Kanawha County's school board voted unanimously Monday to hire a new principal for Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary and pay $18,000 to settle a former bus driver's federal lawsuit over a supervisor deleting hours she entered on a time clock.
Retired Dunbar Intermediate School principal Cheryl Plear will be taking over as leader of Mary C. Snow from Johnny Ferrara, who is leaving the role to become the Kanawha public school system's "eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment and attendance specialist" for Head Start and pre-kindergarten.
The school system previously said the $66,600 annual salary position was new. But Superintendent Ron Duerring, who didn't return calls for a story on the issue last week, said Monday that Bob Calhoun, Kanawha's executive director for elementary education, told him the position previously existed and had only been vacant a short time.
Leaders in the black community on Charleston's West Side had asked board members to hire Plear, said the Rev. Matthew Watts, who helped lead the creation of the West Side Community Development pilot project that seeks to improve the area's four schools and their surrounding community.
"I just think she has a real unique insight into the challenges that the children and the families and the community faces," Watts said. The area struggles with poverty, drug-related violence and other issues.
Watts said the school system previously employed Plear as a consultant who analyzed the West Side schools and developed ideas that became part of the community pilot project.
Plear, 66, said she's worked in Kanawha schools for over 30 years in various roles and worked for the state Department of Education for two years as a liaison helping low-performing schools. She said Dunbar Intermediate was one of several schools where her work helped change official designations in a more positive direction, and she's recently served as coordinator of Mary C. Snow's after-school program.
"I thank God for giving me the opportunity to do something to go in and help these children," Plear said.
She said Mary C. Snow is among the lowest-performing schools in the state, and said students bring a lot of "baggage" to the school after hearing, for instance, gunshots at night.
Duerring said Plear's support from Watts and the others was not why he recommended that the board hire her, but he did tell the Gazette-Mail that her involvement with the school played a role in his decision.
"She really knew the school, she understood the school, she has a passion for the kids over there and she really understands where that school needs to go," Duerring said.
The applicants deemed qualified for the position were Plear, John Adams Middle Curriculum Assistant Principal Cathryn Carena, Mary C. Snow teacher Katrina Helm, Weberwood Elementary teacher Kimberly Posey, Cross Lanes Elementary teacher Destiny Spencer and Mary C. Snow Assistant Principal Polly Stevens.
Jim Withrow, the school system's general counsel, wrote in an earlier email that the candidates' ranking was "an internal memorandum not subject to release."
As for the lawsuit settlement, the board's vote Monday granted $6,000 in back wages to Debra Rose, the former bus driver who filed suit against the school system in March 2015. They also gave her $12,000 for her attorney fees, paid by the school system's insurance carrier.
Among other allegations, Rose's suit alleged that Peggy Stone, the Elkview bus terminal's supervisor, broke Kanawha policy by requiring her to clock in and out "not only at the beginning and ending of each bus trip, but also upon the beginning and ending of each individual task performed throughout the day that results in creditable working time."
Rose also said Stone deleted time she put on the clock without first contacting her, despite policy stating that "Management, with the employee's acknowledgment only, will do correction of time records."
Mark Toor, Rose's Charleston-based lawyer, said the time clock alterations took place over five years and totaled $3,500 in lost pay, meaning Rose could recover that and a further $3,500 in "liquidated damages" at trial.
Withrow previously said Rose violated school system policy by clocking in too early, but Stone also violated policy by changing her punch in and punch out times.
He said supervisors are supposed to speak with workers who clock in too early and discipline them if they continue to do so, but said that in the wake of Rose's allegations, "We have made it clear to all of our supervisors that they were not to change anybody's time cards." He and Duerring said Monday they couldn't discuss whether any employees had been disciplined regarding Rose's allegations.
Also Monday, the board recognized Nancy Baldwin, a professional coordinator in the school system's Department of Information Technology, as the Employee of the Year. Duerring said the award is for the many employees who aren't teachers, service personnel or principals - each of those categories has its separate annual awards.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn, 304-348-1254 or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.