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The 16 applicants were:

• Deborah Beatty
• Roy Thomas
• Tillman Adkins
• Lauren Hensley
• Richard Yocke
• Nazim Abbess
• Steven Yates
• Jeani Thomas
• Charles Shaw
• Elizabeth McCulloch
• Sarah Warner
• Patricia Lucas
• Allen Kaplan
• Stacie Issa
• Butch Day
• William Tortorelli

Of those 16, Adkins, Abess, Shaw and Warner, all from District 1, have been chosen for interviews. Hensley, from District 3, was also chosen to be interviewed.

Superintendent Tim Hardesty said he will reach out to the five applicants whom the board has chosen to interview and set a time to interview each of them during the special board meeting on Monday, Dec. 9. By the end of the meeting, the board will have a chance to either fill the position immediately, push the decision to a later meeting or interview more candidates.

The board must appoint someone within 45 days of Byers�����Ƶ� resignation on Nov. 19, or the state Superintendent of Schools will appoint a member for them in accordance with West Virginia state code.

�����Ƶ�I think the board needs someone that offers the opinion of our current public but also someone that can work well with them as a unit to make sure that we are focused on what our students need and our community needs,�����Ƶ� Hardesty told The Herald-Dispatch following Monday�����Ƶ�s meeting.

�����Ƶ�I think it clearly needs to be someone that�����Ƶ�s interested in our students and our students�����Ƶ� success, and I think all of the candidates who expressed an interest certainly have that.�����Ƶ�

In other business, the board was given a timeline of events for the upcoming personnel season in 2025.

In January, executive directors should submit staffing changes based on need and safety analysis. Identified positions will be finalized and the list of personnel transfers and reduction in force will be provided to personnel offices. By March, affected employees should be notified.

The deadline for employees to request a hearing will be in April, and board hearings will take place that month, but an official date has not been announced yet.

Treasurer Drew Rottgen also provided the board with a schedule of school allocations for Fiscal Year 2025, which is currently in effect. He said any changes in revenue for Fiscal Year 2026 based on upcoming decisions from the state legislature could be reflected in preliminary numbers from the state which should be available later this month.

Board member Rhonda Smalley said during the meeting, over the last several years there has been less funding for music and arts programs.

�����Ƶ�Music and art and other areas that have kind of been put on the back burner here in the last couple decades, and through no one�����Ƶ�s individual fault, it�����Ƶ�s just economics,�����Ƶ� Smalley told the board, �����Ƶ�but the arts play such an important part in education, such an important motivator for many kids to even come to school, that I think it�����Ƶ�s important that we show that we do support those areas, as well as our basic core curriculum.�����Ƶ�

For example, for FY 2025, county middle schools received no funding for music supplies, and only $2,500 was given to county high schools, although all middle and high schools were given some funding for instrument repair, according to the schedule.

Rottgen said Tuesday that enrollment has dropped again, which affects the amount of state funding the county receives, and pay raises and inflation have also affected the county�����Ƶ�s budget.

�����Ƶ�We are anticipating it, it�����Ƶ�s likely that there�����Ƶ�s going to be some budgetary pressure. So this is one of those things,�����Ƶ� he said. �����Ƶ�I think it appears there may be some support and interest from the board in trying to do a little more for our schools, but it will be something that we�����Ƶ�ll have to make sure that we can right the ship all across the district, if we want, if this needs to be a priority. We have to make sure that we�����Ƶ�re also living within the revenue we have coming in.�����Ƶ�