A handful of students gathered outside Elkins High School before the hearings on Monday, holding up signs asking the BOE to not eliminate positions. Those same students made their way into the EHS theatre for the lengthy session of hearings, joining adults also carrying signs, including ones reading “This Was Avoidable” and “Fund Education, Not Miseducation.”

Close to 2 1/2 hours into the meeting, William Aleshire, a Social Studies teacher at Elkins Middle School slated for termination, was the first teacher to speak publicly during the hearings.

Aleshire handed out notebooks to the BOE and Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly that highlighted his teaching methods, before saying he understood why some cuts had to be made.

“I don’t know what else to do other than to say that I have enjoyed working here,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed working with students in the county and I’ve been to Richmond, Virginia (and) Nashville, Tennessee, and a few other places, and this is a very unique location. I’m originally from Logan County, West Virginia, and I had never been in the Elkins territory before. There’s a lot here that is fun and the area has a great deal to offer.”

Jessica Isner, a secretary and accountant at Tygarts Valley Middle/High School, stands next to attorney Randy Halsey, with the American Federation of Teachers, as she is sworn in during Monday’s RIF hearings in the Elkins High School theatre.

Declan McGill, a Physical Education/Health teacher in his fourth year at Elkins High School, is slated to be transferred. McGill was the first high school teacher to speak during the hearings. Dilly’s recommendation is to cut the school’s number of physical education teachers from four to two.

“We have 141 students who are currently taking physical education at Elkins High School, and for next year I am proud to say that we will have 154 students who have pre-registered for those same electives,” McGill said. “This is more than the students who attend Harman School as a whole.

“With the current proposed cuts to my position and the PE department, we would only be able to offer 30 students one PE elective for the entire school year. That is only allowing 120 students access to that class for the entirety of the four-year high school career.

“How is that fair?” he asked. “How will these proposed cuts align with our mission to foster connection and accelerate success when we will only be able to connect with 30 students per year? …I urge you to reconsider these cuts and prioritize what’s best for our students’ success and well-being.”

This week’s scheduled hearings are for service and professional personnel in the county who received RIF letters earlier this month. Employees who requested a hearing were heard during the first two sessions and were able to speak to the Board of Education.

Three service personnel and 11 professional personnel were scheduled to take part in Monday night’s hearings. Two of the three service personnel spoke during the hearings, including Anita Gammon, who is the Coordinator for Transpiration for Randolph County, and Jessica Isner, a Secretary and Accountant at Tygarts Valley Middle/High School.

Gammon’s position is recommended for termination, while Isner is recommended for transfer. Jerry Catlett, a custodian at Harman School slated for transfer, was on the list but did not attend Monday’s hearing.

Gammon told the BOE there is currently a substitute bus driver shortage in the county, and that she spends a bulk of her time filling in for drivers when they are absent.

Dilly told the Board that the plan was to split up Gammon’s duties between a pair of Central Office employees.

Isner, meanwhile. said that leaving TVM/HS will lead to many issues at the school.

“I’m asking you to please reconsider saving my job,” Isner said. “These kids need a middle-school secretary. My job duties include doing.. our school’s lunch program. I also do all the absences and answer the phone coming into the Middle School. I let the students in the door and get the kids to their parents when they need to be dismissed… I look up information and get what the teachers need, and they have grown accustomed to me being there… Not having someone watching the doors on the middle school side is a valid security concern.”

Of the 11 professional personnel scheduled for hearings, only a handful requested public hearings. The remainder requested closed hearings, and joined the BOE and Dr. Dilly in the EHS band room for those sessions.

Professional personnel on Monday’s agenda also included: Tina Cooper, an Options Pathway teacher at the Randolph Technical Center, slated to be transferred; Debra Berdine, a Business Education teacher at Elkins Middle School, slated for termination; Jennifer Mendelson, a Science teacher at EMS, slated for termination; River Pappas, a Social Studies teacher at EMS, slated for termination; Susan Guillembet, a Math teacher at EHS, slated for termination; Morgan Sands, a Math teacher at EHS, slated for termination; Gerald Auvil, a Science teacher at EMS, slated to be transferred; Emily Poss, a Science teacher at EHS, slated for termination; and Kylie Isenhart, a Special Education teacher at Tygarts Valley Middle/High School, slated for termination.

Dilly opened Monday’s hearings with a short briefing.

“West Virginia law mandates that we maintain a blanched budget; operating a deficit is simply not an option,” Dilly said. “Failure to meet our financial obligations could result in special circumstances reviewed by the West Virginia Department of Education, with the determination that the Randolph County Board of Education failed to meet their statutory obligations that interrupted the day-to-day operations of the school system… My hope is that we can avoid that option as we move forward. That is something we must avoid to retain local control over our district financial and operational decisions.”

The RIF hearings will continue today and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the EHS theatre. When the last hearing ends on Thursday evening, the BOE will vote on all the RIF recommendations.