Seven Wetzel County School employees will be transferred to other county schools next year, despite an effort by two of them to persuade the board of education to keep them at their present assignments.

The action came at a special meeting of the board April 15 to hear appeals from Cora E. Bowers and George G. Wilson, whose jobs were eliminated by a reduction-in-force vote of the board earlier this year.

Bowers is a teacher aide for special needs students at Paden City Elementary School, who has been with the school system since December 1994. Wilson, a Title I reading teacher at New Martinsville School, has been with the school system for 33 years.

Rick Boothby, an attorney for the school administration, stated that Bowers’ job was being eliminated next year because the student she worked with has moved out of Wetzel County and is not expected to enroll at the Wetzel County School System next year.

Boothby, who is with Bowles Rice in its Parkersburg office, also noted that if student enrollment changes before August 2009, she may be recalled to PCES.

Bowers represented herself at the hearing. She told board members that the procedure under which she is being transferred is unfair because it uses building seniority rather than county length of service to determine which employee should be transferred.

She brought witnesses who supported her position, including Eileen Miller, a veteran teacher and theatrical mentor at Magnolia High School.

Miller cited a similar situation at her school in 2004 in which a librarian whose job was eliminated was retained at the school in another position, rather than transferred, suggesting that the procedure also is arbitrarily applied. Bowers and Miller are sisters.

Wetzel County Education Association President Dave Tallman, also a teacher at NMS, appeared with Wilson at a requested closed hearing. Presumably, Wilson’s job is being eliminated next year because NMS is no longer a Title I school.

Following an executive session, the board voted unanimously to approve the transfer of seven full-time professional and service workers for the next school year.

In addition to Wilson, other full-time teaching personnel to be reassigned are Paula S. Cumberledge and Rebecca K. Goff, both teachers at Long Drain School.

Service workers included in the transfer order were Bowers; Jack E. Haught, Magnolia High School; Bonnie A. Martin at NMS; and Lisa A. Neff at LDS. All are teacher aides.

For some employees, a reduction in force order represents termination of their employment. For others, it means reassignment to another location—just a breath away from termination.

Both actions are a function of a declining student population and financial support from the state legislature. Many believe that will ultimately threaten the viability of local school systems, whose autonomy already has been compromised by mandatory state and federal regulations.

Assistant Superintendent Jay Yeager, who doubles as the school system’s personnel director, noted that all transferred employees are guaranteed a job and that professional reassignments will be made at a later date. He also explained that four service worker positions would be posted for transferred employees to bid on.