HUNTINGTON Ƶ Cabell County Board of Education member Reed Byers resigned from his position Tuesday evening after serving less than five months of his four-year term.
ByersƵ resignation was accepted by the board unanimously at its regular meeting and will become effective Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Byers, who was sworn in July 1, told the board and attendees during the meeting he is resigning to focus on Ƶserving the community.Ƶ
Byers read his full resignation letter during the meeting Tuesday night, although he declined to give a comment to The Herald-Dispatch afterward.
ƵI thank you all for your support in that IƵve done my best to show up for the school system. ... I believe regulations created by different agencies and laws enacted by our state and federal governments make it increasingly difficult for our county school board to make decisions that best benefit our students. Changing these regulations and laws will require massive advocacy and influence with existing leaders,Ƶ Byers said in his letter.
ƵƵ a person who goes all-in on things that IƵm passionate about, it has been with careful consideration that IƵve determined IƵm in a time in my life where I cannot go all-in serving our community on the board of directors for Cabell County Schools. Therefore IƵll be resigning, effective tomorrow, to focus on my work, advocating for our future generations.Ƶ
Byers said, moving forward, his business and his health will require his full attention.
Although Superintendent Tim Hardesty would not provide further comment about ByersƵ resignation, he said he had spoken with an attorney ahead of the meeting to ensure the boardƵs decision would be valid after adding it to the meeting agenda on Friday afternoon.
Hardesty told The Herald-Dispatch he will speak to board President Joshua Pauley to decide how the position should be filled. He said he expects, within the week, the board will need to post an advertisement for people to apply for the spot.
According to West Virginia , the board must appoint someone within 45 days, or the state Superintendent of Schools will appoint a board member for them.
No more than two board members may be from the same district, meaning the newest board member must be from either District 1 or 3, as board members Rhonda Smalley and Linda Childers are both from District 2.
Hardesty said the newly appointed member would serve until the next regular election in May 2026. If the member is re-elected, they would only serve out the remainder of ByersƵ term until the next primary election in May 2028.
The board will hold a vote on who will become the newest member, which will require at least three votes to pass.
Katelyn Aluise is an education and court reporter.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
