ROARING SPRING — In a 7-to-2 vote, the Spring Cove School Board approved a finance and legal committee meeting schedule, including policy discussions, that will be revisited in six months.

The committee currently consists of board members Kevin Smith, Misti Fisher, Alyssa McGregor and Troy Wright.

Wright and board member Samantha Snowberger were the dissenting votes.

Reflecting on last week’s discussion, Wright voted no because “this goes back to transparency” among the board.

Voting for a smaller, separate board that will review and revise policies before reaching committee of the whole meetings for group discussions “makes our board and our district less transparent,” Wright said. “We’re limiting the amount of input that board members can put into committee meetings.”

Considering that finance and legal committee meetings take place on separate days from regular meetings, Wright said the board is “adding another day where someone may not be able to attend.”

“It’s not limiting at all,” Smith said, because the committee will review policies before bringing it to the board, so “there’s going to be full transparency when they bring it to the full board.”

When board President Amy Acker-Knisely was elected 18 years ago, she said they used to conduct frequent committee meetings, spending upwards of three hours discussing topics before regular meetings, which would result in another elongated discussion with the entire group.

“I’m not afraid to try something,” she said. “We go through the same meeting that you have as a committee. … I’m not going to prevent anyone from trying something new, maybe we will revisit it in the next six months.”

While discussing different solutions, Superintendent Betsy Baker said the board can hold an additional committee of the whole meeting dedicated to policy review, but “you all would have to be there, and you have to want to do that.”

“There’s a way around this,” Wright said. “Have the whole discussion with the whole board when the whole board is here. If it makes the meetings longer, it’s extra time for that meeting.”

McGregor asked the board if smaller committee meetings would alleviate pressure from the board, because “we have a lot of workload that we want to address and get through.”

Acker-Knisely and McGregor then agreed on a “trial period” for the proposed committee meeting schedule, giving the board six months to decide if smaller, separate meetings reviewing school policies monthly will stay effective for the board.

The finance and legal committee will meet at 5 p.m. Feb. 3 before the buildings and grounds committee meeting at 7 p.m.

In other news, the board unanimously approved the retirements of five longtime Spring Cove administrators and/or educators, including Baker with 30 years; data manager Kim Moyer with 25 years; special education office coordinator Anita Ritchey with 35 years; Central Martinsburg High School Principal Stephanie Thompson with 25 years; and social studies teacher Philip Waite with 31 years.

Overall, Wright said 145 years had been completed among the group.

“Look at these years,” Acker-Knisely said. “We have been blessed.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.