POINT PLEASANT — Purchase of three schoolbuses and a special needs vehicle was approved by the Mason County Board of Education at its regular meeting Tuesday.

Three 77-passenger buses and one 59-passenger integrated conventional special needs bus will be bought for a total of $356,960 from BWAB International LLC of Charleston. The three regular buses sold for $85,705 apiece and the special needs bus is $99,845.

In other financial matters, the board approved making the treasurer an authorized representative for Mason County Commission revenue bonds to execute required documents.

The purchase of equipment of FM Auditory Trainer Systems from Phonack Hearing Systems for use by identified hearing impaired students was approved, as were agreements between the board and Invo Health Care Associates Inc., Lingua Care Associates Inc., and Pleasant Valley Hospital for speech and language services in 2009-10. The cost is covered by the Special Education Grant.

A West Virginia Pre-K collaborative agreement with Magic Years Day Care Center for placement of pre-K special needs students was renewed, and an agreement with Jackson County Developmental Center Inc., Ravenswood, to provide work transition training for special needs high school students was approved.

The board also approved a bid of $36,625 from Ketchum & Walton Co. for the purchase and installation of acoustical wall and ceiling treatments for Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School.

In other action, the board:

• Authorized the superintendent to take steps necessary to join litigation seeking to relieve county boards of education from reporting and funding of other post-employment benefits.

• Discussed selecting an auctioneer for the sale of the Point Pleasant Middle School property and considered negotiating a contract with the auctioneer.

• Approved out of state travel for Pat Brumfield, Beale Elementary School principal, and Stacy Walton, assistant principal at PPHS, to attend the TEACH Workshop training on autism Sept. 21-23 at Wilmington, N.C.

• Approved a continuing memorandum of agreement with the Prestera Center for Mental Health Services in 2009-10.

• Approved employment of Melissa Jane Bledsoe as grades 7-12 math teacher at PPHS for 2009-10.

• Approved transfer of Debra Byus from sixth grade teacher to third grade teacher at Ashton Elementary.

• Approved transfer of Lisa Moody, fifth grade teacher at New Haven Elementary to sixth grade at Roosevelt Elementary.

• Approved a contracted services agreement with Sunbelt Staffing, with special education federal funds as the funding source.

• Approved employment of Debra Eddy, school psychologist, on as-needed contracted service basis.

• Approved employment of Diane Foreman, educational diagnostician, on an as-needed contracted service basis.

• Approved posting the professional positions of Reading First Mentor teacher, .50 FTE at Point Pleasant Primary School and .50 FTE district itinerant RTI facilitator, and a Reading First Mentor teacher, .50 FTE at Point Pleasant Intermediate School and .50 FTE district itinerant RTI facilitator.

• Approved the transfer of Debra Sayre, secretary III, maintenance department, to secretary III at the Mason County Career Center.

• Approved employment of Brigitte Rhodes, .5 cook III, at Beale Elementary.

• Approved deletion of a receptionist/secretary position at the central office, which was effective July 1.

• Approved the posting of a Braille specialist/aide to serve blind and visually impaired students.

• Approved the following supplemental employment actions: Rhonda Sayre, athletic assistant at Wahama Junior/Senior High School; Jonathan Matthew Cottrill, cross country coach, PPHS; and posting of the position of special education school site manager-individual school sites for IEP compliance in 2009-10.

The board’s next regularly scheduled meetings are July 28, Aug. 11 and Aug. 25, all at 6:30 p.m. at the Mason County Career Center.