The president of Kanawha County's school board announced Thursday she won't run for re-election next year, at a meeting where board members also approved next school year's calendar.
Robin Rector said she'll serve out the rest of her term, which ends in June. She was first elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, and board members chose her as president in July 2014.
Rector, in explaining her decision not to run, cited family health problems in the past year and new demands in her job as corporate director for education for Charleston Area Medical Center, where she trains medical staff and works in community and patient education, among other areas.
At the end of Thursday's meeting, she said that being a board member "takes time, passion and the ability to listen to all sides of an issue. Time to research possible solutions, opportunities for improvement or sometimes just courage to suggest or inspire others to take new directions."
"... I don't want to miss meetings or have to call into meetings or come to meetings ill-prepared," Rector said. "It's just not really the way I personally handle my responsibilities."
Rector said she's been considering the decision since August, and announced her decision now so others would have time to consider running for her seat.
The filing deadline is Jan. 30. Besides Rector, board member Jim Crawford will be up for re-election next year. Crawford said Thursday night that he will run again.
Rector said she was proud of the schools that were built during her tenure - including Sissonville Middle and Edgewood Elementary - and renovations to other facilities, along with the county's rising graduation rate and its technology implementation. She said if she's disappointed with anything, it's with not having been able to further push career and technical education.
"I'll always be a strong supporter of public education and I want to thank each and every one of you in this room this evening and any of the other professional staff in this system that it employs that have been teachers for me and part of my learning journey over the past seven and a half years," she said.
The board also voted Thursday to approve a 2016-17 school year calendar that will have teachers start work Aug. 3 for two days of continuing training and one day for both preparation to start school and a faculty senate meeting. Students would start classes Aug. 8.
There's a week off at Thanksgiving, and the first semester will end Dec. 16. There will be two weeks off around Christmas. The second semester will begin Jan. 3, there will be a week of spring break in April and school would let out for students May 23 and for employees May 30.
As in past years, actual school end dates and days off could be affected by make-up days due to snow or other emergencies. Next school year's calendar closely resembles this school year's, which is nearly identical to last school year's. When they approved this year's calendar, some board members expressed support for sticking with a similar calendar for the next few years.
Board member Pete Thaw, who has consistently argued the county is starting school too early, was the only no vote out of the five board members. He said the school system would be in trouble if there's an August heat wave, saying its air conditioning is "far from being in good shape."
"This calendar, to start school on Aug. 8, is a hardship on the children and a hardship on the parents and a hardship on the system," Thaw said.
Board member Ryan White also said he would've preferred a different calendar, but noted that when he voted against this school year's calendar he asked other board members to be consistent. He said he voted in favor of next year's calendar in accordance with that wish.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn, 304-348-1254 or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.