Editor's note: This article was updated at noon June 2 to clarify the full board will not host the school start time meeting.
HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Cabell County Board of Education member Linda Childers will host a meeting at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the possibility of changing school start times.
Childers has brought up during several regular board meetings that she believes school start times should be pushed back for middle and high school students to assist in brain development and concentration at school.
Other board members have brought up concerns about changing start times, which would affect bus schedules and working families.
The board decided during a meeting earlier this month not to immediately send out a public survey on school start times. Board President Josh Pauley recommended the issue be discussed at the next Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) meeting, and Childers asked to set up a meeting for June, as well.
The meeting will be at 2850 5th Ave. and is open to the public.
The full Board of Education will have its regular meeting on Tuesday at the same location, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Superintendent Tim Hardesty will recommend a construction change order for the Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Careers with Neighborgall Construction in the amount of $33,616. The changes would include structural steel modifications and additions, steel removal, concrete support, electrical system revisions and other items to be paid for through the bond levy.
Hardesty will also recommend several other contracts to the board, including:
- ZDS LLC for independent HVAC commissioning services for the new Meadows Elementary to cost $59,500 from School Building Authority and local funds
- A three-year contract with Charleston Filter Service for county-wide HVAC filters and services for 2025 through 2029 to cost $126,870 annually from the general current expense fund
- Republic Services for county-wide trash removal from July 1 through June 30, 2028, to cost about $145,185 annually from the general fund
- Keaton Construction for an outdoor storage building at the new Meadows Elementary School to cost $37,000 from local funds
- For road salt from Compass Mineral for the 2025-26 school year to cost about $119 per ton from local funds
- To increase the contract with Developmental Therapy for physical therapy service due to a rise in eligible students to cost $14,649
- To increase the contract with Developmental Therapy for occupational therapy due to a rise in eligible students to cost $43,500
- To increase the contract with Marshall University Speech due to a rise in eligible students to cost $10,500
The board will also consider three policy updates rescinding one professional reduction-in-force action taken during its personnel meeting on April 21, during which many jobs were cut.
During the instruction and leadership services portion of the meeting, the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s three Comprehensive Support and Improvement ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Additional Targeted Support (CSI-ATS) schools will present an overview of their goals and progress, according to the agenda. The schools are Explorer Academy, Huntington Middle School and Huntington High School.
According to Director of Communications and Family Connections Ashley Stephens, these schools were identified as needing to make improvements academically and will be making their annual update.
During the special celebrations portion of the meeting, the board will recognize all students who were selected to attend the various GovernorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Schools over the summer at campuses across the state. The schools include the GovernorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s School of the Arts, the Computer Science Institute, entrepreneurship, Honors Academy, tourism and the STEM Institute.
Students from the Cabell County Career Technology Center who recently received first place in the Ken Iverson Project through Nucor Steel West Virginia will also be recognized for their project, which will be displayed at the Apple Grove facility temporarily before being moved to the Woody Williams Center for Advanced Learning and Careers.
Several students will also be recognized for competing at the state level math competition and the WV HOSA Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference. Members of the Cabell Midland FFA will be honored for having competed in the Southwestern Regional Tractor Driving competition.
Six students from Cabell MidlandÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s FFA will be recognized for earning their West Virginia State FFA Degree, representing the highest level of membership achievable at the state level within the National FFA Organization. Those students are Ireland Ball, Abigail Childers, Emma Jenkins, Angela Shaffer, Kayley Smith and Savannah Sowards.
The full agenda may be found on the Cabell County Schools website under
