New school division facilities director approved

Among several action agenda items, the Warren County School Board, during its Wednesday, March 29 meeting, unanimously approved the appointment of a new facilities director for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS).

Following a recommendation from WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger, School Board Chair Kristen Pence, Vice Chair Ralph Rinaldi, and board members Antoinette Funk, Andrea Lo, and Melanie Salins voted 5-0 to approve the appointment of Bryan Helmick, who on July 1 will officially replace Greg Livesay, who has retired as the WCPS maintenance director.

The Warren County School Board approved the appointment of Bryan Helmick (above) as the school division’s new facilities director during its regular Wednesday meeting.

Bryan Helmick and his wife, Nina Helmick, who is the principal at Ressie Jeffries Elementary School, raised two sons and one daughter, all graduates of Skyline High School. They currently have six grandchildren attending Ressie Jeffries, Ballenger said.

Mr. Helmick had a successful career of more than 30 years as a mechanical contractor with the Steamfitters Local 602 out of Washington, D.C., performing duties such as journeyman HVAC, mechanic field facility supervisor, service manager, and construction manager, said Ballenger.

Helmick, who also coached football and baseball for years at Warren County High School and Skyline High School, was hired by WCPS in the summer of 2021 to serve as the facility supervisor. He currently serves as the interim facilities director.

“I always knew I wanted to be an employee of Warren County Public Schools, but I never knew in what capacity,” Helmick said. “In June of 2021, the opportunity to become the facility supervisor… was offered, and I knew at that time it was the right move.

“The goal from day one was always to excel and work my way to facilities director,” he added. “I will take this position very seriously and work hard every day to succeed in this new challenge.”

Also, during its meeting, the School Board paid special recognition to the Skyline High School Boys’ Basketball team on Wednesday evening. Head Coach Harold Chunn (above at podium) and Assistant Coach Stephen Rinker (above far right) received the recognition with three of the Hawks’ players: sophomore Dwayne Tucker (above far left) and seniors Elias Carter (second from left) and Zack Diggs (second from right). The Hawks team made it to the state semifinals with a final record of 26 wins and one loss. The team was 14-0 in its Northwestern District division.

“That record is astonishing,” said Rinaldi. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a record that good. It takes a lot of work to get there.
“You guys are leaders of your school; don’t take that for granted because other kids look up to you,” he told the student athletes.

More board action

The School Board also unanimously approved eight other action agenda items during its meeting:

1.) A contract totaling $68,832 over four years was awarded to Document Solutions Inc. for the lease of copiers at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School, which is updating the copiers in the building, according to WCPS Technology Director Timothy Grant. The budgeted item will cost $1,434 a month.

2.) The 2023-2024 Special Education Annual Plan, which includes an application for federal funding in the amount of almost $1.28 million for 611 part-B and $33,545 for 619 part-B for total funding of just more than $1.31 million to be submitted to the Virginia Department of Education.

3.) A Memorandum of Agreement between WCPS and the Warren County Community Health Coalition establishes the guidelines and areas of responsibility between WCPS and the coalition and supports eligible students experiencing trauma in middle and high school. For example, the Warren Coalition, which supports a drug-free county, will provide supervision to the behavioral health coach and anxiety/depression specialist at WCPS, which will provide office space and a computer for the health coach.

4.) A Cooperative Agreement between the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired and WCPS establishes the guidelines and areas of responsibility between WCPS and the department and provides support to eligible WCPS students.

5.) An expenditure of over $15,000 for purchasing the Grand Canyon University Grow Your Own Participant coursework costs $27,740. WCPS Personnel Director Shane Goodwin told board members that growing and retaining the school division’s current workforce is imperative to its mission to keep an exceptional teacher in front of every student every day. “To accomplish this mission, Grand Canyon University provides academic counseling, coursework, and content to nine current WCPS employees in both teacher and instructional assistant roles,” he explained. “These employees will earn licensure through completed coursework in the areas of elementary education, special education, and secondary education, with an emphasis in humanities.”

WCPS will pay for a portion of the coursework (the target is 80 percent), with the employee paying the rest, said Goodwin, noting that the agreement stipulates that employees must work for WCPS for a minimum of two years beyond completion of the licensure eligibility or pay back the amount invested by WCPS on a prorated basis as specified in the related Memorandum of Understanding.

“Our belief is that by investing in our current workforce in this unique way, we can better ensure the workforce we need for our future,” Goodwin said.
“This is a good way to keep teachers in our system,” agreed Rinaldi. “Seems like we’re training facilities for places east of here. Teacher retention is critical for us.”

6.) Renewed contract with Sodexo America LLC as the WCPS food management services company for the period of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and to accept any administrative (non-material) changes as required by the Virginia Department of Education. There is an 8.4 percent proposed cost increase for the 2023-2024 school year, according to WCPS Assistant Superintendent of Administration George “Buck” Smith.

7.) Authorization for the superintendent to request that the Warren County Board of Supervisors appropriates $28,000 from the amount withheld for the 2023 Operational Budget of $1,215,459 to the school division’s capital improvement fund for the A&E fees that are needed to turn the existing auditorium into a multi-purpose room at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary.

8.) Request that an additional $241,346 in budgeted state funding be appropriated to Category 63000-Pupil Transportation to cover greater-than-anticipated fuel costs for buses and vehicles and that $25,000 be appropriated to the 64000-Facilities budget category. According to WCPS Finance Director Robert Ballentine, the amended state budget for FY 2023 that was adopted on February 25 provides $241,346 in greater than originally budgeted state funding. The increase primarily comes from technical adjustments and membership adjustments. Ballentine also said that WCPS projects that reimbursements for HVAC repair parts purchased for Warren County facilities and reimbursed by the County will total approximately $25,000.

Click here to watch the School Board’s March 29 meeting.