New Woodburn Community School

It’s like bad farce, only worse. More damaging.

HALF WILLFULLY CLUELESS, HALF PRETENDING

At last evening’s BOE meeting, July 13, New School Board President Barbara Parsons opened discussion of the absent and reportedly resigned ex-board-member-elect Rebecca Myers, by referring to the “vacancy” Myers had left on the board.

BUT by the end of some minutes of conversation, Superintendent Devono had re-educated President Parsons so that Parsons eventually stated that there was no vacancy because Myers had not officially resigned, despite Devono’s telling the media a week earlier that Myers had resigned.

A week ago, July 7, the Dominion Post reported:

Monongalia County Schools Board of Education Member-elect Rebecca Myers resigned from the Board on Tuesday…. Superintendent Frank Devono revealed Myers’ resignation at the BOE’s Tuesday meeting. Myers was scheduled to be sworn in and sit in for her first meeting…. Devono said he found out Monday that Myers was resigning…. Myers resigned so she could pursue employment opportunities outside the state, Devono said.

Oops! Devono was wrong. Or was he? Myers did not resign. Or did she?

Wait for it….

Nobody knows!

Why does nobody know?

Wait for it…

Nobody followed up! (They say.)

“She talked to you, didn’t she?” Superintendent Devono asked a BOE secretary.

A secretary! Is she directing the school district now? (If only.)

This week (Tuesday, July 13) WAJR reports:

The board will …discuss a potential vacancy on the board. Rebecca Myers did not show up to be sworn in at last week’s meeting and told the superintendent she wouldn’t be accepting the position she won in the May election. However, Devono says the board hasn’t received a formal letter of resignation yet. The board needs to receive a formal resignation by August 10th in order for the seat to be placed on the Novemebr 2nd general election ballot.

Why should Superintendent Frank Devono not take a page out of Rebecca Myers book and resign himself?

Review even just some of the recent record. (Or, if you would like to review some of the older record, see his outspoken advocacy for corporal punishment, a few years before it was outlawed by the state.) One great concern is that if Devono’s career survives these challenges he will be promoted to State Superintendent of Schools.

Rebecca Myers, who has missed her first two board meetings, and who has long since reportedly resigned, should officially resign, if she has not already done so. (No need for Board Member Joe Statler to quake with fear that Myers could sue the board if the board declares her seat vacant. Sue the board?! After she has missed all the meetings and orally resigned her seat?! Farce on. Nevertheless, Myers should make it completely and clearly official immediately, so that the seat can be placed on the November 2nd general election ballot.

Someone from the board, anyone, the new President, why not?, that person or persons should do the voters and taxpayers a big favor, by giving Ms. Myers a friendly phone call and telling her to get a move on with the official resignation, or face having her seat rendered vacant by the board, for egregiously violating board policy by missing ALL of  the meetings.

Such a sensible measure would also help to begin to lift the rank appearance of impropriety, due to the delay, and due to the apparent utter lack of urgency. After all, the board has only one regularly scheduled meeting between now and when WAJR reports the board “needs to receive a formal resignation,” from Myers, to get the seat on the November ballot.

Failing the receipt of that letter, the board gets to make the appointment all by itself!

No election legally possible then.

Democracy be damned.

The appearance of impropriety currently hangs thick indeed over Mon Schools…all across that stage of farce.

Send Myers “a registered letter,” says Statler. Hell, yes.

And after that, try carrier pigeon.

In the meantime, someone should pick up the damn phone and move the process along toward getting a fifth elected member of the public properly on the board. By November ballot. Not by late August appointment.

The board and the superintendent all failed to make any note whatsoever of that impending deadline at yesterday’s board meeting. I wonder why.

By now, it’s all such predictably bad farce that no one can possibly be surprised.

Why again are these meetings not televised?

The ratings could be spectacular.

It’s worse than bad farce, true, but then so is camp. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example. The County could run it on the City’s channel and maybe even sell ads for the show. Who is willing to write the theme song?