By Dennis Brown

With the retirement of Lewis County Middle School Principal Larry Riley the process is underway to select the next principal at the school

The School Based Decision Making Council is asking for assistance in gathering information as the search for a new principal gets underway. A survey will be taken this afternoon at the school just prior to a council meeting when the collected information will be reviewed.

A criteria survey will be available to anyone who would like to participate. The survey will be available at the Middle School from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. today. The council will meet in regular session at the school at 4:00 p.m. and will hold a special meeting at 4:15 p.m.

Superintendent Maurice Reeder Jr. reported at the Board of Education meeting last month that Riley will be retiring effective June 30. The position of LCMS principal was posted on the district’s website April 23. The posting must be for at least 30 days prior to employing someone.

Requirements for principal selection are spelled out in state law and guidelines for principal selection can be found on the website for the Kentucky Department of Education at www.education.ky.gov.

According to those guidelines, the school council shall select the new principal from among those recommended by the

superintendent. The council will receive training in recruitment and inte rviewing techniques. 

During an open meeting of the council the superintendent will attend to discuss details in the process of candidate selection and sets the date of another meeting to receive a draft of written criteria for the position.

A timeline and plan for principal selection will be established and candidates will be recruited. Guidelines point out that the position should be advertised in local and state publications and input sought in establishing criteria and the process for gathering information about applicants.

Applications, resumes, portfolios and other relevant materials will be reviewed and additional information about the candidates is gathered. Interview questions are developed and interviews conducted during open meetings, according to the guidelines.

The council holds a review of the applicants and makes a decision on who to interview in a closed meeting. An evaluation of the candidates and discussing the candidates with the superintendent are also parts of the process which will happen during a closed session of the council.

After the process and selection of the candidate, if the candidate accepts the position, an open meeting is held to announce who the successful candidate is. The process is completed when the new principal signs a contract.

The newest Goodwill store in the area held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony last week during Goodwill Industries Week.

The new store is located in the Lewis County Mall on Clarksburg Road in the location of the former Vanceburg Sundries and More.

Vanceburg Goodwill Manager Pam Carroll said the store opened in mid-February and has done brisk business since then. She added that most people visit the store just after the weekly delivery arrives on Thursday.

The ribbon cutting and open house was held at the Vanceburg location on Wednesday, May 6. Lenore Mason, Executive Director and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern Ohio, extends an invitation to everyone to visit at any time.

Vanceburg Electric Plant Board Superintended Eric Bloomfield said he has worked with Goodwill Industries of Southern Ohio for several years as an accountant and said he has supported the opening of a Lewis County location for some time and said about three years ago the Southern Ohio chapter of Goodwill Industries sought, and was granted, approval from the Lexington Chapter to locate a store here.

He said Lewis County technically falls into the Lexington Chapter’s geographic territory.  

The Southern Ohio Chapter of Goodwill Industries has retail stores and donation centers in Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Gallipolis and Middleport in Ohio along with the Greenup and Vanceburg locations.

Bloomfield explained that donations from all of the locations are taken to the primary location in Portsmouth where they are inspected, cleaned and then distributed back to the locations to be offered for sale.

“What you may find for sale in the Vanceburg store may have been donated at any of the other Goodwill locations,” Bloomfield said. “Each store has a particular inventory and the donations are distributed to keep the quota of all items in stock at each location.”

Bloomfield noted that a donation to Goodwill is tax deductible and is also an environmentally friendly way to pass along items that are no longer needed or wanted. He said many new items are regularly found on Goodwill racks and shelves.

The local Goodwill store stocks many clothing items along with furniture, electronics, kitchen necessities, books, music, toys and miscellaneous.

With the downturn in the economy nationwide, media reports have noted that many people who had not shopped at Goodwill stores previously have been shopping there to find items at a savings from retail stores.

Goodwill is a non-profit organization that provides training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and other disadvantages to become self-sufficient.

Goodwill Industries of Southern Ohio corporate offices are located at 324 Chillicothe Street in Portsmouth and more information about Goodwill may be obtained by calling 740-353-4394 or by visiting any Goodwill location.