MORGANTOWN – When Frank Devono raises his hand at the next meeting of the Monongalia Board of Education on June 23 – it won’t just be to say hello.
The former superintendent of Mon Schools will be sworn in that evening, so he can fill the BOE seat left vacant by last month’s resignation of Christina Fattore Morgan, who was midway through her first term.
Devono, who retired in 2018, was among the 14 applicants or so who expressed interest in the spot.
Board members unanimously selected the former superintendent after convening for a brief executive session during Tuesday’s meeting.
“He’s a superintendent and he’s very knowledgeable,” said current BOE president Mike Kelly, a longtime incumbent who was first elected during Devono’s tenure as the school district’s chief administrator.
“He should fit in pretty good,” Kelly continued.
Fellow board members Dan Berry and Jennifer Hagerty were also teachers in the county during the former superintendent’s run.
Devono is a Harrison County native who grew up in Clarksburg’s predominantly Italian North View neighborhood.
He began his career as a classroom teacher in his home county, before going on to serve as principal at an elementary school and middle school. He eventually worked his way into an administrative liaison position in the central offices of Harrison schools.
Despite having no prior experience as a superintendent, Mon’s BOE hired him in 2005, following a national search.
“Thank you for giving a kid from North View an opportunity,” he said.
Then-board member Clarence Harvey praised Devono for his student-centered approach to education at the time of his hiring.
During his 13 years here, Devono oversaw the construction of Eastwood Elementary School, and a new University High, which moved from downtown Morgantown to an expanse on Bakers Ridge Road.
He was also lauded for his embrace of technology and his streamlining of administrative processes across the district.
Just before his retirement he managed the district through a statewide, 9-day work stoppage stemming from a dispute over salaries and benefits that impacted all 55 counties.
Eddie Campbell Jr., who was hired to replace Devono, got to know Mon’s now-newest BOE member while he was superintendent of Tucker County Schools.
In other matters, the board approved the hiring of a certified behavioral analyst at the EXCEL center – while also awarding the district’s milk concession to Galliker Dairy of Johnstown, Pa., for the 2026-27 academic year.
That contract is in the amount of $460,000.
