[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6267256,"mediaKeyId","3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3","parentId",3077075,"title","Board approves personnel sections after multiple personnel hearings","audioSeconds",570,"startMs",14310000,"endMs",14880000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3&start=14310&end=14880","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3/thumbnail_14310000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6267256/West-Virginia/Board-approves-personnel-sections-after-multiple-personnel-hearings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267256-30340becb342ce4413400de5210103a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141046&Signature=atuwmrVjleRPoTosfc3g~wvwLTs01evG8iyKR4Umn1d7UURzIMiq4e0O4PVEsY4OxJNdxwzdUyjjxOqaXDxXoPcajDMH3p3sVziC6RuTTaavUAahzWGcxTZ-xBmNrBkj-fTIUXkVltyo0fjYssqZh0NHIzwEQLMJeByiuDzrY6ALYJ1pCofiUl7ZoEfOOGmJ2mVJMsiPNlWxwIh-KY1NnuDWCFnlOlj-bfrS85VNdj4fthXn4rdFsjOqMLhiZ9JPmIyRLOZN8B2ecJnmwW9vLYTc~gcU-nnZmXofP1oEDcb4EP9HGw~wyMoT8okl0XydvSTP~52lLfgccDmssrXdhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-22T08:11:56.68Z","article","After public personnel hearings, the Cabell County Board of Education considered and voted on multiple personnel sections during its April 21 meeting. The board approved a series of motions by voice vote; in several cases the transcript records \"Aye\" and no opposition.

Votes at a glance

- Section 05/1978P (teacher realignments, elementary) — Motion to approve carried by voice vote; \"Aye\" recorded and no opposition noted.

- Section 51/79P (termination of contracted days; transfers) — The board approved the section with a motion that excluded one named employee (John McMillan) from that approval; the motion passed by voice vote.

- Section 51/80P (administrator transfer listed: Melissa Ash and Gregory Webb) — No motion was made; the transcript records \"Hearing none, this is not approved.\"

- Section 51/81P (listed professional transfers for 2025–26) — Motion to approve carried by voice vote.

- Section 51/82P (reduction in force / termination of contract) — Motion to approve carried by voice vote; one board member recused from discussion before the vote.

- Section 51/83P (renewal of contracts) — Motion to approve carried by voice vote.

- Section 51/84P (termination of extracurricular contracts) — Motion to approve carried by voice vote.

- Section 3.3 (service personnel) — Motion to approve the service personnel section as presented carried by voice vote.

The meeting record shows routine motions to enter executive session for several hearings and to return to open session; those procedural motions were passed by voice vote. Board members also discussed notifying employees who would be affected by ripple effects stemming from the approved items.

The transcript does not record roll-call tallies or individual members' recorded aye/no votes for these motions; outcomes are recorded as voice votes with \"Aye\" and no opposition or with specific exceptions noted above.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cabell Schools Board Special Meeting - Personnel April 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After hearing testimony from employees, the Cabell County Board of Education voted on professional and service personnel sections that included transfers, terminations and renewals; several motions carried by voice vote.","taxTitle","CABELL COUNTY SCHOOLS, School Districts, West Virginia","taxId",13059,"location","West Virginia","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6267261,"Technology specialists warn eliminating TSTS roles will slow fixes, cost instructional time",1440,12960000,14400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3&start=12960&end=14400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3/thumbnail_12960000.jpg","/articles/6267261/West-Virginia/Technology-specialists-warn-eliminating-TSTS-roles-will-slow-fixes-cost-instructional-time","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267261-ae51032976cba78d17e0f85a8c6fca36/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141046&Signature=FluA6vPCbiFupzMOEn3BcwLAu5o0mMMQqW24FbisgIP6h5zpSSDB2xUhTki-hAAFyPHIlJ0cBrrUx5TXowbK3v03Bv6sXRihLT1t-W~ayJCBfPhRpdoRfvp-R7E3oHlHOS9C-pllTo0KWGpCT7E9zqYj57WwYqQgipaCMAjr6H03ryjyCSbRGG1WvEg-YVwUvwDI3P0Nffjk7ijZcrZvPoq9enLhVBLmEY1YisIO03mdnzIdhcm4C0fk9O~rngSilXTOMQXUKcLfc~f915oSnkkDdK3d2ZM6m8P766yZFkPdxzaXcWDxlkNWInhOfNk6Edh0XgScERPqBMyONtr2Zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple Technical Support and Training Specialists (TSTS) told the Cabell County Board of Education on April 21 that proposed cuts to their positions would produce longer downtimes for student devices, slower responses for teachers and parents, and diminished use of district technology investments.

William (Richard) Richards, Richard Black, Felicia Backus, Christie Schafer and Mike McCormick — TSTS at several middle schools and the county Career and Technical Center — described day-to-day duties that range from five-minute student device fixes to large-scale device inventories, parent trainings, classroom technology integration, and running maker spaces. \"If that student in that situation would need to tell our teacher. The teacher would need to put in a support request, and then the support ticket would sit there until the TSTS shows up to that school,\" Richards said, describing a five-minute fix that would become a multi-day delay if his position were shared across multiple schools.

Christie Schafer told the board she recorded 3,583 work orders resolved and 14,470 emails answered in the past four years; Richard Black said he had handled 1,024 support tickets so far this year. The specialists said much of their work is preventative and not visible in budget spreadsheets: they deploy devices, ensure students have accounts, maintain inventory, and train teachers and parents in Schoology and district platforms. Felicia Backus compared the proposed cuts to \"buying a new fleet of buses, and then firing the mechanics,\" arguing that the district risked paying for devices that teachers would stop using if support were not available.

Superintendent Timothy Hardesty said the five positions represent $459,400 in recurring salary costs and that many were funded with federal COVID relief that has expired. He described the decision as driven by a need to reduce recurring payroll to make the district's budget sustainable: \"At the end of the day, we cannot continue down a road where we can't pay our bills,\" Hardesty said.

TSTS speakers urged alternatives, including reallocating other discretionary funds, revising contracts, or formalizing cross-school support relationships rather than eliminating embedded specialists. Board members asked follow-up questions and acknowledged the specialists' work while noting the budget pressure that prompted the recommendation.","Five Technical Support and Training Specialist positions recommended for elimination would be shared or cut, district officials said; TSTS staff testified they handle thousands of support tickets, parent training and inventory tasks and warned consolidation would reduce service speed and device upkeep.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6267265,"Teachers urge board to preserve 'career literacy' classes as district seeks savings",672,1246000,1918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3&start=1246&end=1918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3/thumbnail_1246000.jpg","/articles/6267265/West-Virginia/Teachers-urge-board-to-preserve-career-literacy-classes-as-district-seeks-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267265-f8b5c169ab2cfd1caf218d1975044492/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141046&Signature=luSjhxD0ZFf~6Z74igyR4l-yog5A~Z4m~1j~HjTs0Gnrfrm8D~SAAfOnxvB44iBLwUwLBA8OfdotP29EKAwwOOPIEULPGyjwxAl3JEfCgAw8XISkeANTqRB~~J-~wW430EAyuFe8h1VGDk~8RJmmiwmYXFWvvsv6zGq9sbqinI~kZWtkqtiVxVrmjGn~Xef6qheSmJMJc1SDlxb8QjS6wvarjfkK-jp46pi22Jx5ivRmWpcy08jAebXoMISQJ9dD9s4V36VksaVtaAL8O1UqQkuQSODBtJdes4cZ1bZnNhuuOddJOqcRZjniKInA~hbOXc4aYcQIRW~IzpgfCdOC4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cabell County Board of Education heard competing arguments Monday over whether to preserve the district's \"career literacy\" middle-school program or to fold its functions into core English language arts classes as a cost-saving measure.

Tracy McClanahan, a career literacy teacher at Barbersville Middle School, told the board she has worked in Cabell County for nine years and said the program engages students by \"focusing on reading, writing, speaking, listening, and reasoning through the lens of careers.\" She asked the board to keep career literacy at all middle schools or at least preserve the program at Barbersville, noting that cutting the program there would eliminate six certified positions that the administration would then re-post as core-content jobs. \"You're gonna cut 6 jobs just to go back and post 6 jobs,\" McClanahan said, saying the net fiscal effect depends on who is hired to fill new openings.

Brandon Tinney of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) spoke for affected staff and argued the reductions are tied to state policy choices and an expanding scholarship program that officials said has reduced public-school enrollment. David Watson, an eighth-grade career literacy teacher, described hands-on projects, a job-shadowing program with 67 local business partners, and a recent county-level recognition of his work.

Superintendent Timothy Hardesty said career literacy was developed by the district but that proposed eliminations respond to budget pressures. Hardesty told the board that the 24 teachers in the program account for $1,816,301 in salaries; eliminating the countywide program as recommended would require adding back six positions at Marblesdale Middle School because of that school's student count. He told the board that Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs receive approximately $58,000 per year in state funding for middle-school CTE but said that funding is small relative to salary costs.

Board members questioned whether students would continue to receive required ELA instruction and how special-education services and IEPs would be handled without the career literacy class. Hardesty said ELA standards would still be taught by ELA teachers but acknowledged that two teachers on a team allow more dedicated instruction time: \"adding career lit never took any ELA standards from the ELA teacher either,\" he said, while also noting principals preferred to preserve middle-school team planning where possible.

Speakers asked the board to consider longer-term budgeting options and to weigh the loss of a program that teachers and former students described as increasing engagement and workplace exposure. Board members will vote on personnel sections later in the meeting that include the administration's recommendations for program and staffing changes.","Middle school teachers and union representatives told the board that the county-created 'career literacy' program supports literacy and career exposure; the superintendent said the county may cut the 24-position program to meet budget shortfalls and noted partial CTE funding available.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6267270,"Cabell County superintendent cites enrollment drop as counselors placed on transfer list",845,135000,980000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3&start=135&end=980","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3077075-dc78d5e4f19fa7dc5dadcdd2e6c7bac3/thumbnail_135000.jpg","/articles/6267270/West-Virginia/Cabell-County-superintendent-cites-enrollment-drop-as-counselors-placed-on-transfer-list","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267270-1fd1feba37a5aeefc7b755c82bf0f73f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141046&Signature=Ww2Zn8pgMV~YkNXGGhNCRmD~Bnd1JeICchnD79INOmmgLG8T1fYDSe61IMTTPP1gDFlkT1zJTqEe9BZKAPQNXH8abTKILaYP9lozuLpMNB9aL-anHsrHtIfGj~mh-3c98jaOnVnpfnm61ef9WuYnNWp4fvMZh8Gx023pzbSX1sQR3vLACTN8UOnWsdMPepThj22uPUL5izSrzg2S0pt6~uttjsxqZuLqO90Bq1JWNg1Sxi-mdCfkyGfxF~bY0VXPskLu-9dorHykerYVPgG3Bbhhk8zm30082u~zpQ58y-W6X6Wheosa6M32ijGI8wOFYzYlPaMcC6vEE3nZKOap2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cabell County Board of Education heard testimony Monday, April 21, from counselors and the superintendent as the board considered personnel transfers that would consolidate some elementary counselor positions.

Superintendent Timothy Hardesty told the board the district has lost 2,043 students since its peak in the 2014–15 school year and faces a funding shortfall because state aid follows enrollment. \"Current reimbursement's a little bit over $8,000 per year per kid,\" Hardesty said, adding that the district had received roughly $70 million in federal COVID relief that supported positions now expired. Hardesty said the proposed changes move some schools back to a model in which counselors are shared between two schools to align with state funding formulas.

The changes prompted public testimony from affected employees. Jennifer McComas, a counselor at Nichols Elementary School, said she has worked for Cabell County Schools for more than 30 years and urged the board not to cut full-time elementary counselors. \"There have been a surprising number of children who have thoughts of self harm and have even considered suicide, and these are young children,\" McComas said, describing frequent contacts from families and the regular visibility counselors provide in hallways and cafeterias.

Hardesty said the district is following the state funding formula. He cited West Virginia Code 189-a-8 and discussed recently enacted House Bill 3209, summarizing the bill's counseling-ratio language as it applies beginning Aug. 1, 2025. \"The plan presented moves back to a model prior to the 2018 school year when our smaller elementary school shared a counselor between 2 schools,\" Hardesty told the board. He said the recommendation was not a judgment of individual employees' performance.

Board members questioned both counselor witnesses and Hardesty about where funding had come from for added positions in recent years; Hardesty said some positions had been supported by federal COVID relief and some by other state or grant monies but that most of the recurring salary costs must be met with state aid and local levy revenue. He told the board the six elementary counselor positions on the table represented approximately $510,946 in salary cost savings if consolidated.

Several board members asked affected employees whether they had been given proper notice and an opportunity to respond; McComas and other employees responded that they had. The board later voted on a package of professional personnel items (see \"Votes at a glance\"), including transfers and terminations that will affect counseling positions. Hardesty told the board he would rescind any transfer if the administration later found it had applied seniority or certification rules incorrectly.

The discussion combined immediate personnel decisions about specific employees with broader budget planning tied to enrollment declines and expiring one-time federal funds.","Superintendent Timothy Hardesty told the Cabell County Board of Education that declining enrollment and expired federal COVID funds are driving recommendations to consolidate some counselor positions; affected counselors and board members described student mental-health needs and asked that positions be preserved.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves personnel sections after multiple personnel hearings

Technology specialists warn eliminating TSTS roles will slow fixes, cost instructional time

Teachers urge board to preserve 'career literacy' classes as district seeks savings

Cabell County superintendent cites enrollment drop as counselors placed on transfer list