Bath school board fills empty seat By Amanda Isley • Staff writer
WARM SPRINGS - Hot Springs resident Barbara Waldeck was appointed to Bath's school board with a unanimous vote Monday, filling the vacancy in the Valley Springs District left by Sarah Redington.
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Waldeck will serve by appointment until Dec. 31, according to the resolution read aloud by superintendent David Smith. Waldeck said she plans to run in the upcoming November election.
After hearing the resolution and the outcome of the board's vote, Waldeck said, "It was a feeling of joy, but it was also a feeling of anxiety and a very humbling realization that I would be in a position I had never served in before."
As the school board gets into budget season, Waldeck will spend time reviewing the current year's budget, county and state code, and other school policies, she said. "All of the state codes I have read so far are easy to understand and presented in a user friendly manner; the daunting part is the sheer volume of information."
The county code alone is no less than five inches thick, she noted.
Tuesday, Waldeck said she had spent several hours familiarizing herself with this year's budget. "I'm trying to understand what was done this year so I will better understand what I will be voting on in coming months," she explained.
"I thrive on personal interaction and it's an exhilarating experience to tackle this task. I'm really looking forward to it."
Monday, school board vice chair Eddie Ryder welcomed Waldeck to the board. "I talked to a lot of folks down in that district, trying to encourage them to come in and apply, and no one would. I think the reason no one did is they felt Mrs. Waldeck is perfectly competent to do the job," he said.
Ryder said he will travel with Waldeck to a Virginia School Boards Association orientation session in Richmond this weekend.
"I would think after all the years Barbara has been in education, she probably has a good idea of what's needed to make the school system better for all kids," he added.
Acknowledging her workload in getting started, Ryder said it took every new school board member at least a year to learn the aspects of the position. "I think the board needs to help her wherever it can - not by making decisions for her, but by giving her all the information so she can make decisions."
Waldeck said Ryder had warned her it was a tough time to start on the board. "Eddie said the one difficult thing is that I was coming in at one of the busiest times of year and without a backlog of experience, and he was exactly right," she said.
Her first goal is to master the code system and the budget. Also, Waldeck hopes to improve communication with staff, the community and the board of supervisors.
After receiving her appointment, Waldeck put together a list of teachers at the three schools and e-mailed them to inform them she was now a member of the school board. "I've already gotten a number of positive responses as well as a master list of staff at each school," she said.
In addition, Waldeck hopes to submit reports to the newspaper every month praising a different school staff member.
Other priorities include ensuring staff and student safety on school premises and implementing a dental plan for students without access to one, she said.
"I try to be really conscious of things that affect the safety of people in our division as I become aware of them."
Ready to take action, Waldeck gave the board a number of suggestions in regard to its meetings, including changing the seating arrangement to make it easier for citizens in attendance to see overhead projections, and advocating availability of information packets.
Waldeck says all board members have welcomed her and her suggestions, but she anticipates there will be sessions filled with debate in the near future.
"The five of us will most likely have very different ideas on a number of subjects, so the task ahead of us is to make those ideas blend. If you meet in the spirit of cooperation and unity, you can work through diversity of opinion," she said.
After graduating from Marshall University with a degree in mathematics and general science, Waldeck went on to pursue a teaching career that lasted for 34 years.
Most of her tenure was spent at Bath County High School as a math teacher, but she also taught in West Virginia, Alleghany County, and Campbell County. In addition, she substitute taught at Valley Elementary School for two years.
Waldeck grew up in Charleston, West Virginia and moved to Bath with husband Roger in 1976. They have two grown children who live in the county, and five grandchildren.
To keep her focused on why she sought a position on the board in the first place, she will think about her grandchildren and the future of their education, she said.
Smith expressed confidence in Waldeck and offered a positive outlook for the coming year.
"We welcome Mrs. Waldeck to the board and we look forward to working with her in that capacity for the remainder of this term- I'm sure she'll do well," he said.
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