Group

CHARLES TOWN — At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education, Mary Beth Group was named as the next principal for Jefferson High School.

Group is a graduate of Jefferson High, as well as Shepherd University, from which she earned her undergraduate degree in secondary education mathematics before completing her master’s degree at West Virginia University in educational leadership.

When making the announcement Monday evening, Superintendent Bondy Gibson said that a 10-member selection committee had to agree unanimously on the decision and the group did so when selecting Group to step into the highest leadership role at Jefferson High.

Group has served as assistant principal at the school for seven years. Prior to that, she taught math at Shepherdstown Middle School, served as the administrator of the Martin Robison Delany Opportunity Learning Center and was the at-risk coordinator for Jefferson County Schools, serving 18 years in the school system in total.

“There is a lot of joy in seeing this position go to one of our own,” Gibson said.

“Jefferson High School is rooted in a long history and is a place of importance to many, including myself,” Group said in a press release Tuesday. “I will work hard to build new relationships to help lead our students, staff and community to success.”

“I am just really excited and honored to give back and to make Jefferson High School and Jefferson County more awesome,” Group told the board members Monday.

In other business, the Board of Education heard a detailed presentation from Gibson on proposals to recruit and retain teachers and service personnel, including salary increases, additional funds for supplies, loyalty bonuses and a potential in-house daycare center. The presentation was informational, Gibson said, indicating the board members could review the list, make additions and decide at upcoming meetings which incentives would be feasible.

Public comments during the meeting ranged from support of the Cultural Responsive Math Intervention Program, formerly called Black Math Genius, as well as comments on a West Virginia state audit conducted on the counseling departments at both Jefferson and Washington high schools that saw the county cited for multiple failures when in both schools.

“That program is a great program for educating our children,” Carmen Bratton said referencing the math program. “This is not about racism, it’s not segregating students, it’s not about politics.”

Karen Buck, a grandmother of students in the county, questioned why the school board was not following rules of compliance within the counseling departments.

“There were 24 areas of noncompliance just in guidance,” Buck said. “Not in English or math, but just in guidance.”

Buck went on to point out that the study indicated that of a request by the state for 72 random student files, only 33 of the files could be found and of those, none were complete.

Barbara Fuller also commented on the counseling audit, questioning why the principals of the high schools were not held accountable.

“Instead of accountability, you promote one into a job at the board office,” Fuller said in frustration.

Jennifer Crouse also spoke during the public comment session imploring the Jefferson County Board of Education to develop a plan to eliminate some of the COVID-19 protocols such as having children remain in the same classroom all day including lunchtime, as well as having children wear masks all day.

“Parents need to be welcomed back into the school as well,” Crouse said.

State mandated stipulations are not yet known regarding safety protocols moving forward for the upcoming school year.