By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer
KEYSER — The Mineral County school system continues to attract highly qualified teachers, with experienced educators among the new personnel approved for hire Tuesday afternoon by the Mineral County Board of Education.
“We're still getting people with experience, we're still getting highly qualified people,” said Superintendent Skip Hackworth, at the hiring of five new teachers to fill vacancies at Elk Garden, Keyser High, Keyser Primary-Middle, and New Creek.
In addition to the five new teachers, the school board also approved the hiring of more than a dozen current teachers for coaching and other support positions, as well as a handful of cafeteria and custodial positions.
Prior to the public session, the board met in executive session for about 45 minutes before voting unanimously to reject a petition filed by Denise Hartman and Barbara Amtower.
The pair's appeal, originally presented in executive session June 17, was a “Level III” hearing which is an appeal before the county board of education. It comes only after the aggrieved citizen has first met informally with the school principal or administrator (Level I), then progresses to a hearing before the superintendent (Level II).
If the citizen is not satisfied with the conclusion of the board in the Level III appeal hearing, the next step is the state superintendent of schools.
Board officials would not comment on their decision or the nature of the appeal.
The hiring process conducted Tuesday is part of the annual hiring required to fill vacancies created by teachers who leave the system or retire.
Of the latter, the school board recognized Mildred Guerin of
Fountain Primary School, who retired this year after 37 years with the school system.
Hackworth noted that Guerin's departure represents the fifth long-term teacher to leave Fountain in the last four or five years. “That staff is experiencing the same thing as Frankfort High, with almost a complete turnover over the last few years,” he said.
Hackworth and Assistant Superintendent Pat Mason monitored Tuesday's meeting by phone from Atlanta, where they are attending the annual “High Schools That Work Conference.” School Board President Terry LaRue said about 20 teachers and other staff are attending the conference as well, where they attend workshops on best practices at other schools around the country.
“Every year we try to send a number of personnel down there,” he said. “It's an excellent conference.”
The school board will meet next at 4 p.m., Tuesday, July 14. Among the items on the agenda is a presentation by US WindForce, which is seeking to build 23 wind turbines atop Green Mountain near Keyser. The project is expected to generate $350,000 or more in annual property tax revenue for Mineral County, with the school system slated to receive about two-thirds of that amount.
“They want to explain the tax situation and basically explain what's going on with the project,” Hackworth said.
