Ohio County Board approves retirements and hires, votes to enter executive session on employee discipline

The Ohio County Board of Education on Jan. 12 unanimously approved personnel recommendations that included three retirements and two recommended hires, and later voted to go into executive session to discuss an employee-discipline matter, board members said.

Superintendent Dr. Miller presented the personnel slate and thanked departing staff for decades of service. He identified three retirements: Ellen Color, a 200-day art teacher at Elm Grove Elementary School (39 years of service; retirement effective June 30, 2026); Karen Perkins, a 200-day kindergarten teacher at Elm Grove Elementary School (17 years); and Cheryl Williams, a 200-day kindergarten teacher at Elm Grove Elementary School (40 years). Dr. Miller also recommended hiring Jacqueline Coleman as a 200-day adult-education teacher at Wheeling Park High School, effective Jan. 13, and Katie Verona as a 200-day countywide supervisory aide/care professional assigned to Wood Dale Elementary School.

"Thank you for all you've done for our students. Appreciate you being here," Dr. Miller told the retirees during the meeting, recognizing their years of service.

The motion to "accept the personnel as presented" was made and approved by voice vote. The transcript records Andy (a board member) saying "So moved." The record contains additional terse procedural calls of "first" and "second" that are ambiguous in sequence; the board president then called for the vote and members signified "Aye," after which the president announced the motion passed unanimously.

Later under Item 5, the board moved to enter an executive session to discuss an employee-discipline matter, citing "West Virginia code 6 9 8 4 b" as the legal authority for the closed session. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the chair then closed the public portion of the meeting for that purpose.

Ellen Color, one of the retirees introduced by the superintendent, spoke briefly about her plans after retiring: "I will be focusing on art ... doing art myself for my own creativity as well," and said she would continue to advocate for the arts.

Votes at a glance • Motion: Accept personnel as presented — Outcome: Approved (voice vote; president announced unanimous passage). Mover recorded in transcript: Andy (S2). Sequencing of 'first'/'second' statements in the transcript is unclear; no roll-call recorded in the public transcript. • Motion: Enter executive session to discuss employee discipline under cited authority — Outcome: Approved (voice vote). The transcript cites "West Virginia code 6 9 8 4 b."

What’s next: The public record ends with the board voting to enter executive session; no further public action or outcome on the discipline matter was recorded in the provided transcript.