The Hancock County Board of Education entered into a contract with David F. Cross, an attorney in Wellsburg who previously represented the Board at Monday’s meeting. The vote to approve the contract passed on a 2 to 1 margin with Board Vice President Ed Fields and member Larry Shaw voting no. Board President Chris Gillette was absent, but attended the meeting by phone. Board member Jerome Spencer was absent. Gillette who was “in the woods hunting” according to Fields was communicating via phone, but his call dropped when the vote was taken so he did not vote. Fields said Gillette had been texting his votes up until that point.
Shaw inquired as to the type of contract they would be entering into with Cross and Fields said Cross would be paid by the hour rather than a monthly retainer. Fields said he thought Cross’s hourly rate was $350/hour The current firm of Bowles Rice, which is also paid on an hourly basis will also continue to be retained.
Fields stressed that having access to a local attorney is more cost efficient due to courthouse access and travel costs that were being incurred with travel time by Bowles/Rice.
A previous Board came under fire when a Freedom of Information request revealed that then Superintendent Timothy Woodward had amassed nearly $250,000.00 in legal cost in 2017. Woodward was using only Steptoe and Johnson and not using Cross while Cross continued to be paid a retainer of $61,800.00 per year.
Cross had represented the Board first as an Assistant Prosecutor and then on a private contract for a number of years. The Board choose not to renew the retainer contract with Cross in 2019 and to continue the use of Steptoe and Bowles Rice. Fields stressed that the current contract is on an hourly basis for work performed by Cross.
The Board voted to add two new groundsman/handyman/general maintenance positions for to 23/24 school year. The Department has been hampered by injuries of the current staff and the extra responsibility of performing construction work in house. With winter and snow removal approaching, the need for additional personnel is crucial according to administrators
In other business, the Board:
**granted a leave of absence for Natalie Simich and Nicole Seckman;
**Accepted the resignations of Mary Lyons as school nurse at New Manchester Elementary and Sara Alkire, Mult-Categorical/Autism at Weir High and JDRIV Career Center;
**Assigned Hayley Mann as a Multi-Categorical Autism teacher at Weirton Elementary;
**Approved teaching in lieu of a planning period for Nicole Seckman at Weir Middle;
**Accepted the resignation of Mitch Wilson as assistant wrestling coach at Oak Glen Middle;
**Approved an extra-curricular assignment for the 23/24 school year for Jennifer Powell and Josh Wilson as co-sponsors of the National Honor Society at JDRIV Career Center;
**Approved the assignment of Stephen Craig, assistant girls’ basketball; Rachelle Jenkins, assistant swimming; and Michael Lanigan, assistant boys’ basketball;
**Approved the following substitute service personnel: Odessa Hores and Mike Shawnee, substitute aides; John McCombs, Wayne Henderson and Jacob Horstman, substitute custodian;
**Transferred Logan W. Curtis from custodian II, Weir High, to custodian II, Oak Glen;
**Assigned Therese Jones as secretary II, Weirton Elementary;
**Approved the JDRIV Career Center Strategic Plan;
**Scheduled the next regular meeting for Dec. 4, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the JDRIV Career Center.