Wood County Board of Education
--information--
Below is some basic information related to our school system.
Main switchboard phone number for Wood County Schools: 420-9663
Wood County Schools also runs a Hotline where anyone can leave a message regarding any kind of problem or situation in the school system. You do not have to leave your name on the Hotline.
The Wood County Schools operating levy, which has been in place for over 50 years and must be renewed every 5 years, was approved in the November 1998 general election. We sincerely appreciate the support we got from 64% of the voters--a much more comfortable level of support than the 50.1% received in 1993.
The continuing levy is a way to raise money to provide a better education system than the minimum funding from the state can provide alone. The levy supplements teachers and service employees salaries and provides funds for additional positions, instructional materials, building maintenance, libraries, employee benefits, programs and positions not funded by the state.
The Board has defined in detail the purposes for which the levy will be used. This includes:
1999-2000 School Calendar for Wood County Students
Monday, September 6 - Labor Day
Safe Schools: Hopefully everyone already knows this, but just to be sure, it is worth repeating. West Virginia law stipulates that school property is a drug-free, alcohol-free, and tobacco-free zone. You can be arrested for smoking on school property. Also, there is an automatic year suspension for bringing weapons onto school property, regardless of intent. Weapons include not just guns, but brass knuckles, chinese stars, and any pocket knife with a blade exceeding 3 inches.
Cafeteria menus can be found on TCI cable channel 7, as well as in the Sunday Parkersburg News. NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE at the Wood County Schools Website. Channel 7 also runs a lot of school announcements and other information, including any weather-related closure announcements.
Wood County Schools runs a Parent/Educator Resource Center with lots of good information to share on parenting skills. Visit their location at Rayon School or telephone 420-9590.
Registration: Parents--It is important to make sure your children our registered at their local school (or school of your choice, since we have the possibility in some cases of voluntary out of district registration). Please do not wait until the first day of school and show up expecting a seat for your child, as classroom cap limits could pose problems. Also, all of our schools run some sort of kindergarten orientation program prior to the first day of school. Our principals are at school on a year round basis and would love to schedule a tour for anyone interested in their school.
Wood County Schools are always looking for volunteers interested in helping our kids. There are many different ways that volunteers can help, such as xeroxing for teachers, doing ReadAloud in front of a class of kids, helping with playground upkeep, individual tutoring with a student, etc. We will put to good use any talent you can bring to us.
Any visitors to our schools should always report first to the office.
School Board Meetings: The meetings of the Wood County Board of Education are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. Each meeting has the opportunity for people to speak about items on our agenda that night, and then at the end of the meeting, the public can address the board on any issue they want. Remarks should be limited to no more than 3-5 minutes. Our meeting room is on the second floor at the BOE Office at the corner of 13th and Plum Streets in Parkersburg. Meetings start at 6:30 pm, and are generally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, although we sometimes meet more frequently (in the fall for LSIC reports and in the spring during budget time). Also, the state code requires us to meet on the first Monday in July for an organizational meeting, but otherwise Tuesdays is our preferred night for meetings.
Wood County Bicentennial: Wood County was founded in December 1798 and named after Virginia governor James Wood. Plans are taking shape to celebrate our bicentennial beginning in December and extending into next year, and more information will be announced in the future. Additional information on Wood County Schools can be found at our official website. Go to my Links page to jump there (it is the first link listed). Also, feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
The Wood County Schools Hotline: 420-9559
For more information, feel free to contact me or any school official regarding this issue.
Each year a calendar committee comprised of staff members and student representatives design a few alternative schedules, which are then voted on by the employees and finally approved by the BOE
School will start next year for students on Monday, August 30, 1999,
with the following days off (subject to changes due to snow days, etc.):
Monday, October 4 - Faculty Senate
Thursday and Friday, October 14-15 - Continuing Education days
Monday, November 1 - Faculty Senate
Thursday, November 11 - Holiday
Monday thru Friday, November 22-26 - Thanksgiving Break
Thursday Dec. 23 thru Friday Dec. 31 - Christmas Break (classes resume Monday Jan. 3)
Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King Day
Friday, January 21 - Faculty Senate Day
Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 21-22 - President’s Day and Faculty Senate
Friday, March 17 - Faculty Senate
Monday, March 20 - Continuing Education day
Friday April 21 thru Friday April 28 - Good Friday and Spring Break
Monday, May 8 - Faculty Senate
Tuesday, May 9 - Election Day
Monday, May 29 - Memorial Day
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WILL BE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2000 (barring snow days)