POINT PLEASANT — More than 25 employees of the Mason County School System have received a reduction in force (RIF) letter for the upcoming school year.

The announcement was made during a Board of Education meeting earlier this week.

According to Superintendent Dr. Larry Parsons, the RIF letters are a matter of legal formality that are based on three areas: lack of need due to lower enrollment; lack of budget in certain programs where funding was not available; and reconfiguration of a program.

Twenty-six teachers and three service personnel received the letters, which explained if the position was a lack of need, placement of a more senior employee or reconfiguration of the program.

Parsons said it is required to RIF the least senior personnel, who are the ones that are most affected by the process. Those who are placed on the list will be able to bid on other positions for which they are qualified when the transfer process begins.

He also said several people on the list were ones who already have a regular contract but were on supplemental contracts for extra positions based primarily on grants.

Parsons said there should be plenty of positions open for those who have been RIFfed after employees’ retirement, resignations or relocation.

“The administration will have enough jobs once they are re-posted to meet the needs of the system,” he said. “This is just an inconvenience to the employees, but all should be able to come back once the positions where they are needed have been posted.”

The transfer process will begin the first week of May so that all positions that are open can be filled by Aug. 1 or sooner, Parsons said. He also said Mason County is in better shape than most counties, because many school systems are cutting jobs.

Six other teachers have received reassignments, with five of them working on the Response to Intervention (RTI) support staff at their respective school.

In other business:

• Treasurer Chris Campbell gave a report on the proposed levy rates so board members could begin work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. They will reconvene April 21 to lay the levy after approval by the state auditor.

• Wahama High School football coach Ed Cromley asked the board for a salary increase of $50 a day for his assistant coaches for a summer football camp.

• Bruce Sullivan of Sullivan Webb presented the audited financial statements.

Parsons said the school system received a positive audit and that there were no improprieties reported.

• Edward McLiney of McLiney and Edd McDevitt of Bowles and Rice presented a report on the lease purchase agreement for the Point Pleasant Junior Senior High School Athletic Complex. The board adopted a resolution for the authorization and acceptance of the terms in the agreement with Farmers Bank. The agreement confirms a $1 million loan for the first phase of construction.

• Board members decided not to select an auctioneer to auction the property of the former Point Pleasant Middle School. Parsons said the board would like to have a current appraisal on the property prior to the auction.

The next meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 at New Haven Elementary School. It will be the first of two Local School Improvement Committee meetings.