Stakeholder Meeting Minutes
Attendance: Heather Holbert – Principal, Mark Jones – Assistant Principal, Bethany Kulchock – JES Teacher, Jessica Wagner – JES Teacher, Kim Olivio – JES Teacher, Gretchen Kessler – JES Service Personnel, Amber Duncil – JES Service Personnel, Sam Olivio – At-Large member, Aaron Horne – At-Large Member, Lauren Moore – LSIC Chair, Hannah Francis – LSIC Secretary, Maria Seamon, Marteney Hanson, Gina Lutyens, Amanda Thompson, Jessica Kelly, JoAnna Kirk, Amanda Morrow, Michael Cheatham
The Stakeholder meeting was called to order at 1501 by Chairperson, Lauren Moore.
Demographics were discussed by Principal Heather Holbert. Our enrollment currently bounces between 735-740 students. We have 94 newly enrolled students (most are PreK students) and a continued enrollment of 586 students (returning from last year). Currently, there are 400 male and 336 female students at JES. We also discussed the Johnson Racial/Ethnic diversity at the school as well as the different countries of origin (nine) and languages spoken (nine - including Vietnamese, Spanish, Arabic, and several others). Jessica Wagner (the EL teacher at JES) gave a quick report on the services provided to students enrolled at Johnson where English is their second language. Johnson receives NO Title I funding.
The largest grade at JES is currently 4th Grade (with 123 students) and the smallest grade being 3rd Grade (with 92 students). We have 145 students enrolled in special education (including speech and gifted programs) as well as 55 students with 504 plans. For those unfamiliar with IEPs and 504s, Mrs. Holbert explained that 504s require a medical diagnosis (such as ADHD, blood disorders, etc) and keep the curriculum the same but make accommodations for the students to successfully complete the curriculum, whereas IEPs (Individual Education Plans) can modify the curriculum to suit the student. At this time, Johnson has 36 students enrolled in the Backpack Program.
Next, we discussed academics, specifically the West Virginia General Summative Assessment. Ninety-nine percent of the Johnson students take the WVGSA testing in the spring of their Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade years at JES. The JES ELA scores continue to increase each year, as well as Math. Johnson [AT MINIMUM] has met standards and goals set in ELA and Math in Academic Achievement AND Academic Progress as well as Student Success (Attendance & Behavior).
The Discipline Report was given by Mark Jones, Assistant Principal. The total number of incidents for this school year is up from last year at this time. See the Harrison County Board of Education Policy Manual (Section 5000: Students, Code po5600: Student Discipline) for the breakdown of the Level System (Levels 1-4) for Behaviors, Interventions, and Consequences. This policy is COUNTY-WIDE. Phone calls are made home to parents/guardians of the students involved BY ADMINISTRATION any time an office referral is made. Level 1 incidents addressed this far this year include disruptive conduct and cell phone violation. Level 2 incidents include disruptive/disrespectful conduct, profane language, and reckless conduct. Level 3 incidents disruptive/defiant conduct and larceny. No Level 4 incidents have been reported at this time. Consequences for these Level 1-3 incidents at JES have included lunch detention, after-school detention, second-chance classroom/in-school suspension, and out-of-school suspension. Johnson and Simpson Elementary share a Second-Chance classroom teacher. Mr. Jones also briefly touched on attendance. This time last year, there were 18 students with more than three unexcused absences. This year, there are only eight. This is a significant reduction!
The Safety Report was given by Mrs. Holbert. Johnson Elementary has some of the most (if not THE MOST) safeguards, safety procedures and preventative measures in the county. (Some of this is because JES is one of the newest schools in the county.) One of the newer safeguards implemented last year is the Beacon system. This alerts any classes that are outside of the building to an emergency inside the building. There is also a new programmable scrolling sign in the cafeteria to alert staff/students of any announcement/emergency. Due to the nature of the cafeteria, it is next to impossible for announcements over the loudspeaker to be heard and understood. The scrolling sign allows those in the cafeteria to be up to date on any important announcements. The four Bridgeport schools have two Prevention Resource Officers (PROs). The Raptor Visitor Management System is used to check in any visitor to the building. This provides an extra level of safety for our students and staff. Staff and students also practice fire drills and code drills. All staff members are trained in the emergency operation plan before the school year starts.
Parent & Community involvement was presented by Mrs. Holbert. Those in attendance were given handouts listing the multitude of activities that have happened at JES during the 1st 9 Weeks! The list of parent/guardian activities included PTA Popcorn days, the PTA Back-to-School pool party, National Walk to School Day, JES Open House, and LSIC meetings, to name a few. The Band/Strings Instrument demonstration was an example of one of the grade-specific activities. Some of the community involvement activities at JES thus far include field trips to the Edge of Town Market and The Bridge, and visits from Eastern Pet Supply, the WVU Cheerleaders, and the Bridgeport Fire Department. The Bridgeport Police Department and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office visited for the “Coffee with a Cop” event hosted by the first grade. Johnson Elementary School is so happy to partner with our community to give such wonderful experiences to the students and staff at JES.
Each grade level is asked to plan two parent involvement activities that are open to ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS/GUESTS during the school year (one per semester). Additionally, the four full-time specialists (gym, library, computer, music) are asked to host parents/guardians during the school year. This gives families the opportunity to see their students during the school day and allows the teachers/students to showcase the content they are teaching/learning.
Finally, the committee discussed concerns and goals for the year. Regarding safety, there are four action items that LSIC would like to focus on immediately. The first being the hiring of a second crossing guard that the Bridgeport Police Department approved for Johnson Elementary School this year. This job is currently posted and is a priority for the safety of our students. The second item is the approximately 60 parking blocks for the main lot adjacent to the school. This would help prevent drivers from driving across the middle walking lane and exiting the parking lot the wrong way. These were originally to be funded by the HarCoBoE but now need to be funded by JES. The third item is moving the Beacon system from the doors along Johnson Avenue to the doors closest to the football field and behind the building. These doors are more frequently entered by the students after outdoor gym class/recess. The fourth item would be relocating the digital programmable scrolling sign to a wall that the cooks can readily see.
We also discussed the possibility of getting a concrete pad behind the school in between the two playgrounds. There is currently dirt (grass seed was purchased last year and did not successfully grow) and frequently water in the play area. A large concrete pad would give the students the opportunity to play games like Four Square and basketball right behind the school at any time during the day and in most weather scenarios. Due to recess often being for a short period, many classrooms do not walk to the football field and/or city park because most of the playing time would be lost due to traveling to and from these areas. The area right outside the school doors is optimal for the students to have the most successful break times.
The next meeting will be Monday, January 12, 2026 at 1500 in the JES Library.
The meeting was adjourned at 1624.