The Morgan County School Board approved a bid extension for food service for the 2023-2024 school year to Gordon’s Food Service.  Their action took place at their July 18 meeting.  School officials said it was the final year for the food service bid extension and that it will go out to bid next year.

The board also approved a $105,817 bid from Kilmer’s Farm Market for produce for the 2023-2024 school year child nutrition program.

Child Nutrition Director Angie Beddow said in a letter that they sent out bid packets to two vendors for produce — Kilmer’s Farm Market and Greensburg Farms Wholesale Produce Company.  They only received one completed bid from Kilmer’s.

Beddow said that Kilmer’s is priced competitively and meets all the bid requirements.

Facilities

The school board approved pay applications of $149,000 and $113,000 for the Berkeley Springs High School Building D roof replacement as approved by ZMM Architects & Engineers.

The board also approved a pay application of $54,885 to Minghini’s General Contractors for the Morgan County Schools Safe School Entrance at Widmyer Elementary as approved by Williamson Shriver Architects, Inc.

Early dismissals, bus routes

The Morgan County School Board approved two-hour early dismissals for the 2023-2024 school year for Faculty Senate on October 6, December 21, February 16, April 19 and May 24.

The school board also okayed the school bus routes for the 2023-2024 school year.  The bus routes will be published in The Morgan Messenger in August.

Substitutes in critical need

The board approved revising Policy 3120.12-Substitutes in Areas of Critical Need and Shortage-to reflect changes for the 2023-2024 school year.

Current areas of critical need and shortage are special education (LD, BD, MI and autism) reading specialist, reading education, World Languages, English Language Arts, science (biology, chemistry, physics, general, earth and space),  math, social studies, physical education/health, English as a Second Language, family and consumer science, career and technical education, gifted, art, music, theater, dance, early education, elementary education, school library media, guidance counselors, school nurses and speech pathologists and alternative education.

Morgan County Schools Superintendent Kristen Tuttle said that critical need areas for substitutes were pretty much in every category.

Policies

The school board held a first reading of the following policies: Legislative, Group Health Plans, Privacy Protections of Self-Funded Group Health Plans, Privacy Protections of Fully Insured Group Health Plans and its additional special update, Virtual Education Program, Extended Learning Opportunities,  Special Education, Selection of Instructional Resources, Instructional Materials Inspection and Right to File Complaint, Drug-Free Workplace 3122.01 and 4122.01.

Additional first reading policies are Non-Renewal of Probationary Teacher Contract, Anti-Harrassment and Violence 3362 and 4362, Employment of Service Personnel, Reduction in Force-Service Personnel, Non-Renewal of a Service Personnel Contract, Use of Medications, Administration of Opioid Antagonists, Federal Funds, Internal Controls, Fund Accounting, Annual Operating Budget, Purchases, Procurement-Federal Grants/Funds, Travel Payment and Reimbursement and Disposition of Personal Property.

Other first reading policies are Anti-Harrassment of Persons with a Disability, Student/Parent Rights, FMLA Leave, Tuberculin Skin Test, Web Accessibility, Content, Apps and Services, Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Safety, Public Records, Student Records, Use of Service Animals, Transportation, Public Complaints and Advertising and Commercial Activities.

The board is also considering deleting two policies: Adoption of Instructional Resources and Self-Administered Medication and Epinephrine Use.

The policies will be posted online on the Morgan County Schools website for 30 days for public comment.

Other

The school board approved the local standards for SDE 188 (Introduction to Programming Logic) Learner Outcomes as standards for the West Virginia Course 1704-Special Topics In Software.

The course is a 10-week online Blue Ridge Community and Technical College course in server side web development which introduces the basic concepts of programming logic.

The school board okayed the Professional Personnel Staff Development Handbook and the Service Personnel Staff Development Handbook for 2023-2024.

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The Morgan County School Board officially adopted their Fiscal Year 2024 total budget of $36,828,461 last Tuesday, May 16.

A public hearing on the budget was held at the meeting before the board’s vote.  No members of the public offered any comments.  The proposed school budget was published in The Morgan Messenger and is also posted on the Morgan County Schools website.  Paper copies were also available at the school board office.

The total school budget revenue for the 2023-2024 school year consists of an estimated general current expense fund of $29,792,775,  an approximate special revenue fund of $3,975,686 and a capital projects fund with a balance of $375,000.  The federal stimulus and stabilization fund holds   $2,685,000 in revenue with $2,400,000 reserved for special projects and $285,000 in Communities in Schools funding.

Budgetary considerations

School Treasurer Ann Bell said that budgetary considerations for this year’s budget included the deduction of $95,319 in state aid due to 13 Morgan County students being enrolled in Charter Schools during the 2022-2023 school year.

The Charter School allowance in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget is calculated on how many students are enrolled in Charter Schools the previous school year.

Bell also said that there was a 153% increase in WV BRIM liability insurance due to statewide claims.

Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief and American Rescue Plan (ESSER/ARP) funding is expiring by September 30, 2024.  Bell said that the school system is trying to find other ways to fund what these monies have brought to county schools.

Bell noted that House Bill 3035 – The Third Grade Success Act –is requiring early childhood classroom assistant teachers (ECCATs)/aides in first grade classrooms.  That means seven new aide positions this year.

Bell also said that employee salary and benefit changes include a 23% legislative PEIA insurance increase and a $2,300 legislative salary increase.  Much of the $2,300 salary increase will go to the PEIA increase, said board president Aaron Close.

There will also be a county salary increase of $500 per employee, supplemental salary scale increases, $200-$500 stipends for coaches and dental/vision plan benefit increases.  Bell said that the salary increases will bring the county salaries closer to those of neighboring counties.

She noted there hadn’t been any changes to dental and vision benefits since 1995.  The supplemental salary scale hasn’t been revised since 2009.  Coaches received their last raise in the 2018-2019 school year.

Revenue

The general current expense fund revenue includes a projected $5,862,484 in regular school levy property taxes, $4,958,383 in special levy taxes, $685,000 in prior year taxes, $10,881,670 in total basic state aid and an estimated $1,650,000 carryover fund balance.  Some $500,000 is reserved for contingencies.

The total estimated revenue from the combined regular school levy and the special levy is $10,820,867-$509,902 more than last year’s projected revenue of $10,310,965.

Other factors

Approximately $334,330 in debt service goes toward the CMTA energy management program lease purchase payment and also the QZAB no-interest loan payment for the Berkeley Springs High School renovations.

The projected cost of long-term substitutes is $800,000, some $747,500 more than last year’s estimate. $325,000 is set aside for contractors-$274,920 more than in FY2023.

Student enrollment has been declining for quite some time, Bell said.  The student head count is at 2,179.  Full-time student enrollment is at 2177.38 and with the added 13 Charter School students is at 2190.38.  Total enrollment is down 19.82 students.  State aid is based on student enrollment numbers.

Expenditures

Estimated school expenditure categories include $16,440,872 for instruction; $3,148,237 for facilities operations and maintenance; $2,661,202 for student transportation; $1,744,723 for student support services; $1,716,181 for school administration; $1,429,740 for instructional staff; $521,135 for central services; and $378,982 for central administration.

Some 76.22% of the total budget goes toward employee salaries and benefits and $55%  of the budget goes toward instruction.

Special revenue fund

The $3,975,686 special revenue fund includes Title 1, Title 2 and Title 4 funding, funding for special education, child nutrition, bus replacement, career technical education, alternative education, faculty senates, staff development and the 21st Century Learning grant for the after-school programs.

Special levy

The total projected special levy revenue for Fiscal Year 2024 is $4,958,383-some $233,650 more than last year’s projected $4,724,733.

The special (excess) levy call designates an annual estimated $1,972,105 for employee salaries and benefits; $1,252,438 for critical educational programs support including alternative education, prevention resources and behavioral, academic and remedial support; $400,000 for facilities maintenance; $300,000 for capital improvements and repairs; $125,000 for technology; $400,000 for instructional materials and textbooks; and $45,000 for the combined support of the Morgan County Public Library ($27,000) and the Paw Paw Public Library. ($18,000)

Major expenses

Major general current expense fund expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2024 are $10,463,206 for professional regular salaries, $3,229,007 for service personnel regular salaries, the $2,254,653 unfunded retirement liability, $2,323,117 for health/life insurance premiums, $1,187,943 for social security matching, a total of $1,023,744 for retirement plans, $800,000 for long-term substitutes-a new separate budget category, $670,000 for electricity and $591,473 for other professional services.

Other large expenses include $479,500 for purchased services-LEA in state, $$255,974 for non-technical repair/maintenance service, $372,008 for professional supplemental salaries, $325,000 for contractors, $300,000 for professional substitutes, $291,585 for technology supplies-software, $227,953 for textbooks, $226,822 for general supplies, $175,000 for diesel vehicle fuel and $152,500 for service personnel substitutes.

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The Morgan County School Board authorized publication of the proposed 2023-2024 proposed budget for public inspection at their May 2 meeting.

School Treasurer Ann Bell will present the budget at the budget hearing that is planned for their May 16 meeting that is scheduled at 6 p.m. at the school board office.  The board is set to approve the budget later that evening after the public hearing.

Total budget estimated revenues and estimated expenditures and other financing uses for the general current expense fund are $29,792,775.

Special revenue fund estimated revenues and expenditures are $3,975,686.  Capital projects estimated revenues and expenditures are $375,000.

The federal stimulus and stabilization fund estimated revenue and expenditures and other financing uses are $2,685,000.

Expenditures

Estimated school expenditure categories include $16,440,872 for instruction; $3,148,237 for facilities operations and maintenance; $2,661,202 for student transportation; $1,744,723 for student support services; $1,716,181 for school administration; $1,429,740 for instructional staff; $521,135 for central services; and $378,982 for central administration.

$45,000 in community services goes to the Morgan County Public Library and the Paw Paw Public Library. Debt service is $334,330.

The Morgan County Schools budget involves state school and special levy funding along with state aid and other revenue.

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The Morgan County Board of Education finished the required Superintendent Evaluation as required by March 1, 2023 by West Virginia Board of Education policy 5309 and West Virginia State Code.

The school board said that Superintendent Tuttle has met or exceeded the 2022-2023 goals as described in the Superintendent Evaluation Instrument and provided substantiating data to all board members on February 21, 2023.

“A Superintendent is graded and measured daily by the continual challenges facing the school district. Over the past year Superintendent Tuttle has effectively worked with families, community members and staff through challenges and struggles all the while staying focused and invested in the needs and interests of the students,” board members noted.

“Superintendent Tuttle has continually worked to create an organizational structure developed to build effective and engaging learning environments where students and staff stay motivated and eager for learning,” they added.

“The Board has found areas of success and areas of concern when reviewing the County’s reading and math benchmark data provided; however overall, the board is steadfast in the belief of the current strategies being implemented to aid in the areas of concern. In addition, the Board has been briefed on the upcoming strategies to address areas below the desired growth benchmark. Therefore, the Board anticipates a positive conversation and outcome for the upcoming contract renewal offer for Superintendent  Tuttle,” they said.

“Superintendent Tuttle’s open communication, safe school environments, and high academic expectations have been instrumental in re-engaging students and families to combat against the nationwide challenge
of ‘Chronic Absenteeism’. As families continue to re-engage in learning and recognize the safe and welcoming environment the district offers, we look forward to seeing positive results in the End Of Year (EOY) data,” the school board said.

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