Monongalia County board approves 2025–26 calendar, multiple curriculum adoptions, contracts and policy updates

The Monongalia County Board of Education voted April 29 to approve the 2025–26 school calendar and a package of instructional materials for prekindergarten through high school, approved two facility contracts and adopted multiple district policies and routine consent and personnel items. Board members later voted to enter an executive session to discuss the potential sale of property.

Board vote details were recorded by voice; motions were moved and seconded and carried by voice vote (ayes) throughout the session without individual roll-call tallies recorded in the public transcript.

The superintendent opened the meeting’s business section by recommending board approval of the 2025–26 school calendar. The board chair noted the district held two calendar hearings to meet state requirements and that no members of the public attended those hearings; staff and community feedback submitted to district staff were considered during calendar development. The board approved the calendar by voice vote.

Instructional materials Superintendent and curriculum staff presented multiple instructional material adoptions and the board approved each as presented. For prekindergarten the board approved adoption of the cloud‑based program Learning Beyond Pages, which presenters said aligns with West Virginia prekindergarten content standards and the district’s child assessment system and will launch August 14. District presenters said the program supports individualization for learners, including students with developmental delays, and that the district will purchase accompanying print literary texts and paper lesson copies for four‑year‑old classrooms.

Elementary social studies teachers recommended Studies Weekly for kindergarten through grade 5; the board approved that recommendation. Middle‑school materials selected include a National Geographic/Cengage package for grades 6–7 and a West Virginia–focused title (West Virginia Journey) for grade 8, which presenters described as a newly available option after past cycles lacked state‑specific texts. High‑school social studies selections are primarily McGraw Hill titles (including interactive, primary‑source components and a digital platform). High‑school psychology materials were recommended from Bedford, Freeman & Worth. Presenters said digital licenses will be available for five years and asked the board to fund classroom sets (the committee recommended purchasing up to 50 physical copies per teacher for selected high‑school courses to ensure classroom and homebound access and accommodation needs).

Mathematics The board approved district‑developed instructional materials for transition math and an applied statistics course intended as 12th‑grade, fourth‑year options. Presenters said those courses are not at the AP level but are designed to be applicable and to support students headed to postsecondary pathways; the materials rely on teacher facilitation and printed unit materials for students.

Contracts and other approvals The board approved a FieldTurf USA contract for the Westwood Middle School field and approved a Harper Engineering contract for electrical design of an electric‑vehicle (EV) bus charging station at University High School. The superintendent presented a consent agenda of routine items — including expenditures exceeding $3,000, payroll and accounts payable, Head Start monitoring reports, and minutes from April 15 and a reconvened March 11 meeting — and the board approved that package by voice vote. The personnel list and a personnel addendum were also approved.

Policies On second reading the board approved a package of policies covering conflicts of interest (policy numbers listed by staff), federal funds and internal controls, grant cash management and cost principles for federal spending, travel reimbursement, disposition of personal property and property inventory. Presenters described the approvals as second readings and recommended adoption as presented.

Executive session At meeting’s end the board voted to enter executive session to discuss the sale of property.

Votes at a glance - 2025–26 school calendar — approved (voice vote). Motion and second not specified in transcript. - Instructional materials: Pre‑K Learning Beyond Pages — approved (voice vote). - Instructional materials: Elementary social studies Studies Weekly — approved (voice vote). - Instructional materials: Middle grades National Geographic/Cengage and West Virginia Journey (grade 8) — approved (voice vote). - Instructional materials: High‑school McGraw Hill (and Bedford/Freeman/Worth for psychology) — approved (voice vote). Board authorized purchase of classroom sets; exact funding line not specified. - Instructional materials: Mathematics (district‑developed transition math and applied statistics) — approved (voice vote). - FieldTurf USA contract for Westwood Middle School field — approved (voice vote). - Harper Engineering contract for EV bus charging station (UHS) — approved (voice vote). - Consent agenda (items a–j, including payroll, Head Start reports, minutes) — approved (voice vote). - Personnel list and addendum — approved (voice vote). - Policies 11‑30, 31‑13, 41‑13, 61‑10, 61‑11, 61‑12, 61‑14, 65‑50, 73‑10, 74‑50 (as listed by superintendent) — approved (second reading and adoption; voice vote). - Motion to enter executive session to discuss sale of property — approved (voice vote).

What the approvals mean District staff said the curriculum adoptions align materials to state standards, provide digital and print resources, and aim to support differentiated instruction and special‑education needs. Presenters emphasized classroom‑level implementation (teacher facilitation, coaching and alignment to district pacing) and noted some items require future work such as budgeting for requested classroom sets and finalizing digital licensing details.

By approving contracts and policies, the board moved forward with facility work and updated district governance documents; the board did not provide roll‑call vote tallies in the public transcript for any action. Funding sources for some items were described in discussion (for example, pre‑k materials will include board‑purchased print texts; digital licenses include multiyear access), but agenda materials in the executive file were referenced for full budget detail.