FAIRMONT, W.Va. — After a few weeks of uncertainty, Dr. Donna Heston has been offered a one-year contract to continue as superintendent of Marion County Schools.
The BOE decided last month not to renew Heston’s contract past this June 30 after giving her an evaluation that said she met three goals and exceeded two others.
Board member James Saunders made the motion at a special meeting Thursday to reconsider the contract decision and clarified to the public what they are legally required to do. He said the board “may” use the evaluation results to determine employment decisions, and they have no obligation to the public to explain why.
“If the board does not vote to renew a contract, strictly speaking, the county board is not required to give any reasons for that,” Saunders said.
Over the last several weeks social media was alive and well with several theories as to why the decision was made—one of those assumptions was that a board member had a candidate waiting in the wings.
“I think it’s unfair to that certain friend because five years ago I did want him to be the superintendent, and he would make an excellent superintendent,” Saunders said. “It’s very unfair, and I apologize to him that those things were talked about.”
The BOE voted 3 – 2 to offer Heston a one-year contract extension that would begin July 1.
“I’ll only pray that given a second chance the superintendent and the BOE can work closely together and the superintendent and employees can start over fresh and make things happen for our great county, Marion County and for our kids,” Saunders said.
Over her five years of service, the district has added safe school entrances and made strides to refurbish buildings and athletic facilities that are decades old and in need of repair. Two schools have won the National Blue Ribbon honor: Jayenne Elementary School in 2023 and Pleasant Valley Elementary School in 2024.
***The quotes in this story were previously attributed to Kevin Rogers in error.