll 28711954. D is extra duty pay for February
0132026 9,85702. E is grant awards. F is budget adjustments. D is budget transfers and supplements subject to additions of leases or other changes prior to the board meeting. Do I have a motion? >> So move. >> Mr. Mcome made a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Mr. McNab seconded. Any questions on any of the ones I've just read? >> Okay, we will pull that out. Any other ones? Let's pull that out and vote on it last. Voting on all of them but number D. All those in favor sign by saying I. I. >> I. Let the record show that Mr. Mcomes has recused himself. D is extra duty pay for February the 20 2026 $9,8572. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Number six. Step back down more. >>
014Personnel matters. Do I have a motion? >> Mr. Mcomes made the motion. Have a second. >> I'll second. >> Mr. McNab second. Ollie, have you got to read something for us there? >> Pull your mic over towards you. So good. >> Personnel agenda for March 3rd, 2026. Professional uh recommendations of the following. Substitute teacher Poconus County Schools at the state basic professional salary for the 2526 school year as needed. Jaden Covert. Service recommendations. Summer Hickman Turner requests to be removed from the substitute aid position effective February the 17th 2026. Extracurricular Justin Dilly resignation as head soccer coach at Poconus County High School effective February the 17th 2026. Logan Wymer employment as a dollar coach for track for Poconus County High School effective the 2526 athletic season. Paul Morganian employment as a dollar coach for track
015for Poconus County High School for the 2526 athletic season pending a successful background check. Resignations for the 21st century grant positions. Site coordinator PCHS Janette Wagner effective 218 of 2026 and teacher PCHS Darling Arvagas effective 219 2026. Any questions? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Motion carries. Uh number seven is superintendent reports and general updates. A is HB5453 public school support. >> All right. I I believe this is actually in your packet for anyone that's in the audience or anyone that's online. I'm referring to House Bill 5453 and this bill is about funding for education and the funding floor. So this uh there is legislation that has passed out of the house education and the house finance and it's on its way to the house floor. And what this legislation says is
016that we get a flat rate of $6,100 per student some allowances to keep local shares. This proposal will be effective for the 2930 school year. This proposal also moves the funding floor from 1400 to,200. Um there are some allowances in the bill if I refer directly to the bill that I will give you a couple of things that are supplements. There's a supplement funding for special needs students that will be effective for the school year 2728. All counties in the state shall receive an additional funding through the a fund hereby created and known as the supplemental school aid fund. This fund shall be appropriated by the legislature based upon the number of tier 2 and tier three special needs count um students that a county has. The funding shall be based on a per pupil
017allotment of 3250 for tier 2 and 6,500 for tier three. And those are your most needy special education students. The loss of and Sarah, you can correct me if I'm wrong. Um the loss of 200 in our funding floor and it's phased in over three years will be approximately $1.8 million about. >> Now when does when does this start? >> This does not start. It'll be phased in over three years. So, if you go on down in the funding uh funding thing, it says effective for the school year 2728, all counties in the state may request funding for their special needs. And then on down here, it says that we have three years to totally phase it in. Now, it hasn't passed yet. It's gone to the floor, but it's passed the finance committee and
018it's passed the education committee. So, I just feel that it's um in our um best interest that I keep you updated along the way. last day of the legislature. >> This I do know. That's a good question. >> It's coming up. >> I say it's about ended. >> Yeah. Two weeks left. >> They'll throw all the bills in if they for that last reading on them last two or three days. >> Yes. It may be it may be a situation where, you know, we get letters together and send them out to our um our delegates and our senators to let them know how important this is. But I did want to make sure that you knew what was coming and what it looked like. And again, it's not an immediate emergency. It's a three-year emergency,
019but nonetheless, it is an emergency. >> Yes. You lose a 18 $1.8 million. It's an emergency. That's a big funding cut. >> We haven't lost it yet, but we could. >> Okay. But yes, that's what I wanted you to know because next I'm going to talk about >> the enrollment collection. >> The enrollment. and I've sent Miss Hammonds this to pull up for us. Um, I wanted to make sure that we're all aware of what our enrollment is and what it looks like at each grade level. So, this Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hand you anything out yet. Lol. Um, you're welcome. Can you zoom that up? The bottom chart's a little better. So, this was our enrollment. Um, for second month collection, we have 832 student 833, excuse me. I think we're down to
020832, but this is by school, by grade level. How many students do we have and how many students is in the school? So, I'm just going to read it off um in case people can't see it. Hillsboro has 72 students. 14 at kinder 14 at prek, nine kindergarten, 10 first grade, seven second grade, 11 third grade, 10 fourth grade, and 11 fifth grade. Hillsboro Greenbank Elementary Middle has 202 students, 17 at preK, 22 at kindergarten, 20 at 1, 18 at 2, 16 at 3rd, 22 at fourth, 7 at 5th, 21 at 6, 22 at 7th, and 23 at 8. Marlatin Elementary has um more than Greenbank and has three less grades. They have 17 at preK, 30 at kindergarten, 34 at first grade, 26 at 2, 36 at 3rd, 31 at fourth, and 34 at
021fifth. Um Marlington Middle School has 114. 37 at 6, 47 at 7th, and 30 at 8th. So total eighth graders that we have this year is 53 eighth graders. That's important because when we start looking at Pocahontas County High School, we had 71 at 9th, 58 at 10th, 59 at 11th, and 49 at 12th for 237. So we'll graduate hopefully all 49 students and 53 students will move up. So, their population will just shift by a couple of students at the high school. Um, I think that's important that we understand what our enrollment is. That's why it's important to keep kids in our schools and enrolled and recruit as many kids as possible. And I think that our new programming at the high school should help us bring back some of those homes through hopefully
022Well, the bill's only been already been introduced. >> Yes. So, March 14th is the last day. I will keep you updated. Um, the next piece of data is the end of the year discipline collection and the midyear discipline report. So, to this point in the year, our discipline is as follows. We have 58 disciplines at Hillsboro Elementary. That's level one and two. 102 at Greenbank Elementary Middle School for 112. And they have, you can see that we have 13, 40, and five level 3es at Hillsboro, 76, 28, and 8 at Greenbank. >> When you reading this at Oh, I'm sorry. I'm in the dark over here. >> Sorry about that. >> We try to keep you that way. >> That's kind of funny. I didn't hand that out to be honest. >> There should I
023think there's some extras of those too if you want to pass it over. Okay. And it's up here on the screen. Um so anyway, um Marlington Elementary, 58 level ones, 110 level twos, and 23 level threes for 191 total. Marlington Middle School 275 level ones, 73 level twos, and 16 level threes for 364 total. The high school 383 level ones, 67 level twos, and 60 level 3es for 510 disciplines this year for a total of,235 countywide. Any questions on that that I can use? >> Is there are are especially at the Mon High in the Pope County High School? Are these some of these repeat offenders? >> I would say I did not include that data, but there are some repeat offenders. Yes. >> Okay. >> That this does not represent the number of students.
024This represents the number of incidents. >> Just >> would you like I can get that next to the if you want me to. If you do, I Well, I don't really care about the number, but if they're repeat, we need to do something with this. >> We do have >> a program for what was it? What is it called? >> They made me forget. We we do have a program in place to for those. >> Okay. We do >> YRC. That's it. >> Yeah. >> And we work with uh Ned and Drea on that. So we do have a something in place but we have to go through two stats and then the referral goes to the YRC. So we have to go through that and then some muffins court order placed. >> Yes. >>
025Where we at? I mean have you looked at last year's numbers at this time? What we at compared to >> Well last year's uh I presented that earlier in the year and all the principles presented that. I just wanted to give you a midyear update but I can get a comparison for you if you want me to bring that next time. So, I'll bring a comparison chart for that next time. >> Is there any state data that tells us how we're dragged by the county? >> Um, they don't, but I'm going to tell you that >> I don't think we are >> we're all sorts to be honest. >> Some of these might be just minors. >> Well, level three is pretty much we're going to say that we're having some vaping issues. >> Yeah,
026I'd say >> which I consider very serious. >> That's serious. But level ones are, you know, >> assassin insubordination. >> So, were the police called on any of these? >> I'm sure all the level threes would would require a report of some sort. Yes. >> I mean, to actually police go to school. >> The police have been to our high school on multiple occasions because I've been there for those. >> Patient's getting addressed. >> Yeah, it is. D is general updates. >> So for the general updates, I just wanted to uh let the board know that I went to the county commission. I talked to them today. Um President Grimes went with me and I feel like it was a very positive experience. let them know what we're doing in Pocahontas County Schools and that
027we are doing everything we can to offer our kids that aren't going away to a four-year degree to have a a technical associates degree or certification coming out of school and that we are expanding our stronger together from our school systems to our local governments. Um, next I I'm going to ask other agencies to come and talk a little bit about our school system and what's going on because ultimately we have some great things going on in our school system. Our teachers are doing a great job, our principles are doing a great job and we need to get the positive information out there so that our community knows that we need their support and we want to work together so stronger together. >> One thing you brought up county commission meeting that I was caught
028my attention was adult classes. Yes. >> Could you explain a little bit of that because that really caught my attention because some of these kids that didn't get it can go back >> correct >> to get their uh a degree in law enforcement, criminal justice or whatever. in a lot of counties. Um my experience with adult after school classes, I uh taught at Alagany High School with Jackson River Technical School and there are programs that if our students don't graduate with their associates degree, we can continue on with night courses for our students. So, we can continue on with night courses for um welding. We can continue on with the night courses for our LPM program. Lots of places do have that. So phase one is getting our high school straightened out and getting these
029programs for our high school students. Phase two is moving into this more community agency type thing to offer these technical certifications to other folks through our school system and they can tap into the invest grant cuz there are a lot of jobs available. We just don't have a lot of people or students to take those. We have five deputy positions we don't have. What do we need to do? Getting correction officers. What do we need to do? ECATs, we need those. What do we need to do? So, phase one is this. Phase two is moving into that next part of the program and establish that for our adults and our our students that graduate for that 13th year of education. >> That's what I heard we did, but >> and we're getting back to that.
030and the welding teacher said, "If you want to do this with the welding program, I'm willing to help you get it done." So, we do have people that's willing to help us. We just got to start building somewhere and we're kind of at the base. But, I would like to see that in place in the next year or the next year or the year after. That'll be a goal. >> There was a lot of people took them classes. It would be in there. >> The uh how does the like for instance the weld for instance how does that uh how do you pay for that? I mean does that is that extra duty on how does that work? >> Well that we would have to if we did the after school portion you can collaborate
031with the college they do the instruction so we don't have to pay for the instructors. How did the students pay for it? There's two things in process right now. When you're in school, it's called the Level Up program, and then you get books and tuitions for our students that meet those qualifications. West Virginia passed a bill several years back, and it's called the Invest program, and that allows any adult or student to get college tuition to get an associates degree. So, that is actually part of the state higher education policy program. So, so like if our welding instructor, if we have enough interest from the public and our welding instructor takes does a class at night, that's paid through >> we would have to get him certified through New River and they would have to
032agree to do that with us. Yes. Or we can agree to pay someone if we wanted to. >> Yeah. They used to charge it was $175 per person like back in the 90s which was a fair amount of money that paid >> it paid for part of >> it has a minimum number you had to have enough students to pay a teacher >> and I think it's I think that's 15 but I feel like we haven't had it for so long that we could definitely generate the interest to get it because there's not another agency in town doing that right now for immunity and that's really what I went to the higher ed commission, you know, to let them know that we're not just stopping at making our high school better. We want to work
033to make our community better, to keep people here and grow our community. >> These substantially >> we have several of their bosses right here. >> Yeah, we have a lot of them. >> Yeah. So, it's just a matter of getting it started, >> getting you start making the connections and >> Yep. And that's really what I'm trying to work hard on doing. So, moving moving us where where um the vision was for my interview with the board and making sure I'm staying on target for that. >> You're better progress. >> I got the gym floor up. >> Just saying. >> Okay. >> Moving on. old business is the 180day waiver request. >> Yes. And I just printed that off. So, we have to do some things a little different in with our school, our snow
034days. So, um did you put this in our packet all? This should be in your packet. Okay. So, there is a fiveday waiver available for the snow days. And at first, I applied for all five days cuz I was so excited. I didn't read all the directions quite as well as I should have, but we cannot get waiver. We cannot get wave days where we were doing our non-traditional instructional days. So, we only qualify for a waiver for two days that were actually closed days. So, I'm going to talk to the calendar committee and um at some point let the teachers and principles know that when we start our snow days, we need to start with those non-traditional instructional days. So, if we get in another crisis, then we need days forgiven. We can have
035those days forgiven because they're not technically forgiving work days. And that's what's happening. We we can't forgive work days because then we will be outside our 200 day contract. So I've applied for a waiver on January the 29th and January the 30th. I feel confident we will get that waiver. If we had done our schedule a little differently, we probably could have got all five days. Should I ask that'll take that or reduce her? We won't have to make up to two days. You can request it. >> Correct. >> Okay. If the waiver passes >> if the waiver passes, which it'll go on the state board agenda is how I believe it works and every every countyy's applying for waiverss that qualify for it. So, I I feel confident 99% confident we'll get it. >>
036Item number nine on the is new business. And you all can read all this. Most of these as policies and do I have a motion? >> Mr. McL's made the motion. Do I have a second? >> Second, Mr. McNab. Second. And I'll give you a second to read all this stuff because it's a >> President Grimes, would you like for um you want to read it? >> Just stand and read this. Can you stand and read all the policies maybe for us all? >> Maybe so the people on the line could know what's going on. If you don't mind, you could go to the podium and read them. >> It's off. Just >> policies on the agenda for tonight are discussion and action of the proposed policy revision 2275, Mountaineer Challenge Academy, first reading. Discussion
037and action of the proposed policy revision 2340 field co-curricular and other extracurricular county sponsored trips first reading. Discussion and action of proposed policy revision 3139.01 suspension first reading discussion and action proposed policy revision 4139.01 suspension first reading discussion and action proposed policy revision 4160.02 02 physical examination/qualifications for school bus operators first reading discussion and action proposed policy revision 511 eligibility or resident non-resident students for enrollment first reading discussion and action proposed policy revision 5113.02 O2, school choice options, first reading. Discussion and action of the proposed policy revision 5136, personal electronic devices, first reading. Discussion and action of the proposed policy revision 5410, promotion, acceleration, placement, and retention. first rate policy on personal electronic devices. >> There's been an update from Niola, a legal update. So when Neola sends me an illegal update, then I put
038that policy revision out because there's been an update to a policy or a practice that we have to change our policy to align with. I mean, so we have to we have to change our adapt our new policy to this >> correct to the state to state law or policy. All right. >> And we actually I just have these on here. We got 27 um that dropped down in this latest update that we needed to do, but I didn't have time but to do this many. >> Under new business, we also had approval of fundraiser approval out of county, out of state and overnight field trips. That's how you be. Anybody got any questions on what was hit red? >> No. >> Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> Motion carries.
039Board members remark. Mr. Gibson. you know, we took our victory lap, which I'm really grateful for about the high school and really want to um you know, I think that's great and all, but I'd like to slow down. I want to bring up my list of questions that we I asked before about oh about a month ago, and I'd like to bring that up again. And um some of that was addressed tonight with the Weebas third and fourth degree behavior and discipline issues for the year. And I appreciate that. That's nice. You know, I'd like to see where we are in previous years. I still want to know the total value of the seven positions we eliminated recently. still like to know this anticipated cost of newly formed school resource officer officers if we hire
040another one. I'd like to know how many current professional service personnel and aids that we currently support and for the years previously requested. I'd like you to please provide how many 261day contracts that we support in our schools and please list supplemental total values for the years previously requested. And I'm I want to return back to the central office cost. I'd like to know how what the central office, you know, I'm not hung up on the remodel, but I do want to know how much this place cost. Like, does this thing have a a mortgage on it? Do do we do we have electricity? I mean, how much is our electricity cost or phone bill, internet bill? I want to know all that stuff. Um, travel time. I'd like to know how much our travel
041reimbursement is. And I want to know how many consultant feeds we have paid for um in recent times. And I also want to list the individual projects we have started and completed our school since the ending of the 2425 school to date. Please list this total individual cost and funding source. how and I'll tell you why I want to know this because we just eliminated seven jobs and you know I'm glad to know that we don't have any riff u but I'm not sure that that's not coming again and I'd like to know I I want to know these numbers if you would to prepare for rip season that's for that's one of them >> so if I If I may address the some of the utilities costs in the budget. >> Every year we
042every month every agenda we give you a payment of bills and all the expenses and all the salaries. >> Thank you. >> Yes. So that number is included in every agenda. >> Hold on. Hold on a few minutes for Miss Hollinssworth. >> Yeah. Boston 3:00 and they haven't called or anything. Have you guys heard anything from him? >> We haven't heard nothing. No. >> Had an appointment at 220 in Louisburg and they had a babysitter at home for Daniel tonight. Barb's been trying. We've been trying. I called 911. They checked for accidents and a lot of activities. She was here. So interrupting. >> Oh, no. No. That's more important because we we thought because of the rain she just didn't come out is what we thought. You got a cell phone? >> Yeah. >> They
043can ping it. They can ping the the cell phone. >> See if the state police or so. >> State police can ping it. >> Yeah. >> Ping the phone. >> No, no, no. >> Anytime. >> Any. >> Now you've concerned us. >> I'm sorry for interrupting you. I know. I know it's her brother-in-law. >> That's That's okay. >> So, just the payment of bills is all broken down. All that information is is included. Sarah, would you like to say anything more about the payment of bills and how it's listed in here? >> You don't have to address it tonight, but I'd like to have this. You know, I've asked for it a couple times and you know, I really for the life of me, I don't know. I can I can bring up my on
044my computer. Dumb Sam can bring up those numbers right on my computer there. It really it's not that big of a deal, you know, and and I mean, I can bring on my own business or personal life right there. I can't do school of it, but there's nothing wrong with us looking at the big picture and planning and possibly averting RIP. I don't want to see any more people get fired or laid off. That's >> But nobody got fired or laid off. >> Well, that's good. >> Okay, >> Mate, I'd just like to thank Dr. Williams and her staff again for what they're doing. I'm very impressed with the numbers. The the the the steps that we're taking. Everything is going in the right direction. It's going up. Uh and all we got to do
045is just keep on keep on trucking on. Also, I want to give a shout out to the girls basketball team. >> Uh they're playing tomorrow night at the high school at 7 o'clock. Uh playing Tigers Valley, which is a big rivalry game. and the winner gets to go to Charleston. So, I'd like like for everybody to come out, support the support the students. That's all I've got, Mr. McCo Frosty said. I mean, the numbers are here. It's hard work from our teaching staff and a lot of is our schools have become a positive environment. >> It is. >> And we have leadership. One of the biggest problem we had in the school system was we had no leadership. So everybody was fighting and backstabbing trying to be the leader. We have a leader now. We
046have our principles are being leaders and the bottom line is our students are cheating. >> I want to address Mr. Gibson just for a second on what we put into the office year. We voted on it. If you go back through your minutes and look at what we voted on, we voted on how much money it took to fix the office. >> Absolutely. the same time as the gym and everything. You just got to go back through your notes and look at that. >> We voted on the resource officer, too. >> Yeah, we voted on the resource officer. >> They brought you all that information. >> We voted on >> Let's get it. I'm going to give it >> look back through your records and you can find that. But that's easy. God's resource officer
047work. It is uh talking to the staff at the high school, the principal, they are tickled to death with the resource officer. You hear that? I hear that >> Every day. And it also gives us a paramedic at POS High School. >> That's correct. >> Public talks about it, too. >> It's in the public. >> It is. >> I like it. >> Years ago when Dave Janice was sheriff and he put deputy there as much as he could about 89% time. It was a huge positive impact on school. >> It is. >> It's just like us. We're flying down the interstate 80 milesPH and we see a cop we go down the shuttle. >> That's right. You hit the brake. >> We hit the break. And that's what a lot of times if there's a
048resource officer there students know it's seeing him. >> They hit the break >> on the public. >> Absolutely. >> And I hate to see kids mess up their whole life doing something stupid. >> That's right. and finish as far as >> Can I bring up one more thing while we're doing this since we're just kind of freelancing? >> Yeah. >> Uh you can Mr. >> Mr. Gibson, you keep you keep saying you and a lot of people in the public keep saying about the seven jobs that we did away with. Uh did we actually do away with those or wasn't anybody in wasn't? >> There was nobody in the positions. They had not been filled for years. >> Well, what about >> So how did we do I'm I'm talking. So, how can people say
049that we did away with them when we there was actually nobody there to do away with? >> Correct. >> That's what I have a I just want >> we we didn't rip the job. We abolished the position. >> Well, I don't I don't like the word abolish and I think that's where everybody gets gets all wound up because you abolish this job. We that that's just the wording. We can bring those jobs back next meeting if you want. >> We also abolished three student opportunities. you know, talking about ELA and math right here and the B the business prep class, you know, and what are we going to do with the fourth grade class at Greenbank? That was one of the positions that was abolished. I mean, have you >> The other fourth grade position
050at Greenbank has had a long-term sub in it all year. >> Are you going to post that job again? You know, >> no, we don't need that position. We don't need that. So, there's two fourth grade classes. >> There was two fourth grades. One we one we we did not we had enough for one teacher that's been a long-term teacher all year long. The other one we didn't need. So, we just abolished a position that we didn't need. >> I I don't like the word abolish. >> I don't like the word. That's legal ter. >> I understand that. >> That's legal. >> But I don't think I a lot of people don't understand. Correct. >> Including me. >> But that's all I mean. >> You're right, Mr. Man. We had no permanent people in them
051positions. >> Well, you know, that's fine, Daddy. But we did. We wiped them and they're they're gone. >> They're not necessarily gone. They're going to be bring back next meeting. They're going to be reconfigured into other positions >> 1200 small. >> That was the other thing I' I'd like to mention and you've been doing a good job so far watching the headl with this. I mean, everybody can see the writing on the wall with this funding stuff. I mean, it's it we're not going to get more money. We're going to lose money. So, we need to be proactive and start looking now for three, four years, 5 years down the road. And if we don't, we're not doing our jobs. Now, there's and there's going to be some tough decisions to be made. Well, actually,
052>> it's gone >> in the future. >> There's a bill in the legislative branch that I did not update you on, but there is a proposal that the superintendent proposes their rift transfer to the state superintendent and then the state superintendent proposes that to the board and the local board does not get to vote on that. So seeing that >> so it's important that we are responsible with positions that do not have people in them and we need additional positions to make sure that we realign appropriately. For example, we want to have a corrections pathway. We want to have a law enforcement pathway. We want to offer our students an associates degree in nursing. We want to offer our students the lab technician. We want to offer our students phabbotomy. I have to hire a
053nurse for that. I have to hire a criminal justice teacher for that. I have to hire two teachers for JOTC that this board voted on. Those positions that were unfilled are needed and it's responsible to repurpose them for the positions that we do need that our students can benefit from. So, they were not let go. they are going to be reallocated to better benefit our students at the high school to do these positive things. >> Thank you. That's >> that's exactly >> that's what needs >> you know we don't realize how fortunate we are. We don't have any rifts. Randolph County's got 61 >> uh I was talking to their board members. So we don't know we don't realize what situation we're in here that we can our teachers don't have to go through that.
054>> So we're not going to have any drift system. I do not anticipate any riffs this year. >> So >> because I was responsible before. >> Anytime you send out riffs, your morale goes down. >> No, >> cuz everybody wonders if I'm next and the morale goes down. Except anytime we can keep from doing that and keep within our budget because we have to. And we've seen counties that just didn't risk and now they're in the red. Handball County, you know, they're in a they're in the red big time and some some counties very close to us and it's it's tough. Greenber County is ripping right now and I count chairs all the time down there and I feel like we need to send some of our staff to Greenberg County for continued ed because
055there's 25 to 30 chairs at every room and you ask the teachers when do you need this many chairs because it's hard to sweep and cl and such class I do such and such a class I mean you don't teachers as rule of thumb don't have extra chairs in their room. And when you have 25, 30, 35 chairs in your room, it's because you have 25, 30 students in your room. >> Correct. And I presented the board with the numbers that says we have two kids, five kids, eight kids, seven kids. >> We can even with these positions, the max number is not near 25. >> Nowhere near. And we want to give our kids an opportunity for these other things without having to rip our staff. So the easiest way is to get rid
056of positions that are unfilled. >> This what was that green bank? What's the fourth grade class say green bank? How many you have in there? It's not that not this one. This is the it's like 20ome. >> Mhm. So, it's what's what's our class maximum? What's it >> off the top of my head? I don't want to quote policy. I would have to look that up. >> 25. Yes. >> And the teacher cut off extra pay if you have more than that. >> Up to 28, I believe. But I >> I think 28 is the max. >> Yes. >> Oh, Green Bank has 26. And that's what that's what I think the future's coming to is you got a you got a certain amount of kids for a certain amount of teachers and you're going
057to go by that or you're you're not going to go. I think it's it's going to get it's going to get down to that. Like I say, we're going to end up whoever's sitting on this board is going to have to make some tough decisions. >> Yeah. And if we have the what 800 what 88 >> 833 or something33 >> what the county commission told me today the population of the county was down to 7600. That's >> I know that was shocking. >> Yeah. That's >> 50% of them has passed child. >> Yeah. So that's I mean it's it it's going to go down. The funding's going down. >> I mean when it comes to the retirement community >> Yeah. You look at the needs the needs each week and you almost never see any
058young people in Pon County buying a house buying. It's people you don't recognize name but move in here to retire >> and you know half of them leave here on Sunday evenings. >> Yeah. To go to work. >> That's all keeping our county. >> Yeah. It's white. That's right. You see them? You know I caught that when I lived up Frost. You've seen them for two hours. >> Well, hopefully we didn't get off track too much, but I I think I think what everybody said needed to be said and hopefully it explains a lot to the public. Hopefully. All right. We don't just do we don't just sit here and do stuff because we feel like it. I mean, it's just doesn't happen that way. Our next board meeting will be March 17, 2026 at
059the Poconus County Board of Education conference room at 6 p.m. We are hereby adjourned.