By Steve Pendleton
The Hardy County Board of Education met on Monday, October 7, 2024. Present were Dixie Bean, President; Melvin Shook, Vice-president; board members Roy Harper, Douglas Hines, and Janet Rose; Dr. Sheena VanMeter, Superintendent; Jennifer Strawderman, Assistant Superintendent; Shawn Cullers, Executive Secretary to the Superintendent; Jessica Markwood, Director of Instructional Technology; Josh See, Director of Transportation and Maintenance; and Logan Moyers, president of the Moorefield High School Athletic Boosters Club.
The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Transportation and Maintenance Report
Josh See provided a written report to board members with updates on the auxiliary building beside Moorefield Elementary School (MES). Metal walls have been installed by a contractor and insulation was added by school system staff. The building is much quieter and street noise is not audible. LED lights for the ceiling will be hardwired to save money versus a plug system. In response to inquiry from Janet Rose, he said that other than the metal wall, Hardy County Schools staff completed the work. Currently, See is down one staff person. Taking care of work in buildings with students and faculty is the priority. When time permits, time is dedicated at the auxiliary building.
Compressors in the HVAC systems at the high schools are starting to fail. See noted that they typically last 10-15 years. A compressor at East Hardy High School needs replaced as soon as possible. The initial cost is $15,000. He will seek other sources for a less expensive option. A crane is necessary to install the compressor on the roof, involving several workers. A gas leak in that compressor recently caused temperatures in the gymnasium to rise. Maintenance staff sealed holes and replaced gas in the lines.
Melvin Shook inquired about malfunctioning cameras at Moorefield Middle School (MMS). Jessica Markwood indicated that during a meeting with vendors it was determined that a power supply was corrupted. Initially, a quote by one company involved replacing the entire model costing tens of thousands of dollars. After further checking, another business determined that the power supply could be repaired at a cost of $1,500.
Professional Development and Strategic Plan Updates
Jennifer Strawderman provided Strategic Plan progress. Staff at MES and Moorefield Intermediate School have completed the first sessions of “The Leader In Me” program. East Hardy Elementary (EHES) is now in the goal setting phase. Multiple requests have been made by school staff for training in technological assistance as so many educational programs are technology heavy. She and Markwood have discussed adding this training into the professional development plan at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. Interventionists are now in all schools. An interventionist provides professional support and guidance to teachers, often for individual students with a particular learning or behavioral issue. Hardy County is planning to hire English Language interventionists at EHES and MES for students who are learning to speak English. Strawderman has led the effort to comply with legislative House Bill 3035 that among other things, mandates a specific budget for summer school, and updating the quality of math and reading programs, especially in kindergarten through the third grade.
Consent Items
Minutes from the September 16, 2024 meeting were approved.
Unfinished Business
Logan Moyer, president of the Moorefield High School Athletics Booster Club (MHSABC) provided the Board with an update on the status of the new running track at MMS. After raising nearly $100,000 to resurface the track, along with $100,000 interest free loan from Pendleton Community Bank to the School Board, it appeared that work was ready to begin installing the pavement and rubberization. However, when the process of milling (tearing up the old track) began, the equipment sunk into the ground. It was determined that the original drainage system had failed as the perforated drainage pipe was filled with sediment, making the subsurface unstable. MHSABC worked with Alt Construction to determine what repairs were needed. Moyers stated that a new drain system should have six outlets versus the original two . A process called cement stabilization will be used to provide ultimate support for the subsurface. An engineering firm was hired to drill core samples. While the asphalt was determined to be adequate, very little gravel was found underneath. The subsurface mostly consists of clay, which happens to work well cement stabilization. Moyers indicated that this process is expected to last generations into the future.
The new process involves tearing up the old asphalt, rubberization, gravel and dirt beneath the track, and mixing it in with cement to lay a foundation. The concrete will be 12 inches thick around the track. Asphalt will then be laid down followed by rubberization. The additional work added $155,000 to the overall costs of the project. However, a $60,000 donation each from the County Commission (taken from opioid settlement money) and the town of Moorefield, along with a $10,000 commitment from Delegate Bryan Ward, and a $10,000 contribution from State Senators Randy Smith and Jay Taylor, each from legislative discretionary funds, have been secured to fund the extra expense. Surveying work and draining system installation will begin in the coming weeks. Cement stabilization will be put in place followed by paving of the track. Moyers expects all of this work to be completed by Thanksgiving week. However, the rubberization can not be installed until spring when temperatures rise to a certain level. Moyers is concerned that it may not be completed in time for track season but plans to keep in touch with the company hired to do the job in hopes that spring weather allows this to happen. The Board gave authorization to proceed with the work as soon as possible.
New Business
The Board approved the first reading of the following policies
– Critical Need/Shortage and Substitute Teachers Policy
– Student Publications Policy
Board Members/Superintendent Discussion
Pro-Officer Report (resource officers) activities reports were provided by Dr. VanMeter for EHHS and MHS. Request for Proposal bids for the installation of the new roof at MMS will be posted in the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Tuesday, October 15th and Tuesday, October 22nd. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for October 29th. A new clerk position has been posted for MHS. The school handles twice the financial business as EHHS, making an additional position necessary. Thus far, none of the applicants have passed the test for the position.
