§18-5-4. Meetings; employment and assignment of teachers; budget hearing; compensation of members; affiliation with state and national associations.
(a) The county board shall meet on the dates provided by law, and at any other times the county board deems necessary. Subject to adequate public notice, nothing in this section prohibits the county board from conducting regular meetings in facilities within the county other than the county board office. At any meeting authorized in this section and held in compliance with the provisions of §18A-1-1 et seq. of this code, the county board may employ qualified teachers, or those who will qualify by the time they assume their duties, necessary to fill existing or anticipated vacancies for the current or next ensuing school year. Meetings of the county board shall be held in compliance with the provisions of §18A-1-1 et seq. of this code for purposes relating to the assignment, transfer, termination and dismissal of teachers and other school employees.
(b) Special meetings may be called by the president or any three members, but no business may be transacted other than that designated in the call.
(c) In addition, a public hearing shall be held concerning the preliminary operating budget for the next fiscal year not fewer than ten days after the budget has been made available to the public for inspection and within a reasonable time prior to the submission of the budget to the state board for approval. Reasonable time shall be granted at the hearing to any person who wishes to speak regarding any part of the budget. Notice of the hearing shall be published as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1 et. seq. of this code.
(d) A majority of the members of the county board constitutes the quorum necessary for the transaction of official business.
(e) Board members may receive compensation at a rate not to exceed $260 per meeting attended, but they may not receive pay for more than 40 meetings in any one fiscal year. Board members who serve on an administrative council of a multicounty vocational center also may receive compensation for attending up to twelve meetings of the council at the same rate as for meetings of the county board: Provided, That council meetings are not counted as board meetings for purposes of determining the limit on compensable board meetings: Provided, however, That a county board member who is in default of a training requirement established in §18-5-1a of this code shall not, until after the default is cured, receive compensation for any meeting held during the period of default. For purposes of compensation, a member in default of a training requirement may cure the default by completing the unfulfilled training requirements within three months of the default. Upon curing the default, the member shall receive compensation, without interest, for the meetings held during the period of default: Provided, further, That up to five paid meetings may be provided when planning for activities such as running an election for excess levy, construction bond hearings, school closure hearings, personnel hearings, student expulsion hearings, and in the case of a disaster: And provided further, That members shall be paid for up to two trainings.
(f) Members also shall be paid, upon the presentation of receipts, for all necessary traveling expenses, including all authorized meetings, incurred on official business, at the order of the county board.
(g) When, by a majority vote of its members, a county board considers it a matter of public interest, the county board shall join the West Virginia School Board Association and may join the National School Board Association and shall pay the dues prescribed by the associations and approved by action of the respective county boards. Membership dues and actual traveling expenses incurred by board members for attending meetings of the West Virginia School Board Association shall be paid by their respective county boards out of funds available to meet actual expenses of the members, but no allowance may be made except upon presentation of receipts.
