Policy 010 - Identification and Organization
Adopted on August 9, 2018
Effective August 9, 2018
Name
The Board of Education of the County of Roane shall be known officially as the Roane County Board of Education. The name "Roane County Schools" may be used to mean the same in communications, logo type, and other instances in which the formal name is not statutorily required.
Address
The official address of the Roane County Board of Education shall be 813 Capitol Street, Spencer, WV 25276.
Seal
The Board of Education shall adopt an official seal for the Roane County Board of Education.
Affiliation
The Roane County Board of Education shall be a participating member of the Roane-Jackson Technical Center. One (1) member of the Board of Education and the Superintendent will serve as representatives on the Administrative Council of the Roane-Jackson Technical Center.
Membership
The Board of Education shall consist of five (5) voting members elected pursuant to WV Code 18-5-1 et. seq.
In the interest of encouraging student input and understanding of the operations of the Board of Education, one (1) student shall be appointed each school year to participate in meetings as if he/she were a non-voting member of the Board of Education. This student's participation in board meetings shall not be limited except where matters of a confidential nature are concerned, including but not limited to student expulsion hearings; employee disciplinary hearings; hearings regarding recommendations for reductions-in-force, non-renewal of probationary contracts, or transfers; and matters involving attorney-client privilege. The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines detailing how such a student is to be appointed.
Organization and Officers
The Board of Education shall organize on the first Monday of July following each biennial primary election.
The organizational meeting shall be called to order by the Superintendent who shall act as presiding officer.
The Board shall then proceed to the election of a President who may then take the chair and a Vice-President.
The President shall then take the chair.
The name of the President shall be promptly reported to the State Superintendent of Schools.
Officers shall serve for a two (2) year term and until their respective successors are elected.
In the event that the office of President is vacated, the Vice-President shall succeed the President and the position of Vice-President shall be filled in the same manner as the election conducted at the organizational meeting.
Appointees
At the organizational meeting, the Board shall appoint:
A. A member to the West Virginia University Extension Agency advisory board for Roane County;
B. A member to the Roane-Jackson Technical Center Administrative Council.
Board Vacancies
A vacancy occurs on the Board when one (1) of the following events occurs:
A. death
B. resignation accepted by the Board
C. failure of the person elected or appointed to qualify due to acceptance of duties incompatible with those of a Board member
D. appointment, election, or filing for nomination to any public office other than to succeed himself/herself
E. removal from the office
The Board shall take the following step to fill the vacancy:
All applicants are to submit a notice of their interest, in writing, to the Superintendent and Board President.
Appointment by the Board to fill a vacancy shall be by majority vote of the remaining members of the Board.
If the Board fails to appoint a member to its Board within forty-five (45) days after the vacancy occurs, the State Superintendent of Schools is required by law to appoint a person to fill the vacancy.
The term of the individual who fills the vacancy shall be determined under the provisions of WV Code 18-5-2.
Resignation or Removal
The removal of a member who resigns shall become effective upon acceptance of the resignation by the Board.
A member may be removed for misconduct in office in accordance with law.
Compensation
Board members receive compensation at a rate of $160.00 per meeting attended, but may not receive pay for more than fifty (50) meetings in any one (1) fiscal year.
Expenses of a Board member incurred in the performance of his/her duties and expenses of a member-elect in training and orientation shall be paid or reimbursed pursuant to Board policy, provided that each such member or member-elect submits an itemized sworn statement of his/her expenses for approval by the Board.
The following guidelines have been established by the Board of Education to ensure appropriate and proper reimbursement of expenses for Board members.
A. Expenses will be reimbursed only for activities authorized by the Board.
B. Reimbursement for mileage will not exceed the current rate permitted by law.
C. Attendance at Board-approved conferences should be at the location closest to the County.
D. When attending a Board-approved conference, all fees, parking, mileage, meals, and housing in accordance with policy can be submitted for approval.
E. No entertainment expenses or purchases of alcoholic beverages are reimbursable.
F. A voucher detailing the amount and nature of each expense must be submitted to the Board for approval within sixty (60) days after the expenses have been incurred.
Public Expressions of Members
The President functions as the official spokesperson for the Board.
From time-to-time, however, individual Board members make public statements on school matters to local media and/or to local or State officials.
Board members should, when writing or speaking on school matters to the media, legislators, and other officials, make it clear that their views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board or of their colleagues on the Board.
A. This bylaw shall apply to all statements and/or writings by individual Board members not explicitly sanctioned by a majority of its members, except as follows:
1. Correspondence, such as legislative proposals, when the Board member has received official guidance from the Board on the matters discussed in the letter.
2. Routine, not for publication, correspondence of the Superintendent and other Board employees.
3. "Campaign articles" or "position papers" of candidates for elections to the Board.
4. Routine "thank you" letters of the President of the Board.
5. Statements by Board members on non-school matters (providing the statements do not identify the author as a member of the Board).
6. Personal statements not intended for publication.
7. Post-election statements by Board members thanking citizens for voting for them.
B. Copies of this bylaw shall be sent to local media by the Board President.
Board-Staff Communications
The Board of Education is a policy making body and its individual members do not have authority to direct the day-to-day operations of the County or its employees. Nevertheless, the Board believes that open channels of communication between itself and the staff will benefit the County. The preferred line of official communication between staff and the Board is through the Superintendent.
A. Staff Communications to the Board
All communications regarding the official business of the County from staff members to the Board or its committees should be submitted through the Superintendent.
If a staff member chooses to communicate directly with an individual Board member regarding County business, then that communication should be sent by that individual Board member to all other members of the Board and the Superintendent.
This communication protocol is not intended to deny any staff member his/her constitutional right of free speech or the right to appeal to or otherwise address the Board on important matters through established procedures and should not be construed to prohibit direct communication by staff members with members of the Board.
Nor is this protocol intended to require communication or sharing communication with the Superintendent in any instance where another Board policy gives staff the option of bypassing the Superintendent.
B. Board Communications to Staff
All official communications, policies, and directives of the Board that would be of interest and concern to the staff will generally be communicated through the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall also keep staff members informed of the Board's concerns and actions.
C. Social Interaction
Both staff and Board members share an interest in the schools and in education generally, and it is to be expected that when they interact at social affairs and other functions, they will informally discuss such matters as educational trends, issues, and innovations, and general activities of the School District. However, since individual Board members are not authorized to act on behalf of the Board unless a quorum of them are meeting in open public session or when specifically vested with such authority, it will be considered unacceptable conduct for individual Board members to discuss with staff their personnel grievances or other complaints as procedures to seek remedy for such grievances/complaints have been established in local Board policy, State Board policy, or State code.
Access to Records
Individual members of the Board do not possess the powers that reside in the Corporate Board of Education but no member of the Board shall be denied documents or information to which s/he is legally entitled and which are required in the performance of his/her duties as a Board member.
Access to County personnel and student records shall be subject to the Board policy and applicable State and Federal law.
Information obtained from employee personnel records by members of the Board as authorized by the Board shall be used only for the purpose of aiding the members to fulfill their legal responsibilities in making decisions on such matters as appointments, assignments, promotions, demotions, remuneration, discipline and dismissal, or to aid the development and implementation of personnel policies, or for such other uses as are necessary to enable the Board to carry out its legal responsibilities.
It is unlawful for a present or former Board member to knowingly and improperly disclose any confidential information acquired by him/her in the course of his/her official duties. Nor may the Board member use such information to further his/her personal interests or the interests of another person.
Philosophy of the Board
A Board of Education is a legal entity for providing a system of public education within a geographic area of the State of West Virginia. The system was created by, and is governed by, State statutes.
The Board of Education has the dual responsibility for implementing statutory requirements pertaining to public education and for meeting the desires of the citizens. While the Board has an obligation to determine and assess citizen desires, it is understood that when the citizens elect delegates to represent them in the conduct of specified educational programs, they, at the same time, endow their representatives with the authority to exercise their best judgment in determining policies, making decisions, and approving procedures for carrying out the responsibility.
The Board declares and, thereby, reaffirms its intent to:
A. maintain two-way communications with citizens of the County. The Board shall keep them informed of the progress and problems of the School System, and the citizens shall be urged to bring their aspirations and concerns about the School System to the attention of this body;
B. establish policies and make decisions on the basis of declared educational philosophy and goals;
C. act as a truly representative body for citizens in all matters related to programs and operations. The Board recognizes that ultimate responsibility for public education rests with the State, but the Board of Education has been assigned specific authority through statute, and the Board shall not relinquish or fail to exercise that authority.
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