Cabell County B.O.E. Still At

Odds With R.V.C.D.S.

The standoff between the Cabell County Board of Education and River Valley Child Development Services continues.

River Valley Child Development Services still owes the district more than $2 million, after making a $15 thousand payment on that debt last week.  And Cabell County Schools wants the rest of its money.  Attorney Richard M. Francis, on behalf of the Board, delivered an ultimatum in March, asking them to sign a contract which calls for River Valley to pay $15,000 a month during the first year, then an additional $1,000 each month the following year, with $1,000 added to the monthly payments each year until 2009.

Francis says River Valley, in turn, responded with a counter offer.  How about if they pay back $15 thousand per month until July first, then make arrangements to pay for half of the remainder, about $10 thousand per month.  Francis told the Board they had four choices: 

Ø       Continue to negotiate both the amount of the debt and the terms of repayment

Ø       Propose an agreement limited to the amount of the debt and interest

Ø       Abandon further negotiations and resort to Circuit Court

Ø       Agree to their counter proposal

Francis said if the Board goes to court, it won’t be easy, and they can expect to wait up to 18 months for a resolution to the case.  The Board went into executive session to discuss their options.  Ted Barr voted against the executive session, saying, “if this were a small vendor we’d just say, ‘you owe it, you pay it.  That’s the way the ball bounces…’”

River Valley provides early intervention services, referrals, and after-school and training programs for hundreds of pre-school children.  River Valley does not have a formal contract with Cabell County Schools.  The School district has served as River Valley’s fiscal agent from 1971 to 1998.  The debt was created after the School District spent more on River Valley than River Valley was allocating in payments to the School District.