The Wetzel County Board of Education approved retirements for Jennifer B. Bates, Larry G. Hostuttler, Deborah A. Keough, and Alex Tunning Dec. 7, combining for 129 years’ experience in education.

Keough and Tunning are teachers at New Martinsville School. Hostuttler is a bus operator and Bates is an art teacher at Short Line School. They will retire effective June 30, 2010.

The board accepted resignations from four other employees, including Abram S. Highley as athletic director at SLS. Highley recently was appointed the school’s mentor principal.

Daniel T. Willhoite resigned as a countywide substitute bus operator, effective Nov. 12. Effective the following day, David A. Snyder resigned as eighth grade girls’ basketball coach at PCHS. Carolyn R. Hizer’s resignation was accepted immediately from her positions at PCHS as 7/8 grade girls’ volleyball coach and 7/8 grade boys’ track coach.

In other staffing matters, the board approved a change in assignment for Lorna A. Briggs from evening to daytime as custodian III at NMS. Both are 228-day contracts.

The bus route for Douglas A. Bucher was changed from Eight Mile/Furbee Ridge/Brush Run/Crows Run on bus #28, to Mobley/North Fork/Four Mile/Barker aboard bus #16.

Cheryl J. Hillberry and Theresa A. Jones were approved as countywide substitute cooks and George Michael Ray was approved as “Clerk of the Works” for the School Building Authority project at NMS.

Also approved for employment was Melissa K. Starkey as countywide supervisory teacher aide-special education, one-on-one, based at Long Drain School.

Pamela A. Chapman was approved as 7/8 grade girls’ track coach at NMS and contracted services were approved for Joshua R. Weekley as alternative education instructor at SLS and Valley High School.

A trip request was approved for NMS Principal Fay Shank, who will take about 100 eighth graders and six chaperones to the Moundsville Penitentiary and a Wild Things baseball game in Washington, Pa., May 28, 2010. That trip will be paid by students fees and the school’s Eighth Grade Account.

Before adjourning, the board turned down a parental request for an out-of-county student to attend school in Wetzel County during the remainder of the 2009-10 school year.