NEWS

House says yes to voter approval
on some closures and consolidations

The House of Delegates voted 93-3 Thursday to approve House Bill 4040, which requires county boards to seek voter approval for school closures or consolidations that involve schools with grades K-8 and where there is an average of 13 or more students in each grade.

The bill was amended on the House floor to require a public vote on school closures only if 20 percent of the registered voters in a county sign a petition requesting it.

In House Education discussions Jan. 15, bill supporters said the measure would give county boards greater flexibility in school closures. Other delegates and Challenge West Virginia’s Linda Martin said the measure supports small community schools.

Martin said current regulations on school closure and consolidation are in place but, “time after time, in county after county, people gather by the hundreds and tell their school boards, ‘Don’t do this.’

“They are routinely ignored,” she said.

In response to a question by Del. Patrick Lane, R-Kanawha, Howard O’Cull, Ed.D., executive director of the West Virginia School Boards Association, raised issues about the thrust and cost of the legislation. O’Cull discussed the bill’s potential impact on poor counties that may have to close schools to avoid deficits; the cost of a public vote; the number of schools affected and any fiscal impact; as well as leeway county boards would have if a facilities vote failed.

House Minority Leader Charles Trump, R-Morgan, offered the amendment.

While several delegates openly criticized the measure as involving the Legislature in the school consolidation issue “fray” or as micromanagement, Trump’s amendment seemed to allay those fears. He said such elections have precedent in some county commission statutes.

The bill was listed in a WVSBA “Legislative Alert” and several county board members said they contacted delegates. Several House lawmakers said county officials contacted them about the bill.

Five of the e-mails O’Cull received as part of the “Legislative Alert” are shown on page 2.

The bill’s fate in the Senate is unknown. Delegates Duke, Houston, and D. Stevens voted against the bill. (Absent: Argento, Ferrell, Leach and Schadler.)

Some delegates said this bill is more palatable than trying to curb school bus travel times, as the House attempted last year.

 

Your thoughts on HB 4040

These are selected e-mail messages the West Virginia School Boards Association received in response to House Bill 4040 prior to its passage Thursday. The bill was amended to require 20 percent of county voters to sign a petition to require a vote before a school consolidation/closure proposal would be considered.

The messages have been edited for style and some respondents requested that their names not be used.

Elected to represent the community

I personally support the proposed bill to require the submission of school closures for ratification by county voters. 

As members of the board of education, we are elected to represent the community.  However, the nature of our office necessitates frequent direct contact with the school administration and affords fewer opportunities for issue specific contact with our constituency. As a result, although boards are well acquainted with the administration's perspective, I'm not sure we always take the time to fully understand the public's priorities for the community schools.

Closing a school is potentially devastating to a community. While the devastation is readily apparent, the purported savings can be elusive. The public deserves a direct voice in these particular decisions. 

It was the creation of the last county Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP), which includes numerous school closures and consolidations, which spurred me to run for the board a number of years sooner than I might have otherwise. I was appalled during the review period when a school administrator told a friend of mine not to worry because her children would be gone before their school closed--as if the only children we should care about are our own. Now that I reflect on this, perhaps a plan as important as the 10-year facilities plan also deserves a public vote given the long term ramifications for a county.

Finally, while I understand concerns about a board's potentially limited options in the event the public votes not to ratify a school closure, I think this should be addressed by requiring the administration to prepare and publish those options prior to any public hearings and election. In other words, in addition to providing the "reasons and supporting data regarding the school closing or consolidation" (as required by current law), the administration should provide what budget alternative would be required if the school were not closed (specifically what county services, programs, and/or staff, if any, would need to be eliminated). If the only alternative to closing a school is truly dire, that will be laid out for the public to see. With this data, voters could make an informed choice and the outcome of the vote would instruct the board in the public's preferences for their community schools.

– Name withheld

 

Legislation is ‘game’

It seems to me if the Legislature (governor) wants county boards to keep all the small schools we currently have, they should just enact legislation that says that. This (HB 4040) looks like a "game" that will effectively eliminate any further consolidation of schools. I don't know how many schools would be affected by this, but I expect just about all schools have 13 or more students per grade level.

It doesn't look like good legislation to me.

– Name withheld

Creates more problems that it solves

This solution might bring about more problems than it solves. I have deep concerns about this issue and plan to follow what happens and express my concerns to my representatives. I believe that we are a representative form of government, and every dilemma cannot be handled by going to the voters. I am very concerned about the public's voting on school consolidations in this manner unless there is some way that the voters would also be addressing paying for the results of those decisions whether they be for or against.

– Name withheld

Place to start

I believe this is a place to start. The state Board of Education and the School Building Authority of West Virginia have been forcing consolidation down the throats of the citizens of West Virginia for many years.

At least this might stop the consolidation until the changes are made in the teacher-pupil ratio and the School Aid Formula .

The real change needs to be made with the SBA and the state board, which force the consolidations. The hearings are just a front....in most cases, the decision to close the school(s) has been made before the people speak.

Unless the citizens can find a way to fight the system in the courts, then it is a losing battle. In most cases, the judges will side with the state, whether it is by the law or not. Marsh Fork (Raleigh) is an example where the state Supreme Court did not follow the law. Many judges will ignore the law in order to consolidate. The members of the board are supposed to represent the citizens and this is not being done in West Virginia.

Just look at Lincoln and Mingo counties for example! If the county board of education does not agree with the state Board of Education and the SBA, [for] which members are appointed and do not have to answer to anyone, then they take over the county and do what they want....that is not democracy! 

I think most counties in West Virginia would rather keep their SBA money to begin with and pass a bond to pay for construction in order to keep their community schools.

The SBA and the state board have overstepped their bounds in the consolidations and takeovers in West Virginia. I believe the politics should be taken out of the school system and do what is best for the children. 

There seems to be plenty of money in the government for everything except for paying for the teachers needed to make the system a good one. We have to keep cutting staff and the state Department of Education keeps adding requirements! Our good teachers are burning out with too much of the good stuff! They need time to teach instead of all the paper work and staff development! Too much of anything is overkill.

– Name withheld

 

Any issue could be lost at polls

This fall, we hope to complete renovations at one of our elementary schools into which another school will merge. We did face some opposition concerning the closing of the latter. However, the school slated for closure is in dire condition and is situated on a less-than-desirable location only five miles from the school into which it will join.

No one likes to close schools, but this particular action does not cause long bus rides, and it dramatically improves the condition of the facility that the children will attend. No matter how logical it seems on the surface, any issue could be lost at the polls. In this case, we could have been forced by the voters to maintain an old facility with no regard as to how to pay for the needed renovations to keep the children in a safe and healthy environment. Staffing would present another set of circumstances, too. Surely there is a better way to address this controversial issue.

 – Johanna Rorrer (Mason)

 

Legislature not considering fiscal issues

To say the least, it appears the lead politicians in this matter are not considering the county boards’ obligations to fiscal responsibility. If the voter will have the opportunity to decide when consolidation is required, it is evident that a county board would be at risk for takeover while trying to manage a system in need of financial decisions. Thanks for keeping us abreast on this bill.

- Name withheld

Counties have few options
 
[School] consolidation is not the preferred method in which to cut costs, but due to declining enrollment [and] with funds as limited as they are in the state, it is at [this] time the only "best" plan.

It is sad when parents and parent groups are sponsoring fund raisers to aid in the upkeep of the state/county owned school buildings. One school actually raised $40,000 to put air conditioning in their classrooms! Hats off to the parents and students who worked so hard, however shame on the State of West Virginia for not assuring that all students are in an environment that is safe and comfortable for them to learn.

Financially the counties in West Virginia, in most cases, have at this time few options: Combine, consolidate or relocate, whatever you want to call it, students in order to meet the financial responsibilities of their budgets.... Education is a business and funds are what drive the decisions....

Having the public vote on such matters would not be fair to the areas whose populations are few....

– Lori Kestner (Marshall).

House Ed approves Promise, higher ed grant revamp

Bill sets $40 million annual cap, changes oversight board

By Jim Wallace

The House Education Committee made quick work Tuesday of originating a bill to revamp West Virginia’s Promise scholarship and Higher Education Grant programs.

The full House of Delegates was scheduled to vote on the bill at the end of the week.

Chairman Tom Campbell, D-Greenbrier, said it is a comprehensive attempt to revise both programs and put them closer to equal footing. It is also designed to make sure that Promise continues to provide fully funded merit-based scholarships while limiting their costs.

“It maintains the original promise to pay the full tuition,” Campbell said.

“I think the bill is constructed to solidify the promise that was made.”

In November, the Promise board recommended that lawmakers cap the amount individual scholars receive. That would have been a means to bring the annual cost of the program back down to the $27 million envisioned in 2001, rather than the $39 million budget into which it had grown after students improved their academic performance to qualify for the scholarships and colleges and universities increased tuition.

New board would oversee Promise and grants

The committee’s bill would abolish the Promise board and replace it with a new one with similar membership. But that new board, the Higher Education Student Financial Aid Coordinating Board, would also oversee the Higher Education Grant program, which provides needs-based assistance to students.

Instead of having the higher education chancellor serve on the board, the vice chancellor for administration, who is responsible for financial aid, would serve. Also, two citizen members would be replaced by the president of the West Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administration and one financial aid coordinator for a state college or university.

Two members each from the House of Delegates and the Senate would be appointed to the board as ex-officio, non-voting members. The board would have 19 members, including eight at-large representatives of the state’s “business and economic community.” The bill would require personal fiduciary responsibility on the behalf of board members.

The bill would put $40 million into the Promise scholarships. In his State of the State address last week, Gov. Joe Manchin proposed adding $10.9 million in general revenue funds to the $27 million from excess lottery revenue that goes toward Promise. The committee bill would put slightly more money into the program to make sure the scholarships could be funded fully.

A cap instead of a percentage

Delegate Patrick Lane, R-Kanawha, asked why the Promise program should be limited to a specific dollar amount, initially $27 million and now $40 million, instead of giving it a percentage of lottery funds. Campbell replied that, as a merit-based program, it was not to be unlimited. He added that the state has gotten into trouble in the past with other programs whose growth was not limited.

“If we allow them to proceed unchecked, they tend to eat up all the money,” he said. “We didn’t want to have a blank check with the Promise program.”

Campbell noted that excess lottery revenue includes money from video gambling machines at adults-only establishments around the state and money from the video slot machines at the four racetracks. The revenue from the racetracks is expected to “nosedive” as Pennsylvania and possibly other neighboring states establish competitive gambling facilities, he said.

The bill would provide the Higher Education Grant program with $25 million, a $3 million increase over its current level.

Funding could increase 2 percent annually

Funding for both programs would be allowed to increase up to 2 percent each year. Colleges and universities that accept funding from those programs would have to agree to limit tuition increases for the affected students to no more than 2 percent a year.

Campbell said the thinking is that those institutions should bear some of the burden of holding costs down, but they should also benefit if the programs make it possible for more students to attend the colleges and universities. “By capping the schools’ tuition, we’re trying to preserve the base of students,” he added.

Under the bill, the total cost of all scholarships is not to exceed the available funds. The governing board would be required to have a plan for awarding scholarships if funds would get too low for all eligible students to be funded fully. But the board would not be allowed to reduce the amounts of individual scholarships below the full cost of tuition and fees and it would not be able to cut back on scholarships for students already receiving them.

No ‘Ds’ and community service

In addition, the bill would impose an additional requirement for high school students to qualify for Promise scholarships: At least 20 hours of unpaid community service. That service could include working with nonprofit, governmental or community-based organizations to improve the quality of life for community residents, meet the needs of community residents or foster civic responsibility.

Another new provision would discontinue Promise scholarships for any student who earns a 1.0, or “D” average, or lower during any term. However, the board would have the discretion to waive that provision for extenuating circumstances.

The committee approved the bill unanimously with just a minor amendment. Delegate Brady Paxton, D-Putnam, said its passage would create “a new and improved” Promise scholarship.

“What we have here is the Promise scholarship with a lot of bugs taken out of it,” he said.

Jim Wallace is a former government reporter for the Charleston Daily Mail and former news director of West Virginia Public Radio. He now works for TSG Consulting in Charleston and writes for several national and West Virginia publications.

Senate Education discusses public school relationship
with home-schoolers and private educators

Quality Counts report shows WV second in overall standing

What usually is a rosy report about public education in West Virginia – Education Week’s “Quality Counts” report, which now is in its 10th year, turned out to be a wide-ranging Senate Education Committee discussion about the relationship between public and private schools.

There was a mixed bag of discussion about home-schooling, property taxes, the fate of Harts High School in Lincoln County and a little chatter about the report.

According to State Superintendent Steve Paine, West Virginia was second only to Louisiana in overall standing in the annual Quality Counts report, which is compiled and researched by Editorial Projects in Education, a nonprofit Washington-based group whose stated purpose is to improve awareness of American education issues.

Based on the report, Paine said West Virginia ranked 8th in “state standards and accountability,” 5th in “resource allocation,” and received an “A” in the standards category, which measures clear academic standards, school accountability measures and assistance for low-scoring schools.

The state earned a “B” in efforts to improve teacher quality and in resource equity, and a “C+” in the school climate category.

Discussion of the school climate grade set off the private/home-schooling discussion. Paine said West Virginia’s grade was not as high because it does not have charter schools. West Virginia is one of 10 states, including Kentucky, that does not have charter schools, which often operate with less state regulation.

Paine said because of the quality of the state’s public schools, “I don’t think we need them [charter schools] in West Virginia.”

He said charter schools may be better suited for large urban areas and that West Virginia does not face the same issues. This is a point previously made because of our safe schools legislation.

Paine conceded that about 800 West Virginia students have opted to attend a different school in their county due to failing performance in federal No Child Left Behind Act standards. Students can opt to attend schools in other counties, usually based on local boards’ policies.

Sen. Michael Oliverio, D-Monongalia, asked about the relationship between public and private schools. Paine said his role as state superintendent is to promote public education, although he did not exclude the role private schools play.

“We want students to reach their fullest potential whatever that might be,” Paine said.

Oliverio, however, said some county boards were “slow” in making textbooks available to home-schooled students and that by doing so, some home-schooled students may be academically disadvantaged.

Deputy Superintendent Jack McClanahan, however, said county board officials often have to ensure they order enough textbooks for all students and added that, in some instances, textbooks used in public schools may not fit the model for home-schooling curricula, especially if it is faith-based.

Paine said some home-schooling occurs in environments that don’t meet high-quality standards, a point state Education Department and public education officials have made in the past, saying legislators have chosen not to regulate these schools to the extent some public school advocates would like.

Paine said public school officials encourage cooperation with home-schoolers, especially at the high-school level, hoping home-schooled students will participate “as much as possible” with public schools.

He also mentioned that county boards are required by law to offer several services to home-schooled students. For some private schools, public schools offer transportation services which the West Virginia Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have ruled as constitutional.

Paine said WVDE officials seek to work with home- and private-school groups, including the West Virginia Christian Education Association. He noted that for-profit organizations such as Sylvan Learning Centers should not expect to receive public school funds.

Sens. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, and Jesse Guillis, R-Greenbrier, however, said the parents of private- and home-schooled students pay property taxes and therefore should receive access to some public school services.

Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, said, “There may be a case for the right to choose schools,” a point made in the Quality Counts Report.

Regarding Harts High School, Paine said he was working with citizens from that Lincoln County community to develop plans for the affected students to attend Chapmanville High School in neighboring Logan County or the new consolidated Lincoln County High School.

“It looks like [the school attendance options] are going to be fine,” Paine said.

Harts High is slated for closure this year.

After the meeting, several Senate Education members said the discussion was worthwhile because committee members rarely discuss the relationship between public and private schools or home-schooling.

They said the discussion was especially poignant because the number of home-schooled students and students in Christian schools is increasing.

Some studies report a 400-percent increase in home-schooled students in West Virginia from 1994-2004, although that data’s validity is questionable, based on WVDE models. 

For more information about charter schools, visit http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/index.htm.

House votes to restrict eminent domain

By Jason B. Keeling

The House of Delegates voted Thursday to pass legislation that limits the use of eminent domain. The legislation is included in House Bill 4048, which cleared the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 17.

The House legislation is in response to a June 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London, Conn., which concerned the government’s ability to force landowners to sell their property.

The case affirmed that private development projects could meet the definition of “public use” under the Fifth Amendment, and justify the application of eminent domain. However, the high court clarified that “nothing in [the] opinion precludes any state from placing further restrictions on its exercise of the takings power.”

Eminent domain, or “the right of the sovereign,” arose from English common law. It is applied when a government body is unable to negotiate in good faith the purchase of property for a necessary public use.  

In September, state Republican legislators expressed concern that West Virginia laws regarding the matter needed to be better defined to prevent abuses, but Gov. Joe Manchin refrained from placing eminent domain on the special session agenda.

The issue arose quickly within this regular session. HB 4048 originated in House Judiciary, with a focus of limiting the use of eminent domain. Introducing such legislation “was a joint decision on both sides of the aisle,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jon Amores, D-Kanawha.

Current state law (§54-1-2) outlines multiple situations in which eminent domain may be applied, such as the construction of public schools, roads, bridges, parks and “other works of internal improvement.”

HB4048 clarifies “internal improvement” as only the public uses currently authorized within state law. The bill states that eminent domain may not be used to condemn property for “the purpose of private retail, office, commercial, industrial, or residential development.”

The bill would disallow private sources buying condemned properties, and it gives original owners the right to repurchase property if an eminent domain project fails to proceed within 10 years.

Thursday the bill was removed from the House Consent Calendar, which allows delegates to vote concurrently on a series of bills. It was instead voted on individually, and approved to the Senate. A similar measure is Senate Bill 91, which has been referred to three Senate committees.

The writer is a public relations consultant and owner of Keeling Strategic Communications.

Hampshire board members thinking positively

By Don Kesner
The Hampshire Review

Hampshire County school board President Brenda Pyles said Tuesday that things are not as bad as they appear.

According to Pyles, the recent intervention in the Hampshire County school system by the state Board of Education will likely be one of the best things that has happened.

Pyles and the other four board members met with state Superintendent of Schools  Dr. Steven Paine last week in Charleston following the state’s announcement that it would be taking over some of the decision-making processes in Hampshire County. 

Pyles said it looks as if the local board will have as much to do as they ever did. However, state board members voted 6-1 to strip the local board of its powers when in personnel and finance issues. 

The county board will maintain control of all other functions, including facilities, curriculum, transportation, policy and oversight. 

Pyles, who announced while in Charleston that she will not be seeking re-election to her board seat, said Tuesday that she isn’t sure just what impact the upcoming elections will have on the local school system. 

Three seats are up for grabs in the May election — that of Pyles, board vice president Helen Heatwole and former board member Cindy Smith, who resigned after petitions were filed by a local citizen’s group to have the three mentioned board members removed from office.

Smith said during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon that she holds out hope that the takeover will turn out to be positive.

According to Smith, there have been too many emotions involved over the past couple of years.

Smith’s seat is currently filled by Romney resident Lisa Hileman. 

Dr. Paine said state board officials are watching the upcoming election closely.

So far, former Hampshire County schools Superintendent Gerald Mathias has filed to run for a seat on the local board in May.

Heatwole also announced to the Hampshire Review early Tuesday morning that she will not be seeking re-election to the local school board. 

Heatwole said she thinks the takeover by the state board will be a positive step and a move in the right direction. 

According to Heatwole, the local board’s hands have been tied on a number of issues.

Heatwole was talking mainly about the board’s decision to grant former superintendent David Friend extensive medical leave that lasted for approximately 15 months. 

Heatwole said the climate and culture of Hampshire County has changed over the recent years. 

The general consensus that the takeover by the state board is a positive move seems to be prevailing, however. 

Romney Middle School Principal John Watson said Tuesday that he looks forward to the central office working closely again with the administrators within the local schools.

Reprinted with permission of the Hampshire Review. Please see http://www.hampshirereview.com/stories/frontstory2.htm

 

Kanawha board will appeal library reimbursement case

The Kanawha County Board of Education voted unanimously to appeal a recent Kanawha Circuit Court decision that excludes the school system from a $2 million reimbursement for money it provides the county library, according to board members and a Charleston Daily Mail report.

Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King ruled in December that the board is not entitled to the reimbursement, which the school system is required by state law to pay to support the local library.

King said students in the county are getting a “thorough and efficient” education, despite the annual payout. Additionally, he said a financially secure county like Kanawha has the wherewithal to make the payments.

Kanawha board members, however said being the largest county in the state does not mean it’s fair to be “billed double.”

Kanawha officials have tried to get the Legislature to change the law to no avail, although the state Senate considered the proposal a few years ago.

Under terms of the legislation, which also affects seven other counties, the Kanawha Board’s School Aid Formula (SAF) local share is essentially reduced twice. The total local share includes the amount of money dedicated to the county’s public library, with the county board then responsible for “shifting” those funds to the library. The state does not reimburse the county for the money paid to the library.

While the board members don’t mind paying the library, they do object to having the money considered part of the local share in the state school aid formula.

The legislation was enacted through a “local bill” adopted by the Legislature in 1957.

Coal mining surge might explain increase in Logan school enrollment for FY07

For the first time in more than a decade, enrollment at Logan County schools is increasing, possibly because of the surge in the region’s coal mining, county officials said.  

Logan Schools Superintendent David Godby said the county’s attendance is 6,165 students – an increase of about 100 students.

The school district typically loses about 100 to 500 students per year, he said.

Joe Panetta, executive director of the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of School Finance, said 26 counties have experienced enrollment increases, some of which can be attributed to preschool programs and kindergarten enrollment.

He said the WVDE soon will release a report detailing more about the increased enrollment and the above theory for the increases will be further analyzed.

Panetta said the WVDE is examining the enrollment increases for trends, but the state’s school population grew by 1,176 students last year, many in counties that haven’t seen student increases in several years.

According to the Office of School Finance, the following counties increased net enrollment (rounded figures):

Berkeley	639 students
Cabell	76 students
Grant	8 students
Greenbrier	43 students
Hampshire	62 students
Jackson	26 students
Jefferson	205 students
Kanawha	8 students
Logan	91 students
Marion	26 students
Mason	38 students
Mineral	16 students
Monongalia	67 students
Morgan	51 students
Pleasants	30 students
Preston	13 students
Putnam	76 students
Raleigh	13 students
Ritchie	44 students
Roane	22 students
Taylor	97 students
Tucker	9 students
Tyler	22 students
Webster	2 students
Wirt	7 students
Wyoming	26 students

 

The WVDE figures show that Wood, Wetzel and McDowell counties had the highest decreases in student net enrollment, with Wood losing 210 students; Wetzel, 133 and McDowell, 122.

“In The Regions,” a special feature of The Legislature, will explore issues and trends in coalfield counties in the Feb. 3 issue.

Superintendent, skills chief: WC keynote presenters

State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine, Ed.D., and Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, are keynote speakers at the West Virginia School Boards Association’s 2006 Winter Conference Feb. 17-18 at the Charleston Marriott.

Paine and Kay will speak during the Feb. 17 first general session and may be joined by other members of the 21st Century Schools Partnership.

The conference also features workshops about early childhood education, the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and the student and employee codes of conduct adopted by the state Board of Education.

The Feb. 18 session includes a presentation by the state’s eight Regional Educational Service Agency directors.

More than 165 have registered for the conference.

For more information on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, visit http://www.21stcenturyskills.org.

Features

Bill Abstract

• House Bill 4038 – Relating to donation and transfer of surplus personal computers and other information systems, technology and equipment for educational purposes (Campbell, lead sponsor). Passed House of Delegates 1/19/06.
• House Bill 4040 – Requiring voter approval prior to closure and consolidation of certain schools (Williams, lead sponsor). Passed House 1/19/06.
• House Bill 4048 – Placing limitations on the use of eminent domain (Craig, lead sponsor). Passed House 1/19/06.
• House Bill 4049 – Relating to state-funded student financial aid, including Promise scholarship (Campbell, lead sponsor). Passed House 1/19/06.

A more expansive list will be published in the Jan. 27 issue of The Legislature.

In Brief

WV slipping in teacher pay.

West Virginia teachers are concerned the state may fall behind in salaries. Last year Mississippi lawmakers gave teachers a pay raise, pushing the state ahead of West Virginia.

West Virginia Education Association President Charles DeLauder said that is worrisome. "We'll have to say thank God for North and South Dakota because those are the only two states below us. And when that happens, if we go below them, then we're really going to be hurting. And it's going to be really difficult to recruit and retain professionals for West Virginia."

DeLauder said pay hike proposals are needed so the state will not remain 47th in the country in average salary or drop to 48th because of the Mississippi increase.

West Virginia Federation of Teachers President Judy Hale agreed but said she'd also like to see revisions to the state's current 80-20 PEIA plan. “I hope to be able to try to adjust the definition of 80-20 so that it's fair to employees and we're still looking for money,” she said on the statewide “Talkline” radio show hosted by Hoppy Kercheval.

She said things are looking good for a possible raise. "It seems to be a pretty good budget year so hopefully there will some money there for education before the 60 days are over."

Teachers and public employees received a pay increase last fall.

Preparing for pandemic flu.

 
Public health officials, business leaders and community representatives gathered in Charleston last week for a summit on how West Virginia should prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak.

Gov. Joe Manchin joined U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who is on a nationwide tour to raise awareness of pandemic flu planning.

Manchin said he has named a pandemic flu group to work on West Virginia's preparedness plans.

"This dialogue will open our eyes to areas that need more attention and allow successful initiatives to be shared,'' Manchin said.

"Preparedness saves lives and helps preserve vital services and maintain productivity. We will do everything we can to ensure that West Virginians are well-prepared.''

Manchin officials said the state already has lab equipment and supplies to identify influenza viruses. Hospitals and local health departments are working to boost capacity to handle a surge in patients in the event of an epidemic.

The state's priorities include developing a preparedness plan; electronically registering and credentialing health care professionals willing to volunteer in the event of a pandemic; planning for school closings and other containment actions; and planning how to continue essential services if the workforce is depleted due to illness and absenteeism.

The state also plans to identify alternate sites if hospitals are filled to capacity in an epidemic.

A state planning exercise will be conducted within six months and West Virginia will participate in a nationwide pandemic planning exercise this year, the governor said.

ATV accidents claim 38 lives.

Despite legislation designed to more closely regulate all-terrain vehicles, there were five additional ATV-related deaths in the state last year, according to officials at West Virginia University’s Injury Control Research Center, which has tracked ATV fatalities the last seven years.

Jim Helmkamp, the center’s director, in a Charleston Gazette article said he can’t explain the increase in deaths, but more ATV sales, mild weather and extended hunting seasons might be contributors.  

Helmkamp said there are no concrete figures on the number of ATV accidents because not all of them are reported. He said the figure could be as high as 150,000 to 250,000 nationwide.

West Virginia leads the nation in ATV-related deaths. Since 1990, 304 people have died in West Virginia ATV accidents and 15 to 18 percent of them were children.

While the ATV safety legislation, which became effective this year, requires school-based training and certification, state Division of Motor Vehicle officials said they are hampered in their efforts to reach students due to a “full curricula.”

DMV official Mark Holmes said the agency has made presentations in just 17 of the state’s 765 schools.

 

Blankenship gunning for Kiss.

According to news articles, including an extensive story in the Charleston Daily Mail, Massey Energy magnate Don Blankenship plans to spend money and time in the next few months to fight the re-election of Speaker Bob Kiss, D-Raleigh.

According to the Daily Mail, Kiss is one of many legislators Blankenship will work to defeat before November’s General Election.

Blankenship blamed Kiss for having “control” over votes in the House and that he “bottles” legislation in committees. He also alleged that Kiss “conducts the House entirely out of the view of the public eye,” according to the Daily Mail article.

Kiss did not respond to Blankenship’s announcement.

While Kiss has not said he will run for re-election, most political observers say he is gearing up for one more term, which would be his sixth as house speaker.

Blankenship spent millions of dollars in the 2004 election on an advertising campaign that helped defeat longtime state Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw.   According to the Daily Mail, Blankenship plans to spend money to repeal the state’s sales tax on food and he predicted by the end of the year that the tax will be eliminated.

Some Democrat lawmakers contend Blankenship may become aligned with the state GOP, although Blankenship said the public is his ally.  

Give table games a chance.

Give table games a chance. That’s the message of West Virginia Racing Association President John Cavacini, who recently spoke at a meeting of the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia.

Cavacini said the contentious issue was not only about money for cash-strapped counties, particularly in the Northern Panhandle, but about “the people having the right to make a decision [about table games].”

The Racing Association is lobbying for legislation to allow counties with racetracks to vote whether to allow table games. Similar legislation died last year.

According to Cavacini, the four “destination gaming” resorts – located in Charles Town, Chester, Wheeling and Cross Lanes – bring in $365 million in taxes each year and employ 4,700 people. He contends the legislation, if enacted, could result in a $425 million increase in revenue and an additional 2,000 jobs.

Given gaming legislation in border states, Cavacini said West Virginia’s revenue could drop to $265 million, possibly with a loss of 1,200 jobs.

According to news articles, most county commissioners support the local election initiatives.

Tax dollars for trinkets.

State Treasurer John Perdue, in an appearance before the House Finance Committee, was the latest state public official to defend the use of tax dollars to buy promotional materials.

Perdue said the promotional materials, often called “trinkets” by the press and legislators, allow him to promote various programs, including the treasurer’s 529 college savings plan.

He said the Hartford Insurance Co., which underwrites the 529 plans, asked that he appear in TV ads encouraging parents to sign up for the program.

Some House Finance members, however, said they would support a ban on such activities, with Finance Vice Chairman John Doyle, D-Jefferson, calling such promotional efforts “public financing of a campaign.”

Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas, has been equally critical, and was quoted in the Charleston Gazette as saying, “West Virginians are not stupid. They know what it’s all about. It’s political advertising.”

Helmick’s remarks followed the Attorney General’s Senate Finance budget presentation.

Secretary of State Betty Ireland has proposed legislation to effectively bar public officials from using state funds to purchase promotional materials. She proposed the legislation after she was criticized for spending about $14,000 for promotional materials since taking office last January.

Lees files for state Senate.

Putnam County lawyer Jim Lees, who represents three   Mingo County Board of Education members in a lawsuit opposing the state Board of Education’s takeover of Mingo schools, has filed to run for state senate in the 4th Senate District, which encompasses Putnam as well as portions of Jackson, Mason and Roane Counties.

Lees ran for governor in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

Lees’ primary opponents could include Oshel Craigo, who held the seat and was Finance Chairman until his 2002 defeat by former Del. Lisa Smith, a Republican who resigned in 2004, citing an undisclosed illness. A federal grand jury indicted Smith and her husband on tax evasion charges Jan. 10.

The seat now is held by Sen. Charles Lanham, a Mason County banker and Republican appointed to succeed Smith by Gov. Bob Wise.

Lees was special prosecutor in the case against former State Police chemist Fred Zain, who was convicted of falsifying crime lab reports that resulted in several wrongful fines and imprisonments.

Statehouse movie pirating shop.

The Associated Press this week reported that state Department of Administration officials fired a Capitol worker after they stumbled onto a basement office in the statehouse that was outfitted with computers, video and audio gear, and software used to pirate movies and music.

Lawrence Messina reported that hundreds of blank DVDs, CDs and jacket covers also were found, as was software used to crack copy-prevention codes on movies and music.

State officials said the makeshift studio was discovered as part of a widening probe into spending abuses at the state General Services Division.

General Services maintains the Capitol Complex grounds and buildings, among other duties.

Administration Department officials said the FBI and Legislature’s Commission on Special Investigations are investigating the finds.

Sources: The Associated Press, The Charleston Gazette, The Charleston Daily Mail, West Virginia MetroNews, Kanawha County Schools attorney Jim Withrow and WVSBA

IN THE KNOW

Teachers should acknowledge students’ culture in their teaching strategies

 

Increasingly, teachers and students come from different cultural backgrounds.

Teachers are overwhelmingly white and English-speaking but more than one-third of K-12 students nationwide are not white, and about one in 10 speaks limited English, according to Carol Weinstein of Rutgers University.

Socioeconomic differences are also significant, reports Susan Black. Most teachers are middle-class, but about 20 percent of U.S. students come from poor families and neighborhoods.

The differences can erupt into cultural clashes, said Geneva Gay, whose studies show that many teachers expect their ethnically diverse students to learn and behave according to mainstream European-American cultural standards, just as the teachers do.

Gay recommends that teachers and school leaders become experts in "culturally responsive teaching," a method that uses students' cultural knowledge, experiences and learning styles in daily lessons. Teachers should learn their students' cultures and behaviors, determine what is acceptable in their environment, and acknowledge these beliefs and actions in their day-to-day teaching.

For more information, visit http://www.asbj.com/current/research.html

Looking Back

The Jan. 18, 1996 issue of The Legislature reported that “Improving the quality of availability of daycare for low-income working residents has emerged as a key objective of Gov. Gaston Caperton’s administration.”

To expand daycare choices, the governor’s budget included $3 million to establish 100 school-based programs.

Not all legislators, however, were happy with Caperton’s proposal. Kanawha County Republican Del. Peggy Miller said, “This [state-sponsored child care] may interfere with a free market economy.”

Julie Pratt, head of the Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Families, said the program would not be a “mandate” and that it “builds and expands upon (available) child care options.”

In other legislative developments, the governor said he would continue to seek legislation to address a mid-1990s court case, originating in Wetzel County, which said county boards could be liable for injuries on school properties.

Other topics: alternative education ($2 million was set aside for this purpose), legislation that became Senate Bill 300, and a debate about the validity of “Rule of 80” statistics, and a review of the state’s Sunshine Laws.

The Legislature reported that neither education committee had met yet, and announced that John Chubb, co-author of “Politics, Markets and America’s Schools,” was a Winter Conference speaker. He discussed school choice and market-based school plans. A forum for gubernatorial candidates also was planned.

From The Legislature, Jan. 18, 1996.

Commentary

Administrative Perspective

 

Session’s first weeks busy for education

 

By Martha Dean, Ed.D., Executive Director
West Virginia Association of School Administrators

Schools get first dibs on surplus computers

The first week or so of the 2006 regular legislative session has been very busy.  House Education has already written and passed three bills to the floor.

The first bill considered is House Bill 4038, which relates to the disposition of used computers and technology equipment by state agencies.

 If this equipment is less than four years old and is usable by the schools, the West Virginia State Agency for Surplus property notifies the chief technology officer, who will certify the equipment that should be reserved for the schools. 
The schools then have first opportunity within 30 days to acquire the technology equipment, subject to the fees of the Surplus Property Agency. 

There was some concern about the counties closest to Charleston (Dunbar) having an advantage but the Department of Education must notify all county boards of the availability of the equipment.

 This bill further allows counties to dispose of surplus Basic Skills and Success computers to students who have established that they don’t have home access to computers. 

This bill has the potential to increase the number of computers in schools and student homes.

County voters would have say in school closures and consolidation plans

The second bill I saw on Monday is House Bill 4040.

This bill already has been on second reading in the House and passed, as amended. The crux of the bill is to require county citizens to vote on the closure of elementary and middle schools, subject to some exceptions:  1) They have already been approved for closure; 2) The county has approved a bond issue that involved the closure of a school or schools; or 3) The average class size in the schools is 13 or fewer.

The bill was amended on the floor on second reading to add the provision that, before the county must vote, 20 percent of a county’s registered voters must sign a petition agreeing to it.

I, personally, am concerned about the ramifications of the bill. I understand the emotions of citizens who do not want to see their schools closed and the frustration they may feel after they attend a hearing concerning closure at which the majority of those who speak argue against closure only to have the Board of Education still vote to close the school. 

However, school boards are an example of our representative democracy in which the public votes for individuals who have the responsibility to govern the operation of the school system.

 This bill separates the ability to “vote a decision” without requiring those who vote to be fiscally responsible.
 It is apparent to most that small schools are closed because of the inability of the school system to operate them within the resources available through the School Aid Formula. 

County boards have both the knowledge of the available resources and the responsibility to operate the school system in the black, fiscally. The voters would have the authority to decide but not the responsibility to provide the additional resources needed to fund a small school. If, indeed, the Legislature votes to make this the law, they have the obligation to provide funding for small schools that remain in existence as a result.

Promise governance, funding changes

The third bill is House Bill 4040 which deals with the Promise Scholarship. It reconfigures the governance by abolishing the Promise program board and creating the Higher Education Student Financial Aid Coordinating Board. This is fully discussed elsewhere in The Legislature.

Several bills have been introduced in the Senate concerning education but none of them have come up on the Senate Floor at this time. 

It is important to note that there are bills in both houses (Senate Bill 36 and House Bill 4014) that take Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) out of the School Aid Formula and make their funds subject to Legislative appropriation.

 It should be noted that the funds that are now included in the School Aid Formula currently in no way diminish what county boards receive under the formula.

 It is a separate part of the formula with those moneys being distributed to RESAs. 

There is concern among some that this might place RESAs under the governance of the Secretary of Education and the Arts and might result in county boards and superintendents being eliminated from determining the services offered to their school systems in that RESA. 
Another concern is the idea that has been expressed by some in government that RESAs should be able to raise the money to operate through charging for their services. 

Over the years, the money from the Legislature has made it possible to operate them and to provide services at a lower rate than counties could provide at their own expense.  If not funded for operational expenses, the services RESAs provide would become more costly. These are bills to watch.

Rolling back local share to 2002 rates

House Minority Leader Charles Trump, R-Morgan, has introduced a bill that would reduce a county’s local share to what it was in 2002 if, in any year, the local share was more than it was in 2002. 

This would allow all county boards of education to receive and keep 100 percent of the growth in their local levies after 2002 with no reduction in their basic foundation allowances from the state.

I talked to West Virginia Education Association President Charles Delauder today and he indicated that WVEA is working on getting a bill that would reduce the local share to 90 percent with the provision that the additional money county boards receive would be spent on salary enhancements and/or benefits for employees.

 We will be watching for this bill and keep you apprised of the specifics.

The West Virginia Association of School Administrators had its annual Winter Seminar this week. The theme was legal updates, which was valuable training for the 140 or so who attended. 

Attendees heard about: 1) What not to say at an Individualized Education Plan Meeting; 2) The importance of and methodology to use in conducting observations and evaluations; 3) Why and how to conduct investigations; 4) Issues investigated at the county board level; and 5) Updates on court decisions as well as grievance decisions. 

For this reason, I was unable to be in Charleston on Tuesday and Wednesday and missed some of the issues taken up by the Legislature.

Similar bills were introduced last year, with one measure passing the Senate but dying in House Finance.

Dean is a former county schools superintendent.  

GUEST PERSPECTIVE

Community involvement key to giving children ‘vision’

By Del. Sharon Spencer, D – Kanawha

Whether we speak in traditional terms of classroom learning or of learning in alternative settings, such as the alternative classroom model, research tells us that the only thing that really matters in the life of a child is whether that child has a vision for himself or herself. 

If the child can see himself or herself as that doctor or dentist or teacher, then it can indeed happen. That demands community involvement, not life on the streets.

Helen Keller, when asked if there was anything worse than having no sight, replied succinctly, “Yes, having, no vision.” For those students with minor infractions we do not equate as dangerous students, we as educators have the opportunity to create that vision.

All too often we think of many creative geniuses society has turned its back on. Albert Einstein, for example, was one such man. My favorite quote was when he said, “Few are those who see with their own eyes, and feel with their own hearts.”  If only more could open their hearts to the thousands who are removed from the regular classrooms each day.

How can we talk about alternative education in these terms? How can we approach those who learn differently and create a school within a school and change and modify the behavior? How can we make that learning spark grow into something good and wonderful?

During the “reign” of one state superintendent in the 1990s (Henry R. Marockie, Ed.D.), the Code of Conduct was created. At that time it was decided that to be late, truant, neglectful of assignments, and making poor grades could and should be grounds for expulsion for as many as 10 days at a time. 

Early on, it was always puzzling to me how and where in effective school literature more time outside the school environment would improve academic performance and create a positive attitude toward academics and instruction.

With the new Code of Conduct we have given boards of education more flexibility, but still with the same outcome: Thousands of individual children remain out of class and on the streets, where access to alcohol, drugs, crime and unsavory situations is prevalent.

The question might be, “Are we giving them a reason to be in school or are we encouraging them to repeat the behavior?”

An interim legislative committee study has recommended the following: “It is the intent of the Legislature that all children should be in school and learning.”

Perhaps together we can find this commonality of ground, a school within a school. It is time, with community support, to change and modify behaviors. What might be the end product?

We shall build a vision. Now we have no vision. Any child who is out of school 10 days or longer has been robbed of a year of learning, a year that he or she will never regain. Instead, let us take these days to work together.

With community support, the teachers, administrators, legislators, and students will work together to lead us into the 21st century.

Editor’s Note: Spencer has served 7 terms in the House where she is a member of House Education serves as assistant majority whip. She is an educator.

Last Word

School funding: Let us keep our money

By The Journal's (Martinsburg) editorial board

The school districts surrounding the tri-county are like Hoover vacuums sucking up the very best educators in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties to fill their seemingly black hole of teacher vacancies.

Our most qualified, best trained, most experienced public school teachers are naturally drawn to the much, much higher salaries and better benefits in neighboring jurisdictions.

In Frederick County, Va., a public school teacher with a master's degree and zero years experience starts at between $5,000 and $6,000 more than in any of the tri-county's school systems. And this is smallest difference of neighboring counties.

A teacher with a master's degree can make at least $44,550 in Loudoun County. That is $13,232 more than the same individual can make teaching in Berkeley County; $12,538 more than in Jefferson County; and $12,977 more than in Morgan County.

Who can blame teachers here for wanting to improve their station and the quality of life for their families? All of us would do the same thing.

So, how do we recruit and retain qualified, experienced teachers? Actually the answer is quite simple. Let us keep more of our tax dollars.

Apparently, West Virginia legislators from other parts of the state consider this a local problem that needs to be solved locally.

That is a great idea. Let us keep more of the tax revenues raised for schools from property assessments and we will take care of it - guaranteed.

Eight cents of every dollar in property taxes goes toward funding schools, but most of it must go through Charleston first. School districts get to keep only 2 percent of the property tax revenues raised locally; 98 percent of local revenues is deducted from the amount allotted the county under the state aid formula.

In very basic terms, the formula establishes minimum levels of service based on the number of students in a given system. In Berkeley County that means 74.2 professionals, which includes not only classroom teachers but principals, librarians, etc, per 1,000 net enrollment or about 13.5 professionals per student. In Jefferson County, the ratio is 53.5 professionals per 1,000 adjusted enrollment or about 18.7 professionals per student.

If a school district wants to hire more teachers than funded under the school aid formula, the district must come up with the money, which is usually accomplished through voter approved levies. Berkeley and Jefferson counties are maxed out on excess levies.

Under this formula, growth counties are severely penalized. As the local property tax assessments go up like they are in the tri-county - as much as 100 percent to 120 percent a year - the amount of money allotted to the county under the formula goes down.

Because Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties are growing and developing economically - the local tax base has grown by 50 percent over the last five years - the school districts get less and less in state aid.

A bill sponsored by former state Sen. Herb Snyder passed by legislators and signed into law allows school districts in growing counties to keep a small percentage of the property tax revenues on new development but only in the first year the new development is taxed. This was on the right track, but lawmakers have to take it further and allow growth counties to keep more of the taxes raised locally on all property all the time.

Last year, Delegate Walter Duke, R-Berkeley, and Sen. John Yoder, R-Jefferson, introduced legislation that would have given housing allowances for teachers in several counties, not only the Eastern Panhandle, addressing the problem in a limited way. Duke's and Yoder's bills were defeated.

Several proposals will be introduced during the legislative session that began Wednesday to let us keep more of our tax dollars - as much as 30 percent of locally raised revenues - so we can pay our teachers more in line with the demands of the local job market.

The propositions we are familiar with address the problem in different ways, attack the problem from different angles, but all essentially ould keep more local tax revenues local without taking anything away from other county school districts.

Used with permission from the Journal (Martinsburg). This editorial ran Jan. 12, 2006. The Journal’s Web site is http://www.journal-news.net

 

Resources

West Virginia School Boards Association
2006 Legislative Priorities
2nd Regular Session of the 77th West Virginia Legislature

 

1. Review the way schools are funded

WVSBA urges the Legislature to continue its study of school funding in West Virginia (Public Education Subcommittee C), involving, when appropriate, those directly affected by school funding decisions, including county boards of education, educators and school service personnel.

The Legislature should conduct a thorough review of West Virginia school funding and its components, including property tax assessment, adequacy and capacity of counties, equity and the concerns of counties facing significant increases or declines in student populations.

Additionally, the School Boards Association encourages the Legislature, as part of this ongoing study, to consider matters relating to the current state School Aid Formula, including the effectiveness of “Steps I and II,” which are used to calculate school personnel ratios. The Legislature should consider dedicated funding for county board treasurers, school nurses, guidance counselors and other such personnel, including school transportation employees, based on legislatively identified need.

The School Boards Association commends the Subcommittee for its efforts to review matters about property tax assessment and appraisal. WVSBA urges the Legislature to consider gradual phase-in for any major Code changes when determining proposed legislation in this area.

Finally, property tax assessment and appraisal is controversial in West Virginia. Policymakers should give careful heed to how any increases in local property assessments might affect county board bond and excess levy calls.

2. Let counties share central office personnel duties and costs

WVSBA urges the Legislature, as it did during the 2005 Regular Session, to strongly endorse legislation that allows counties to share Board of Education central office personnel, based on collaborative arrangements, procured by counties, including collaboration coordinated by Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs).

3. Give teachers more opportunities to grow professionally 

WVSBA urges the Legislature to study ways to procure five additional days for professional staff development. Counties and schools should be given greater local discretion to determine professional development programs and schedules. The programs would be based on input from county educators and be guided by the state Board of Education and Center for Professional Development in terms of over-arching professional development needs and requirements, especially in regard to the 21st Century Schools initiative adopted and promoted by the West Virginia Board of Education and Gov. Manchin.

All staff development initiatives should be research-driven and timely. The programs would be rigorously accountable to local and state education officials, with an emphasis on greater local discretion for professional development, including staff training and retraining.

4. Define 21st Century Initiative goals and strategies

The School Boards Association urges the West Virginia Board of Education and Gov. Manchin to define specific 21st Century Initiative goals, plans and strategies. This includes curricular, classroom, governance and administrative considerations, with particular emphasis on adequate funding for the program, its evaluation and accountability.

The Legislature additionally should look at how the 21 Century Initiative will affect state testing and assessment considerations, as well as professional development and technology considerations.  

WVSBA applauds the WVBE, state superintendent of schools and governor for becoming the second state in the nation to endorse the initiative.

5. Consider regional pay study/more-competitive salaries

WVSBA urges the Legislature to study differential, or regional pay, and to adequately compensate school employees so their salaries are at least competitive with contiguous states. The Legislature must ensure teacher benefits remain strong and adequate, including Public Employees Insurance Agency benefits and retirement supplements tied to Cost of Living Adjustments increases, without placing undue hardship on school employees. Compensation increases and higher premiums effectively lower employee pay.

As in the past, WVSBA endorses any school employee pay or benefits increases as proposed by the governor and endorsed by Legislature and funded “within” the state School Aid Formula.

6. Greater accountability for School Building Authority of West Virginia

WVSBA will consider efforts to ensure greater accountability for the practices, procedures and regulations that govern the School Building Authority (SBA) of West Virginia.

Law allows leave for public officials

           
Several county board members have inquired about §6-5-12, a section of law that allows “leave of absence for public officials for performing public duties.” The statute reads as follows:

“Any person elected to a part-time public office or appointed to a part-time elected public office shall be entitled to a leave of absence from his or her private employment except when such employment is with an employer employing five or fewer persons on a full-time basis on the days or portions of any day during which he or she is engaged in performing the duties of his or her public office. The leave of absence shall not result in any penalty being imposed upon the persons entitled to the leave of absence: Provided, That such leave of absence may be without pay by the private employer.”

According to West Virginia School Boards Association counsel, the leave may apply to county board training because it is required by statute. However, legal counsel points out that the leave has certain restrictions based on the size of the firm employing the county board member and that it may be without pay.

For more detailed information, please contact WVSBA Executive Director Howard M. O’Cull, Ed.D., or counsel Howard E. Seufer Jr., Esq., Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love. Seufer’s telephone number is (304) 347-1776. O’Cull’s e-mail address is hocull@wvsba.org.

WVSBA will keep legislators apprised of these efforts and suggest recommendations for legislative revision in SBA’s operation.

WVDE seeking Hampshire, Lincoln, Mingo superintendents

Click here for the Superintendent Vacancy Notice in pdf format.

Even Start request for proposal application available

A request for proposal is now available to county boards and community programs that wish to start an Even Start project in their counties.

Even Start is a family literacy program that combines early childhood, adult basic education, parenting and parent and interactive literacy activities. Federal funding for the first year can comprise up to 90 percent of the total budget.

For more information please call Cathy Jones, West Virginia Department of Education coordinator, Early Childhood / Even Start, at (304) 558-8098 or e-mail her at ctrjones@access.k12.wv.us.

The RFP application is available at http://wvde.state.wv.us/tt/2005/RFP-even.doc .

 

 

 

SOUNDBITES

“While there may be [state and local ] rules and regulations for the public to be heard [in terms of school closures and consolidations], time after time, in county after county, people gather by the hundreds and tell their school boards, ‘Don’t do this.’ They are routinely ignored.” – Challenge West Virginia official Linda Martin in remarks to House Education regarding House Bill 4040.

“It’s difficult to defend something that’s always getting hammered, getting barraged, without the true story getting out.” – Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas, discussing legislation to eliminate the Legislature’s Budget Digest.

“I have no intention of putting the Senate to a vote first…” – Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, discussing potential table games legislation.

“It is the governor’s desire to do everything in one comprehensive package, with one eye

---

“While there may be [state and local ] rules and regulations for the public to be heard [in terms of school closures and consolidations], time after time, in county after county, people gather by the hundreds and tell their school boards, ‘Don’t do this.’ They are routinely ignored.” – Challenge West Virginia official Linda Martin in remarks to House Education regarding House Bill 4040.

“It’s difficult to defend something that’s always getting hammered, getting barraged, without the true story getting out.” – Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas, discussing legislation to eliminate the Legislature’s Budget Digest.

“I have no intention of putting the Senate to a vote first…” – Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, discussing potential table games legislation.

“It is the governor’s desire to do everything in one comprehensive package, with one eye to how one [tax] affects another.” – Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Manchin, discussing a planned special legislative session on tax overhaul.

Wisdom

“Well done is better than well said.”
-- Benjamin Franklin, as quoted this week by a House of Delegates member to honor the Franklin’s 300th birthday.

Meanwhile in Ohio . . .

            The Ohio High School Athletic Association apologized to football player Bobby Martin of Colonel White High in Dayton last fall after referees barred him from a game because he was not wearing the required shoes and knee pads.

Martin was born without legs and plays on the punt return team, moving quickly around the field with his arms. An OHSAA official said the referees were just being overly cautious, but Martin said, “That’s the first time in 17 years” someone made him feel disabled. At halftime, Martin briefly considered tying some shoes around his chest and attempting again to play.

From Graffiti, Nov. 9-15, 2005

Coming soon in The Legislature

• Guest Perspective by Linda Blackburn, a Greenbrier East High School counselor, who is president of the National Counselors Association
• Guest Perspective by various legislators
• GOP officials outline their 2006 regular session agenda
• WVSBA Reports, a special section that presents an in-depth study of the Promise scholarship and effectiveness of merit scholarships
• Legislators’ review of child welfare proposals relating to child abuse and neglect
• Q&A with State Superintendent Steve Paine about the 21st Century Skills Initiative