MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Board of Education (BOE) gave an A for annexation during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Board members directed counsel Jennifer Caradine to resume talks with Morgantown over the annexation of the still-new Suncrest Elementary School, which opened last year on Collins Ferry Road.
Superintendent Frank Devono was talking annexation to former interim city manager Glen Kelly — but both agreed to hold off on any official action until the school was actually built.
Kelly has since taken another position outside of West Virginia.
Bringing the school inside the city, meanwhile, makes the fiscal grade, Devono said.
Board members agreed.
“Now it’s at that point,” BOE President Barbara Parsons said.
Tuesday’s meeting was actually two in one, in effect.
The BOE first had to reconvene a March 20 meeting to approve levy rates for the coming fiscal year.
District treasurer Nicole Kemper then presented two sets of rates — one each for the statewide and excess levies, for the board’s consideration.
For the statewide levy, the BOE voted in the affirmative for 19.40 cents per $100 of assessed value for Class I property, which is used for farming or livestock.
Board members also agreed to the 38.80 cent rate for every $100 assessed for Class II properties, which are owner-occupied homes.
The board also voted to keep the rates the same for Class III properties — which are not used or occupied by the owner and are outside a municipality.
Same for Class IV properties, which are found inside a municipality’s borders.
Both sets will stay at 77.60 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Under the excess levy, which is used to pay for expenses such as textbooks and the salaries of school nurses, the BOE voted to keep those rates the same as well.
The Class I rate is at 16.75 cents per $100 of assessed value. The Class II rate is 33.50 cents per $100.
As with last year, Class III and Class IV rates are 67.00 cents per $100.
The excess levy makes up about 25 percent of the school district’s budget.
In other business, the board announced that it has retained the services of Orion Delta Group, a Pittsburgh, Pa., firm to assist in the search for Devono’s replacement — he announced his retirement last month.
The BOE in the meanwhile has tapped 21 people across the county to serve on local committees related to that search.
That job search comes at a time of transition for the board. Two BOE members are retiring, and incumbent Mike Kelly is seeking reelection in the May primary.
