Board member James Saunders seeks another term on school board
May 11—FAIRMONT — James Saunders, famous for his contention, nonetheless brings an important element to Marion County Board of Education meetings. Dissent.
Saunders returned to school board in 2020. His previous stint as a school board member was a few decades ago.
"I want to be a VOICE for employees and citizens so that they feel comfortable in asking questions, giving suggestions or even voicing complaints without feeling that they or their children will have their voice held against them," he told the Times West Virginian in 2018.
Saunders failed to make himself available for an interview.
There are 5 members of the Board of Education and there are 3 districts in Marion County — Palatine, Middletown and West Augusta. No single district can have more than 2 members serving at a time. It was designed to ensure one district did not have a majority of the board seats. Donna Costello (West Augusta), Tom Dragich (Middletown) and George Boyles (Palatine) are not up for election.
Saunders has been true to his word to be a voice for parents and students at board meetings. Throughout the past year, he's been spotted throwing his support behind parents who want to have their concerns heard.
He's even tussled with parliamentary procedure, voicing irritation at holding executive sessions in the middle of school board meetings rather than at the end. Executive sessions can withhold parents and spectators from leaving, since sometimes agenda items that spectators are there to discuss fall on the other side of an executive session.
At the Marion County Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates Forum, Saunders identified crumbling school infrastructure as one of the major issues facing the county.
"We have some of the oldest facilities in the state of West Virginia," he said. "We must do something about it."
Saunders also sees the need to educate parents who homeschool or charter school on the benefits of public education.
At the forum, Saunders also discussed the school funding formula the state uses. He called the formula old, explaining at the same time the state issues mandates for the schools to follow without providing the funding to accomplish it. As a board member, he's said he's begged state legislators to address how outdated the formula.
However, one element is tremendous when it comes to tackling financial issues, Saunders said.
"Scott Reider, tremendous treasurer," Saunders said. "He keeps us on our toes. Every once in a while we bring him in to give us a report and I can promise you, he knows what he's doing. It's a blessing to the county to have a treasurer that stays on top of things."
That said, Saunders still maintained it was important to be accountable for school funding as it is taxpayer money.
Saunders said bullying was a larger problem in the past, but a zero tolerance policy has alleviated the issue. However, he said the public needs to know their kids are safe when they're dropped off at school, which is a subject that needs to be addressed.
Saunders has mixed feelings about arming teachers in case of a school shooting. Should the worst happen, Saunders prefers to see someone who's qualified to use weapons doing what they can to help. He added there is never enough money that can be spent to ensure the safety of students.
Communication is important for a board member, Saunders said at the forum. However, that communication has been less than smooth since his election. Saunders apologized for comments he made at a board meeting in May 2022, after he said he would go to the East Fairmont High School stage and knock principal Mary Westfall off to hand his grandson his diploma. He made the comments after learning board members would not hand out diplomas at graduation.
In September 2023, tensions flared between Saunders and board President Donna Costello. A dispute arose over procedure regarding executive session. Saunders also incorrectly stated the board could only enter executive session once per meeting. School Superintendent Donna Heston told the Times West Virginian the board can enter executive session as needed during a meeting.
An audible argument occurred between Saunders and Costello in the hallway as board members returned from executive session, with Costello admonishing Saunders to not walk away from her.
That hasn't been the only spot of friction between Saunders and Costello. In 2021, Saunders accused Costello of rigging the selection of the next superintendent. Costello defended herself. A divided school board hired Heston 3-2, with Saunders on the losing side after a protracted squabble with Costello.
However, to his credit, Saunders always finds a way back to working in cooperation with his colleagues. He also admits when he's wrong and makes amends publicly. Later in 2021, he admitted he was wrong about Heston's hiring during a meeting and expressed his support for her tenure. Today, he's a staunch supporter of Heston. Since September of last year, Saunders and Costello have had a jovial working relationship. No flare ups between the two have happened in that time.
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
