“Journalism is literature in a hurry.” – Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), British poet and cultural critic.

Education work group will reconvene July 12

By Howard O’Cull

A 10-member legislative work group will reconvene July 12 to consider legislative proposals to submit to the governor for possible introduction in an anticipated special legislative session slated for July 19.

The work group includes five Senators and five House of Delegates members as well as representatives of the American Federation of Teachers – West Virginia, the West Virginia Education Association and the state School Service Personnel Association.

Other working group representatives include the state superintendent of schools and/or designee(s), representatives of the governor’s office, and a representative of the West Virginia Professional Educator organization.

Only legislators, however, may make motions/amendments or actually vote on issues. Other working group members, however, may pose questions and discuss issues.

In their 12 sessions since May 24, the “West Virginia Legislature Task Force on Education Reform,” as it is officially known, has considered each of the eight bills introduced during the May 13 special session. After considerable study, the working group has recommended that the governor consider “reintroducing” seven of the proposals as amended by the working group.

May Session ended abruptly.

 Many of the revisions mirror amendments discussed during the week-long special session by either the House or Senate. 

The May special session ended abruptly when the Senate defeated Senate Bill 1012, a measure relating to differentiated pay for educators working in schools with a student population that is high poverty or high minority or if teaching in curricular shortage areas such as mathematics and science.

In his 2010 State of the State address, Gov. Joe Manchin said if the state were not receive  first-round federal Race to the Top reform moneys he would call a special legislative session devoted to education. In March, the state Department of Education learned West Virginia had not received RTTR funds. Meanwhile, the governor had challenged the state Board of Education to take some “bold steps” for public education.

Responding to both the governor’s call and to better position the state to secure RTTR second-round funds, the state Board endorsed 28 education reform items, packaging them under the title, “It’s ALL About the Kids”. In that the WVDE deemed eight of the items as necessary for RTTR funding, the governor introduced these measures.

In that second-round RTTR grant proposals were due June 1, meaning the state would have difficulty meeting that deadline. Moreover, many legislators bristled over what they termed “chasing” federal RTTR moneys when considering the legislative proposals.

Thus, with the demise of Senate Bill 1012 and with little House of Delegates leeway in securing passage of the reform legislation, the session ended.

Since the Senate Education Committee considered each bill with the Senate passing version of most of the bills, the group mostly has worked from the Senate bills, providing perfecting amendments or making changes that are “compromises” between the Senate and House language.

On the Charter Innovation Zones legislation, there was a divided vote in terms of recommending the much-amended proposal for the governor for re-introduction. Three House members voted to recommend the bill but two other House members – Education Chairwoman Mary Poling, D-Barbour, and Ron Fragale, D-Harrison - voted against it. Poling said her vote reflected the fact the full House Education Committee had not considered the bill during the May special session. The measure had been amended and passed the Senate on a 25-9 vote.

A proposal to revise teacher hiring practices will be reviewed during 2010 interim legislative meetings. If a recommendation for its final consideration is made as a result of this study, legislators will review the measure in the 2011 regular session. That bill likely would not have garnered enough votes to be adopted by the working group. Rather than letting the measure die, the working group referred it to interim review.

Unions’ proposals get attention.

In its last two meetings, the working group has considered recommendations from AFT-WV and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, as well as legislative proposals offered by the West Virginia Education Association. Most of the AFT-WV and School Service Personnel recommendations have been adopted, although some have been forwarded to the governor for introduction as pilot projects.

The panel endorsed a $1,000 across-the-board pay increase for teachers with a corresponding $500 across-the-board increase for service personnel.

After considerable discussion, the panel endorsed an AFT-WV/School Service Personnel Association recommendation for an “education audit” or an “audit” of education spending in West Virginia. The AFT-WV first made that proposal in 2008. It has been endorsed in concept by the governor, although specifics vary, especially concerning the “areas” of audit, “who” would conduct the review, and how it would be accomplished.

In addition, there is the question of “what” would be audited. The proposal relates to all education spending, including that attributed to various state agencies, such as the Center for Professional Development and the Office of Education Performance Audits as well as Regional Education Service Agencies, county school boards and other entities receiving education dollars.

The proposal was amended to include a study to see whether efficiencies could be realized through sharing of county board administrative services. The Senate Education Committee considered a related proposal during the regular legislative session but did not approve it.

In making the case for the audit, AFT-WV President Judy Hale spoke of the necessity of determine “where” education dollars “end up,” especially the degree to which these moneys end up being used for instructional purposes.

In making the case for the audit, AFT-WV President Judy Hale spoke of the necessity of determine “where” education dollars “end up,” especially the degree to which these moneys are being utilized for instructional purposes.
In other considerations, Hale and state School Service Personnel Association Executive Director Bob Brown said they were not pursing consolidation of county boards per se, but embraced the “sharing services” concept. That concept has been explored in the past by the West Virginia School Board Association as an alternative to board consolidation and as a means to garner efficiencies for some counties, particularly those with small central offices.

Education audit might be important.

The “audit” proposal could prove to be the “sleeper” among the working group proposals, but WV-AFT and the School Service Personnel Association joined legislators in saying the task would be daunting. The two organizations recommend the Legislative Auditor should make the study as his office has done with a recent report concerning dropouts and a higher education study.

But some senators, including Senate Education Committee Chairman Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, seemingly are leaning toward using professors Cal Kent of Marshall University and Tom Witt of West Virginia University. They made a study of the state’s Public School Support Program (PSSP) a few years ago. Other members talked about wanting an independent audit, and some members noted a combination of those entities or individuals could work on portions of the audit.

Finally, working group members noted the governor himself could order an audit. In fact, the governor has said he would support the notion of having an out-of-state group do the study. Hale and others spoke of the need for objectivity. The group is to review a draft resolution regarding the issue July 19. The concept has been considered before but reportedly was opposed by the state Department of Education.

WVEA proposals come up next.

The West Virginia Education Association proposals are to be considered when the working group reconvenes, although some of the teacher organization proposals overlap, including those relating to salaries.

WVEA representatives, led by President Dale Lee, have brought several teachers to the last two meetings to discuss working conditions, student readiness for schools, student behavior issues and working conditions. The latter included a compelling, if not chilling, recollection of a Jackson County teacher who was injured by a student severely enough for her to warrant medical attention.

Other WVEA members talked about the amount of time devoted to testing and assessments and their validity, use of planning time, educational support from administrators, truancy, scheduling and parental and student “accountability.”

Please contact me if you would like to receive specific information about any of the proposals, including summaries of the legislation.
The following is a list of each of the measures considered by the working group with brief comments:

• Charter Innovation Zone Schools and Charter Innovation Zone Transition Schools - Discussed and amended extensively, this legislation faces the hardest road in a special session. Efforts to “cap” the number of such schools failed. Moreover, critics contend the measure is costly if not an unfunded mandate, cumbersome and amounts to foisting “charter schools” in West Virginia, although all school personnel laws are preserved and county boards effectively can thwart these schools from becoming operational. (There is a sketchy appeals procedure for a “school” failing to win county board approval.) The state Board of Education would authorize these schools – again with considerable county board input. Supporters contend the measure would allow innovation – despite the extensive amendments. The proposal builds off the concept of Innovation Zones. Some legislators, particularly senators, are seemingly more enamored with the bill's Innovation Transition Zones Schools, which are modeled after collaborative ventures between “education service providers” such as higher education institutions and public schools.
  
  
• Supplements for teachers and principals in schools with high poverty or high minority students – This issue was debated at length. As finally determined by the working group, this proposal would require the state Department of Education, the governor’s office, and legislative staff to examine career ladders and report their findings to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability. Usage of career ladders would have to be in conjunction with some form of pay for performance. In terms of the LOCEA study proposal, representatives of the governor’s office clarified that extending completion of the career ladders legislative component would not “jeopardize” long-term legislative reform goals. The working group also adopted language relating to pilot programs to support students and schools within high poverty, high minority areas so the interventions will lead to improved student performance and educational advancement.
  
  
• Compulsory health screenings – This measure requires comprehensive health screenings by a licensed medical provider for students prior to entering public school for the first time and in the third, sixth and ninth grades. The comprehensive screenings would replace the current pre-enrollment screenings for vision or hearing impairments or speech and language disabilities (applicable for students entering school for the first time). County boards would be required to coordinate with parents and community health providers to ensure that the requirements of the proposed legislation are communicated to “all parties” and that “deficits” identified in the screening are addressed through referral to specialty health care providers, the county board’s support services or both. County boards would have to ensure that all comprehensive health screening data are entered in the West Virginia Education Information System. A county board could not refuse to enroll or bar a student from attending school nor could a board take actions to compel a student’s parent/guardian for failure or refusal to obtain a compressive health screening or for the failure to disclose or refusal to disclose the contents of a health screening. There are several other extensive sections.
  
  
• Professional hiring practices – Originally proposed by the Governor’s 21st Century Jobs Cabinet, this measure is to be considered during interim meetings with possible recommendations to be made during the 2011 regular session. Besides the Charter Innovation Zones legislation, this proved to be the most controversial proposal.
  
  
• Improving school performance – Complex legislation designed to address low-performing schools in terms of state intervention, including possible principal displacement. The bill also includes creation of various leadership teams, which include the county superintendent, administrators, principals and others. Moreover, county board members in districts receiving conditional or non-approval status would have to attend additional county board member training sessions.
  
  
• Teacher empowerment teams – This proposed legislation would require the state Board of Education to study each school committee or team created in law or state board policy and determine its organizational goals, effectiveness or viability “relative to the time and paperwork placed on principals, teachers and other school personnel.” The study also must consider alternative ways that stakeholders can be involved in the education process while reducing paperwork “burdens.” That study is to be presented to LOCEA by November 1. The central bill provision, however, would empower schools to create alternative decision-making processes that “address school and classroom improvement and to provide teachers and principals with flexibility to determine the types of committees and teams that are needed to move the school forward.” In any such reorganization, the Local School Improvement Council, the School Curriculum Team, the Student Assistance Team or the Faculty Senate could not be replaced.
  
  
• Alternative training/certification of principals, assistant principals and teachers – The proposal modifies existing provisions for preparation routes to teacher certification that are alternatives to the traditional higher education degree programs. Additionally, the bill would create a new alternative route to principal certification. In terms of programmatic considerations, alternative programs could be provided by consortia of schools, districts and Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs), as approved by the state Board of Education. For alternative principal certification, principals must obtain a one-year alternative certificate for the position. That certificate could be renewed two times by the state superintendent. Someone with such a certificate could be offered employment by a county superintendent in a position that has been posted at least two times and not filled by a fully-qualified applicant. The measure would remove a statutory limitation on the recommendation to rehire an alternative program teacher being subject to the position being posted and no fully-certified applicant being employed.
  
  
• Annual evaluations - The proposed legislation would require the state Board of Education to adopt an annual performance evaluation system for professional personnel positions, including that of county superintendent. The interim process is to be used until the state board adopts an evaluation rule. The interim process specifies frameworks, including frequency of evaluations and use of observations, for evaluating teachers having probationary status as well as tenured teachers. In the case of the latter, a “professional growth and development plan” could be used. In developing the evaluation system, the state board must study duties and responsibilities of school principals and assistant principals, including the time required to perform them. Additionally, the state board is to appoint a task force whose role would be to advise the board on professional personnel evaluations.
  
  In terms of WV-AFT proposals, the working group:
  
  
• Voted to have legislative staff members draft legislation to set standards for alternative education and to form pilot projects in certain counties.
  
  
• Agreed that interim Education Subcommittee C would study the issue of teacher planning periods with the notion of instituting five pilot projects.
  
  
• Approved a motion requesting the governor to introduce legislation to prohibit teachers from being required to perform other duties during planning periods without their “written consent.”
  
  
• Approved a recommendation regarding class size in grades seven and eight, adding a provision allowing such as part of Innovation Zone legislation, meaning schools would have to apply to become an IZ entity for this purpose, requesting the class size wavier which would have to be approved by the state Board of Education and possibly the Legislature in that the provision would amount to a statutory waiver.

As mentioned above, the working group approved the WV-AFT audit request as well as a salary proposal made by that group and WVSSPA.

Howard O’Cull is executive director of the West Virginia School Board Association

 

West Virginia is already on track with Common Core

By Jim Wallace

State Supt. Steve Paine foresees few changes in West Virginia’s curriculum standards in the next few years, even though many states are expecting to have to strengthen their standards.

As president of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Paine participated with the National Governors Association last month in the release of the Common Core State Standards. Their purpose is to establish common curriculum standards in mathematics and English-language arts for most American schools to adopt over the next two years so that high school graduates will be prepared for college or careers.

When he appeared before the Legislative Oversight Commission of Education Accountability a few days later, Paine told lawmakers that West Virginia has little to do to align itself with the standards.

“I think we will be staying the course with our present curriculum for some time.” – Supt. Steve Paine

“I think we have addressed those in our state,” he said. “I’ve been concerned that we would lose some of the features of our curriculum of the rigor of our curriculum. But I’ve been assured by Dr. [Jorea] Marple [assistant superintendent for curriculum and instructional services] that we’re OK. I think we will be staying the course with our present curriculum for some time.”

Paine added that he would like to see what effects the curriculum standards have on student achievement tests. But Senate Education Chairman Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, said he didn’t like using terminology that West Virginia is “aligning to the Common Core” standards.

“The bottom line is what you just said – that our terms were already there,” Plymale said. “So why are we aligning our standards with the national standards?”

“Let’s be honest: Your organization and the National Governors Association are trying to establish national standards. Even though you don’t call it that, that’s what you’re doing. – Sen. Bob Plymale

Further, he told Paine, “Let’s be honest: Your organization and the National Governors Association are trying to establish national standards. Even though you don’t call it that, that’s what you’re doing. I don’t have a problem with having tough standards, but they’re not national standards.”

Plymale said he has “a real problem” with the average yearly progress requirements of the No Child Left Behind law passed during the Bush administration, “because that’s not a true measurement tool, as they say. And that, once again, came from the federal government.”

Paine said he agreed with Plymale and disagreed with the directive coming from the federal government. Plymale said he called federal efforts “reform du jour” because they change with each administration. He added that “some of the best discussion” about education reform had come from the working group put together to consider legislation to bring back to the Legislature when it resumes its special session in July.

 

Schools already have some flexibility.
 
Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, said studies have shown that a mother’s education has more effect on children that a father’s education. So he asked whether there is any initiative to provide students with more support at home.

Paine responded that most of that work is left to the individual school districts. However, the state Education Department does provide parent academies and some support for districts, he said, and early education programs should help.

Much of the recent efforts in education reform have been focused on giving local schools more autonomy to try innovative methods. Proposals for Innovation Zones and charter schools have been part of that. But Paine noted that the Legislature passed a bill in 1991 to empower local school councils to seek waivers of state policies. Since then, the state school board has entertained requests for about 1,500 waivers and approved about 95 percent of them, he said.

The state department could work more with principals, superintendents, teachers and others “to make sure they understand the board’s interest in granting the flexibility within our own policies to adopt policies that have research-based practice that yield higher levels of student achievement,” Paine said. But he said too few people are aware of that section of state code.

“If you can do that, why would we even need charters schools? I don’t know why we’re always creating a different system to do something like this when we ought to be doing it in the entire system.” – Sen. John Unger

In addition, Paine said, “As we write state board policy, we ought to write that policy as generally as we can.” In other words, he said, the board shouldn’t turn a state law into 50 pages of policy. So he intends to have his department review and audit the policies that have been adopted.  Paine said he wants the board to avoid micromanaging local school systems or being too prescriptive in the policies it adopts.

“If you can do that, why would we even need charters schools?” Unger asked. “I don’t know why we’re always creating a different system to do something like this when we ought to be doing it in the entire system.”

At the end of the meeting, Plymale asked Paine to provide lawmakers with a side-by-side comparison of the Common Core standards and West Virginia’s standards.

 

West Virginia’s vocational education system needs much improvement

By Jim Wallace

Members of one legislative interim subcommittee, Education Subcommittee A, plan to figure out over the next several months what needs to be done to improve vocational education from the middle school level through adulthood. They learned in June there is plenty of room for improvement.

“There is certainly a lot that needs to be done when it comes to vocational education,” Bruce Flack, vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Higher Education Policy Commission, told them. “The idea of holding some sort of certificate or degree I see as increasingly important.”

“As you look at middle school to adult education, it should not just culminate with the community colleges.” – Bruce Flack

Many movements are under way across the country to reform vocational education, he said, but he emphasized that West Virginia should create a system that begins early and ends late in students’ education.

“As you look at middle school to adult education, it should not just culminate with the community colleges,” Flack said. “It should go to the baccalaureate institutions as well, because more and more, we’re looking at the idea of stackable certificates and degrees and movement to higher levels. I would say within 10 years the baccalaureate degree is going to be increasingly important, especially things like the bachelor of applied science, which is a transfer degree. Already all of our institutions can offer such a degree if they so choose, and about half of them do. I think that is a real trend in the future. As you complete your study, I hope you will look at that end of it as well.”

 

Number of vocational classes have been declining.

“It engages students in the learning process. It’s an area that definitely needs to be addressed.” – Kathy D’Antoni

Kathy D’Antoni, assistant state superintendent for technical and adult education services, told the committee that among the 156 middle schools in West Virginia, only 58 offer any kind of technical education. The reasons fewer schools offer such classes than in the past include having less money to allocate for them and having academic requirements squeeze them out, she said. Those classes are electives, so other classes take precedence, she said.

Sen. Erik Wells, D-Kanawha, suggested that engaging students more in technical education could prevent some of them from dropping out of school. D’Antoni agreed with that.

“It engages students in the learning process,” she said. “It’s an area that definitely needs to be addressed.”

Sen. Richard Browning, D-Wyoming, wondered what would happen to test scores if students take more technical education classes. D’Antoni said that when math and science are taught as applied math and applied science, scores go up.

Browning said he wants to know how many students are not going on to higher education because they’re not aware of the vocational possibilities. D’Antoni said the Education Department plans to publish a “career pathways” book next month to provide such information.

Sen. Jesse Guills, R-Greenbrier, wanted to know if any sort of plan is available to students to use as they identify what courses they should take. D’Antoni responded that West Virginia has one of the best career pathways plans in the United States, but there is a problem in getting it down to the level of individual schools. She said some teachers tend not to feel comfortable teaching the career pathway classes.

“Our education system is trying to catch up. Most students are bored in our schools.” – Kathy D’Antoni

“Our education system is trying to catch up,” D’Antoni said. “Most students are bored in our schools.”

Classrooms are not as dynamic in terms of high technology as students are accustomed to having elsewhere in their lives, she said. “We have to change the way we teach these students or we are going to continue to lose them,” D’Antoni said. Delegate Dave Pethtel, D-Wetzel, suggested that students should be identified for those classes earlier in the education process.

Delegate Tim Ennis, D-Brooke, said his high school had many vocational education classes when he was in school, but most of them have been eliminated. No shop or home economics classes are offered in middle school, he said, and music and art classes are also disappearing. Ennis said college preparatory classes are not appropriate for all students, so they should have other options.

D’Antoni replied that she was concerned about dividing students simply between academic education and career technical education. She said many technical jobs also require quite a bit of academics, but some students thrive better in career-tech settings.

“We need to look at different ways to serve them rather than dividing them,” D’Antoni said.

Delegate Brady Paxton, D-Putnam, noted that the Toyota factory in his district is “very choosy” when selecting employees. He asked why West Virginia’s education system doesn’t “hook into that.” D’Antoni said that’s already happening. She said special programs are being developed at community colleges in cooperation with Toyota.

 

Lawmakers review school technology options

By Jim Wallace

The subject of whether local schools have enough flexibility to acquire and use technology to improve student performance and progress is such a concern to members of the Legislature that two interim legislative subcommittees took it up during June interims meetings.

Brenda Williams, executive director of the Office of Instruction Technology in the Education Department, told both committees there are four main programs to help schools get the technology they need: Tools for Schools, State Local Share, federal Enhancing Education through Technology program and the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate Discounts.

The Tools for Schools program was set up “to make sure that everybody got their equal share out there in the counties when they were planning what they needed for technology,” she said. “The main thing the Legislature was concerned about was standardization.”

Thus, Williams said, lawmakers wanted to make sure to establish a statewide bidding process and that the Education Department does all the work for the county school systems.

“We meet with all of our technology directors to see what they really need. They give us feedback on what they want to have on the contract, so that we can take one statewide bid, get the economy of scale and make sure that they won’t have to duplicate that effort 55 times.” – Brenda Williams

“We have county input for the bid specifications,” she said. “We meet with all of our technology directors to see what they really need. They give us feedback on what they want to have on the contract, so that we can take one statewide bid, get the economy of scale and make sure that they won’t have to duplicate that effort 55 times.”

Williams said that system gives the public school system “the opportunity to get the most bang for our buck.” The state department requires four-year, on-site warranties with equipment, which she said is important because otherwise it would be difficult to get repairs made at small, rural schools.

 The Tools for Schools program provides for the purchase of a wide range of equipment from computers to whiteboards to cameras to big-screen televisions. The State Local Share program is similar but provides more flexibility to dedicate funds to elementary education, secondary education or infrastructure needs.

The Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program has provided varying amounts of funding from the U.S. Department of Education from $3.9 million in fiscal year 2002 to $1.6 million in fiscal year 2009. But Williams said the 2009 allocation was enhanced with another $3.9 million in federal stimulus money.

The federal government has four priorities for use of the money:

1. Helping students meet eighth-grade literacy standards.
2. Helping teachers become skilled in the use of technology.
3. Integrating technology into classrooms.
4. Getting computers connected to the Internet.

“We fund until we run out of money for the competitive part,” she said. The state received only $650,000 for fiscal year 2010, Williams said, so there will not be any type of funding formula because the amount is too low for that. There will be only competitive awards, “so that somebody can really make a difference with that amount of money,” she said.

Williams said the state must ensure it provides oversight for the county districts and make sure they spend the funds appropriately. She said the standardization established in the other programs has helped with that. “We have saved on economy of scale big time with that, not only in the training but also in contracts as well as installation and then marrying it to programs,” she said.

For the FCC E-rate Discounts, Williams said, funding is based on the level of poverty and rural status in determining discounts for telecommunications access. She said those discounts save some districts a lot of money.

“Nobody knows about virtual schools, and nobody knows all that could be involved.” – Delegate Richard Iaquinta

During the Finance Subcommittee A meeting, Delegate Richard Iaquinta, D-Harrison, said he wanted more information about the use of virtual schools and the integration of technology. “Nobody knows about virtual schools, and nobody knows all that could be involved,” he said.

During the Education Subcommittee C meeting, House Education Chairwoman Mary Poling, D-Barbour, asked whether there are any technological items that teachers want but can’t get. Williams said such problems do occur but are only temporary. For example, she said, the first year that Netbooks came out, many teachers wanted them but they weren’t good enough to meet the schools’ needs. Within a year, the Netbooks improved and were made available, she said.

Poling said she has been concerned about the amount of testing schools are required to do and thought it leaves too little time for discretionary use of the technological tools teachers have. Williams replied that she has been concerned about that, too.

Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, asked whether distance learning and virtual classrooms are being used to overcome a shortage of science and math teachers. Williams said the department is working on that. The biggest need is for Spanish language instruction, she said, and many students have been taught through a virtual classroom program offered from Florida.

Poling asked about using distance learning to help students recover missed credits. Williams said that also is in the works. “The cost is very affordable, especially if we’re having kids graduate,” she said.

Sen. Richard Browning, D-Wyoming, asked, “Are we where we should be in technology curriculum?”

“We’re not there yet,” Williams responded. “We’re still working on it….We’re on the right track.

 

Health care reform and OPEB affect PEIA

By Jim Wallace

The effects of federal health care reform on West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency are mixed, but at least one lawmaker believes the results will be better than PEIA officials expect.

Ted Cheatham told the Select Committee on PEIA, Seniors and Long-Term Care during June legislative interims meetings that he expects the reform measures will cost PEIA about $30 million beginning July 1, 2011. He said that would likely require PEIA to increase rates or adjust benefits next year. Here are the changes and the effects Cheatham expects: 

• Starting in 2012, Medicare will start offering free preventive health care services. “That will help us a little bit,” Cheatham said. “If we have to pay for those outside the Medicare program, it might cost us a little bit through the Medicare Advantage program.” He figures that cost will be about $1.3 million.
  
  
• Medicare Advantage payment reform for seniors over 65 is estimated to cost PEIA about $3.2 million.
  
  
• “The big one is mental health parity,” Cheatham said. “Today, we’re a federally exempt ERISA [Employee Retirement Income Security Act] plan, and we opt out of mental health parity. According to the way the statute is written, we are not allowed to opt out of mental health parity by 2011. We estimate that will cost us about $11.2 million for mental health parity. Now let me say that our attorney has been in touch with [the Department of] Health and Human Resources, and they haven’t finished the regulation yet, but there is a crack in that door when we ask that question. And potentially, we may be able to opt out again. They may change the rules on that to allow us to opt out, in which case we won’t incur that cost.”
  
  
• “No pre-existing [conditions] for children is going to cost us some money,” he said.
  
  
• “Eliminating the lifetime [maximum benefit] we estimate will cost us $2.2 million,” Cheatham said.
  
  
• “Free preventive services are going to come also through the active plan in 2012, so no longer can we charge co-pays for preventive services,” Cheatham said. “That’s going to be about $2 million.”
  
  
• “Covering children to age 26…That’s going to cost $7 million,” he said. PEIA won’t make that change until July 2011, although many commercial insurance plans are adopting it early because they have renewal dates throughout the year.
  
  
• Change to the appeals process is estimated to cost PEIA almost $1 million.

 

Lawmaker has doubts.

But Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, challenged Cheatham on some of those cost estimates. “Do you not think that providing a higher level of mental health care to your insureds would ultimately save money in the long run?” he asked.

Cheatham responded, “It has great potential to save money if they’ve got the right care and the right treatment and they’re being well taken care of. Yes.”

“Well, why are we told it’s going to cost all this money if it’s going to end up saving money eventually?” Foster, who is a physician, asked.

“It’s my impression it’ll end up saving money all along the way.” – Sen. Dan Foster

“This cost is the cost to pay claims out the door for that treatment,” Cheatham said. “I’m not sure how much we’ll save on the back end.”

“It’s my impression it’ll end up saving money all along the way,” Foster said. “In fact, would it not also affect what you have to charge your covereds if more people in the state have insurance coverage and there’s less uncompensated care. Would that not trickle to our plan ultimately?”

“Potentially, if the providers actually lower their reimbursement because they’re no longer having to adjust for uncompensated care,” Cheatham replied.

Foster also asked him if he thought that having medical homes and pay-for-performance would have positive effects.

“Studies are all over the board about whether medical home works or doesn’t work,” Cheatham responded. “I’m an advocate of medical home. Our pilot project at Cabin Creek is a huge success. It’s working very well. It works well primarily because it’s capitated. It works well because they have a nursing care coordinator with outreach to everybody. Everybody in that system has been touched, having a complete physical work-up. With about 400 people, their costs are about $10,000 more than it should be, because they spent too much time getting all these tests run on people and getting them on medication to take care of them. What we see in the long run – we estimate savings of about $20,000, because of what would have happened if they had not gotten care. So I think the primary care model will work. Everybody should be getting care.”

“I’m a firm believer in the doctor has to provide the right tools and the right care, because I can’t control the patient.” – Ted Cheatham

But Cheatham said pay-for-performance is another matter.

“I’m a firm believer in the doctor has to provide the right tools and the right care, because I can’t control the patient,” he said. “If the patient doesn’t do as told, the doctor’s performance is impeded. All I can do is pay for process.”

Cheatham said he would like to find a way to give PEIA members incentives to be compliant with medical instructions. The agency already is about to offer incentives for members to get physical exams, which he believes will be “eye-opening” for some people.

“We’re going to give a $10 a month premium [decrease] for anybody that does that in the next 12 months,” Cheatham said.

Foster replied, “I think there are a lot of opportunities in what’s come down from Washington to change the way we do incentivize patients, providers and the way care is delivered.”

“Absolutely, there are many opportunities coming down as a result of this health reform legislation,” Cheatham said.

“Let’s look at it as an opportunity rather than a financial challenge,” Foster told him.

“I agree,” Cheatham replied. “Electronic medical record incentives for providers is a great tool.”

Although Cheatham expects federal health care reform will cost PEIA about $30 million, the agency has been able to save about that same amount of money during the current fiscal year. He said PEIA should finish the fiscal year on June 30 about $30 million below budget.

“Our plan performance this year has been extremely good,” Cheatham said. “The plan has grown in people about 3,000 to 4,000 members this year. But our per-member trends are really running…much better than the national average.”

 

Changes are coming in July.

“The high-performance formulary changes the drug classes to the most effective and cost-efficient drugs within the formulary.” – Ted Cheatham

PEIA members will face several changes in their coverage beginning July 1. Cheatham said the biggest change will be a switch to using Express Scripts’ high-performance formulary for prescription drug coverage. He said it would affect about 27,000 members – about 12,000 active public employees and about 15,000 retirees.

“The high-performance formulary changes the drug classes to the most effective and cost-efficient drugs within the formulary,” Cheatham said. But some people who are now getting prescriptions filled for about $20 will soon have to pay $50 to keep using those same drugs.

“That is the majority of people affected by this change,” Cheatham said. “There are also a couple of thousand people that are actually on $50 co-pay drugs that will go down to $15. They’re not going to complain.”

For Medicare-eligible retirees above age 65, PEIA will no longer cover Medicare-excluded Part D drugs. Coventry Health Care, which had provided coverage for PEIA’s 36,000 Medicare-eligible retirees and their dependents until the end of 2009, included those drugs in its coverage package. Coventry also covered some over-the-counter drugs.

“Neither of those will occur in the new system,” Cheatham said. “You’re going to see about 2,000 to 3,000 that are seniors that are currently on a drug that Medicare says should not be covered for the senior population. They will have to buy that themselves or go to a physician and try to get an alternate prescription – things like cough syrups, vitamins, some anxiety medications.”

(Coventry got out of its contract with PEIA and was replaced with Humana, Inc., at the beginning of 2010.)

Cheatham said another change for members beginning July 1 is that the annual out-of-pocket maximum for family coverage will go up to 1.5 times the maximum for single coverage.

 

OPEB worries lawmakers.

Of course, members of the committee were interested in the problem with OPEB – other post-employment benefits – an estimated $8 billion liability for health care benefits promised to current and future retirees. Cheatham told lawmakers that the amount charged to agencies as employers will go up $20 per employee per month. That pay-as-you-go – or “pay-go” – amount is just to pay for the amount of the liability currently being generated, not to pay off the $8 billion liability that has already been run up.

“Are you troubled by the fact…that we cannot seem to get to some solution to the OPEB liability in this process?” Senate Minority Leader Mike Hall, R-Putnam, asked.

“If the clock is ticking, we are wasting mathematical time here. How long can we go or have we gone beyond the point where there is going to be a real exploding problem in the out years if we don’t get beyond whatever is jamming this process up?” – Sen. Mike Hall

“Yes, sir,” Cheatham replied.

“If the clock is ticking, we are wasting mathematical time here,” Hall said. “How long can we go or have we gone beyond the point where there is going to be a real exploding problem in the out years if we don’t get beyond whatever is jamming this process up?”

“My concern is we haven’t gelled a long-term strategy on how we want to tackle this rather large problem,” Cheatham said. “The problem…will eventually solve itself, because eventually, we’re not going to have enough money to even pay the pay-go or to do anything else. And what you’re going to say to me is, ‘Cut the benefits.’ And we’re going to slowly erode those benefits until there aren’t any and they go to Medicare and the OPEB liability goes away unless we come up with a funding source and a long-term plan.”

“How soon do you predict that will happen?” Hall asked.

“By 2025,” Cheatham said. “With the current progress, the pay-go, which is now at $145 million, will be five times as much by 2025. Pay-go alone will go up to $600 million in 2025 in the current forecast. That’s not even the liability.”

“That’s going to have a huge impact on West Virginia. This thing is looming over us with huge, dark clouds.” – Sen. Walt Helmick

Hall asked what lawmakers would have to add to general revenue expenditures to keep the liability from increasing. Cheatham said they would have to appropriate and additional $742 million each year over 30 years to pay off the liability.

“That’s going to have a huge impact on West Virginia,” Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas, said. “This thing is looming over us with huge, dark clouds.”

Cheatham also told the committee that a small part of the OPEB liability is associated with life insurance.

“We are slowly, over the next three years, raising retiree rates and lowering active rates to the actual costs of those two populations,” he said. “And that will remove all the OPEB liability on life insurance within three years. This is the first year of those rate changes for life insurance.”

Marple moves up in Education Department

Jorea Marple, who heads the state Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services, has become the first woman to hold the position of state deputy superintendent.

After serving as an assistant superintendent, she has replaced Jack McClanahan as the No. 2 person in the Education Department. McClanahan has retired after 46 years as an educator in West Virginia.

“I am excited about this opportunity and humbled to be chosen for such an important position,” Marple said. “West Virginia’s educational system has made great strides in improving student achievement and I look forward to the opportunity to help the state continue to improve.”

Jorea Marple has held positions at almost every level of the school system from teacher and principal to county superintendent and state department official. Under her leadership, her division has been recognized for its commitment to use technology in schools. Marple also has worked diligently to collaborate with educators in special education and other title programs, assessment professionals, library media advisers and technology experts, to meet the goals of the West Virginia Department of Education. She has helped spearhead efforts to provide professional development and curriculum resources for teachers with the Teacher Leadership Institutes, and the Teach21 and Learn21 websites.

“The West Virginia Department of Education is fortunate to have someone already on board with Jorea’s experience,” state Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine said. “With Jorea already part of the leadership team, she will be able to make a smooth transition and help all of us proceed with our continuing efforts to improve education in West Virginia.”

For more information, contact the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699.

 

Paine gets a good report card

 

State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine has received high marks on his annual report card as part of his yearly job performance review. During its monthly board meeting, West Virginia Board of Education members recognized Paine for what they described as an “exemplary job.”  

“Dr. Paine is an exceptional leader. He is an outstanding visionary and leader.” – Priscilla Haden

“Dr. Paine is an exceptional leader,” board President Priscilla Haden said. “He is an outstanding visionary and leader. He has brought prestige to our state and worked diligently in all aspects of education in West Virginia.”
 
Paine is active in national education policy discussions as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and as a member of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) Board of Directors and the National Assessment Governing Board. As part of the governing board, Paine helps lead its work to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as The Nation's Report Card.

Paine’s leadership resulted in the adoption of the state’s 21st century learning plan called “Global21: Students deserve it. The world demands it.” Global21 helps public schools move beyond outdated instruction models and guide all children toward mastery of higher level core subjects and complex concepts, including problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. Also as part of Global21, the West Virginia Department of Education has aligned its assessment system with the new core curriculum and is offering professional development to educators in 21st century teaching techniques. 

“Dr. Paine’s knowledge of current education issues is amazing.” – Jenny Phillips

Paine also has provided vision related to the West Virginia Collaborative Teams Network (CTN). The CTN has been designed to enhance school-based decision-making through a distributed leadership model that supports local ownership of the structures, processes and practices that bring about school improvement.

“We are so fortunate to have Dr. Paine,” board Vice President Jenny Phillips said. “Dr. Paine’s knowledge of current education issues is amazing. He has a great ability to work cooperatively with others, communicate and inspire.”

For more information, contact the West Virginia Department of Education Communications Office at (304) 558-2699.  

Several dozen teachers are honored for national certification

Seventy-four West Virginia teachers have earned National Board Certification for 2009-2010, the highest credential in the teaching profession. The West Virginia Board of Education honored this year’s graduating class during a special ceremony in June at the Clay Center in Charleston. 

“National Board Certified Teachers know how to bridge the gap between what students learn today and what they need to know to be successful in the 21st century.” – Supt. Steve Paine

“National Board Certified teachers not only have to prove they know their subject matter, but they also must provide evidence they know how to effectively teach their subjects to students,” state Supt. Steve Paine said. “National Board Certified Teachers know how to bridge the gap between what students learn today and what they need to know to be successful in the 21st century. Teachers who receive the national certification are clearly among America’s best.” 

Across the country about 82,000 of the nation’s most effective teachers have demonstrated that they meet the highest teaching standards by becoming National Board certified, including nearly 500 in West Virginia. In 2009, nearly 8,900 teachers nationwide achieved National Board Certification.

West Virginia’s 74 teachers receiving certification for the 2009-2010 school year are (by county): Berkeley – Melanie Cox, Melissa Englebright, Julaine Pfund, Dorothy Pownall, Tamala Stotler, Stephane Van Evera and Cynthia Woods; Cabell – Timothy Alford, Patricia Ball, Gail Boone, Amanda Hogsett, Kelli Jordan, Laura Kasey, Shawna Paynter, Whitney Stead and Emily Stephens; Fayette County – Christy Gill and Linda Nevi; Greenbrier – Bobbie Deitz; Hancock – Jacqueline Fodor; Hardy – Stephanie Simmons; Harrison – Vickie Allman, Laura Brown and Jessica Haynes; Jackson – Angel Reed; Kanawha – Donna Landin; Lewis – Nancy Locke and Darlene Smithson; Logan – Paula Thomas; Marion – Jessica Holt-Whaley and Diana Yanero; Marshall – Kimberley Kidd and Linda Shalaway; Mercer – Melissa Boothe and Mary Merriman; Mineral – Kathleen Brown, Anna Clay and Wenda Owens; Mingo – Wendell Booten, Debra Catron, Robin Ellis, Theresa Hanshaw and Betty Lamanca; Monongalia – Linda Casleton, Andrea Cathell, Angela Dickerson, Melinda Edwards, John Fike, Cynthia Griffin, Michelle Leversee, Lynda Martin, Leigh Ann Pierson, Elizabeth Rodd, Gina Romme and Lois Swineford; Nicholas – Holly Miller and Sharon Neal; Ohio – Heidi Hohman, Joyce Jingle and Andrienne Richards; Preston – Keisha-Morae Kibler; Putnam – Joseph Kincaid and Barbara Thompson; Raleigh – Karen Bonnett; Taylor – Tracy Duncan and Pamela Miller; Tucker – Danielle Riggins and Kelly Underwood; Upshur – Edwina Howard-Jack; Wetzel – Sadonna Kimble and Mary Young; Wood – Diane Hickey and Jay Phillips; and Wyoming – Brenda Smith.

Founded in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teachers—and make them better. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, National Board Certified Teachers have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. Overall, the first-year achievement rate is about 40 percent, culminating in an achievement rate of approximately 65 percent by the end of the third year.

As part of the process, each teacher builds a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of his or her classroom teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

For more information about National Board Certification, contact the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Professional Preparation at (304) 558-7010 or the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699. Information also is available at www.nbpts.org.

 

State board honors inaugural Innovation Zone projects

The West Virginia Board of Education has honored 19 schools and educational partnerships across the state that have been named Innovation Zones. 

Earlier this year, board members voted to award $500,000 to 16 counties seeking to become the state’s first School Innovation Zones. The School Innovations Zones Act, adopted last year, gives teachers and principals greater control over the curriculum, schedule and staffing in their schools. Schools designated as Innovation Zones essentially become learning laboratories with the flexibility to try innovative strategies.

The projects (listed by county) are:

• Berkeley: Berkeley Heights Elementary, $9,100
• Boone: Nellis Elementary, $43,825
• Braxton: Braxton County High School, $17,320
• Cabell: Cabell County Elementary Schools Consortium, $50,000; Cabell County Secondary Schools Consortium, $45,000
• Harrison: Lincoln High School, $6,990
• Jefferson: Page Jackson Elementary, $6,915
• Kanawha: Piedmont Elementary, $27,798; Westside Elementary (consolidated school formed from Chandler and Glenwood elementaries), $33,750
• Marshall: Cameron Elementary/High School, $49,000
• Mercer: Mercer County Technical School, $30,000
• Morgan: Warm Springs Intermediate, $28,255
• Nicholas: Cherry River Elementary, $7,625
• Ohio: Wheeling Park High School, $11,172
• Pleasants: Belmont Elementary, $45,000
• Putnam: Hometown Elementary, $10,900; Putnam County High Schools Consortium, $24,000
• Randolph: Beverly Elementary, $42,500
• Webster: Hacker Valley School, $10,850

“Innovation zones allow schools to adapt to changing times and embrace new ideas and new teaching strategies so that our children prosper in the global economy of the 21st century,” state Supt. Steve Paine said.

For more information, contact Donna Peduto, Innovation Zones coordinator, at 304-558-3199, or the Office of Communications at 304-558-2699.

 

State board makes changes in GED Option

The West Virginia Board of Education is seeking public input on a state policy designed to help struggling high school students stay in school and earn a GED diploma.

Board members have approved changes to Policy 2444.4: Issuance of the State of West Virginia General Educational Development (GED) Diploma. The board placed the policy on a 30-day comment period. The update incorporates changes to state law designed to improve student participation, success and high school graduation rates.

The changes will allow West Virginia to participate in the GED Option program through the American Council on Education GED Testing Service. The program will permit students to remain enrolled in high school while completing GED requirements. Currently, those under age 18 who want to pursue a GED must withdraw from school before taking the GED test.

In addition, West Virginia’s program goes further by allowing potential GED students to remain in career and technical education courses. These students will be able to earn a GED as well as certification in their chosen career-technical fields, resulting in a high school diploma. The GED is recognized by 98 percent of employers, as well as colleges and universities.

“The GED Option would cut down on the dropout rate considerably.” – Debra Kimbler.“The GED Option would cut down on the dropout rate considerably,” Debra Kimbler, West Virginia’s GED coordinator, told the board. “In 2009, the number of 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds that we administered the GED to came to 1,322. That means those students came knocking on our doors asking for a GED. We hope that by offering the GED in high school that we will keep more students in high school where they belong.”

Educators, parents and community members are encouraged to review the proposed changes and make suggestions. All policies can be viewed on the West Virginia Department of Education website at: http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies.

For more information, contact the Office of Communications at: (304) 558-2699.

 

Learn 21 begins

During this year’s summer break, the West Virginia Department of Education has launched an online learning website that students can use during their time away from the classroom. The student learning resource is called learn 21.

Learn 21 provides engaging Web-based math resources for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Language arts, social studies and science resources will be added to the Learn 21 website prior to the start of the 2010-2011 school year.

“Learn 21 allows students to learn while they play,” state Supt. Steve Paine said. “Learn 21 is an ever-changing resource. As such, we need the help of educators, parents and students to provide feedback which will lead the site’s evolution.”

Learn 21 provides multiple opportunities for principal, teacher and student feedback. Comment boxes are provided throughout the website for thoughts and suggestions.

For more information, contact the Learn 21 coordinator, Donna Landin, at (304) 558 – 3199.

 

Orientation

Orientation ’10: School board members need to engage their ears and their minds

By Jim Wallace

Cercone	Freeland	Harvey
Iman	Kidwell	Mallett
Priestly	Sams	Smith

The essence of education often is boiled down to the three R’s: reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic. But the consensus among school board members from across West Virginia – both veterans and newcomers – is that two L’s are needed to be good board members: listening and learning.

“Be respectful and listen to what people have to say, but be cautious in giving your response until you’ve heard the whole story or the facts. You’re probably going to have to make a decision from that.” – Charlie Sams

“One of the most important things I learned was to listen,” Charlie Sams, a member of the Monroe County board, said. “There is always two sides to every issue. Be respectful and listen to what people have to say, but be cautious in giving your response until you’ve heard the whole story or the facts. You’re probably going to have to make a decision from that.”

Sams, who previously served as a school board member from 2002 until 2005, is starting a new term as a board member. He was among nine board members and one superintendent who offered their views on school board service during interviews at the West Virginia School Board Association’s Orientation ’10 conference in Morgantown.

“Become acquainted with what you’re dealing with,” Steve Priestley, a Lincoln County school board member since last November, said. “Maybe sit back and listen and observe before speaking out and being real vocal, because sometimes our gut reaction might be to do things from what maybe we’ve read in the newspaper or heard from people we need to do this, that and the other.”

Angela Iman, a new board member in Grant County, discovered well before her first board meeting that her new position is “a learning experience, and I’m trying to take it all in. I got on to work for the kids and see what I can do.”

Sometimes, it’s best to stand back.

One of the longest-serving school board members, Dr. Clarence Harvey, an 18-year veteran of the Monongalia County board, has this advice for new board members: “Learn how to stay the hell out of the way, and let the people who are trained to do their jobs do their jobs. No micromanagement.”

Further, he said, “What you need to be doing is listening to what teachers and principals and parents tell you. Very often, they know the needs of the school system pretty well, especially the professionals who work there. So you need to be a good listener and then a problem solver.”

Shane Mallett, who is just beginning a term on the Ohio County school board, is taking such an attitude into his service. “I don’t think anyone knows everything, so I’m looking forward to meeting the people, learning the system, learning the intricacies of how the board runs,” he said.

Mallett shouldn’t have trouble getting good advice in his new position. One of his fellow board members is Sam Andy, his former basketball coach on a 1995 state championship team. Another is Chris Carder, who was one of his high school principals.

“Finance is very, very important. You can have all of the programs that you want. You can have all of the latest innovative ways and so on, but people have to be getting paychecks.” – Suzan Smith

Suzan Smith, superintendent of the Hancock County schools, considers herself fortunate to be working with a good school board. She has this advice for new board members: “They need to have a background in the operation of the school board and also be very much aware of financial obligations. Finance is very, very important. You can have all of the programs that you want. You can have all of the latest innovative ways and so on, but people have to be getting paychecks.”

 

Members’ occupations are varied.

School board members come from a wide range of backgrounds. For example, Iman has been a stay-at-home mom for 12 years. Sams has run a plumbing and heating business for 35 years, as well as a cattle farm. Eric Kidwell, who has just finished his first year as a Morgan County school board member, works as a banker. Mallett is a lawyer. But many people become school board members only after careers within the public school system.

Beth Cercone, a Clay County school board member for six years, had worked as a teacher. After she switched jobs to work at a community college, she ran for election to the school board.

“There’s a lot more involved than what I ever thought about,” Cercone said. “I had never even been to a school board meeting prior to deciding to run. There’s a lot more finance involved than what I thought. I was shocked at some of the things school board members have to deal with that I thought took care of themselves.”

Among those duties, she discovered, are approval of all textbooks and holding disciplinary hearings for students. “Disciplinary things are not my favorite things to do,” Cercone said.

Priestly started teaching in the Lincoln County schools in 1971 and went on to serve as a principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in the local school system and two years in a position at the state Education Department. But he said becoming a board member has given him a “different perspective.”

Likewise, Dr. Pat J. White, a new member of the Logan County board, had served as a teacher, administrator and assistant superintendent before retiring two years ago. Although he knows the school system well, he expects to see it differently as a school board member.

“For many years, I was on the other side of the table,” White said. “Now, I’m going to be on the board side of the table, being able to make an impact in regard to policies. I know there will be some tough decisions coming down the line. But I think that I can use my previous background and experience to be able to form and make educated decisions regarding the good of Logan County schools and all of our children.”

Mary Alice Freeman is a former administrator and business education teacher who was appointed to the Cabell County school board in January.

“I felt like after I retired, I still had some things to offer the system, and the taxpayers had an awful lot invested in me, so it was time for me to give back.” – Mary Alice Freeman

“Once it gets in the blood, it stays in the blood,” she said about public education. “I felt like after I retired, I still had some things to offer the system, and the taxpayers had an awful lot invested in me, so it was time for me to give back.”

But Freeman has found that being a school board member is different than the other positions she held in the school system. “What’s really affected me is not having the direct contact with the students,” she said. “I was used to that, and I’ve missed that. But I feel I can work on a different level now. But I truly do miss the direct contact with the teachers and students.”

Harvey also came to school board service after a long career – 36 years – as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent. What’s different about being a school board member? “You understand better the importance of resources: people, money and just things in general – resources for teachers to do the job they need to do,” he said.

Kidwell has not worked as a teacher or administrator in the school system, but he has spent nine years in coaching positions at the middle school and high school levels. He had to give that up after taking a job outside Morgan County. He ran for the school board so he could “stay involved with helping out and making positive influences on the kids.”

 

Priorities vary from district to district.

School districts across the state face many similar problems, but the top challenges differ from district to district.

Cercone is concerned about a declining tax base with the loss of coal-mining jobs in Clay County, as well as filling science and math positions as many teachers reach retirement age. “That’s not the area that students want to go into right now,” she said. “Our county doesn’t pay as much as some of the surrounding ones.”

In Hancock County, it is the steel industry that has been declining, so Smith is faced with keeping up the quality of the school system while the tax base and enrollment go down. In November, voters will be asked to approve a bond issue to build a new elementary school and renovate other facilities along with $19 million from the School Building Authority, she said.

Priestley is concerned about some facility issues in Lincoln County, “but primarily what I want to focus on are the academic, curriculum-related issues. Our graduation rates, our dropout rates, like many, need improvement. Our test scores in various subject areas need to be improved.”

Although he thinks Lincoln County has received some benefits from a state takeover of the school system, Priestley wishes local officials could have achieved those advantages on their own.

“It may have been advantageous for it to occur,” he said of the takeover. “The duration of it has just lasted too long.”

“Our children, once they graduate high school or college, seem to go to other states in the country, and that’s a valuable resource that we’re losing.” – Shane Mallett

Mallett said the Ohio County schools are fortunate to be strong academically, but he wants to be able to keep more graduates in the community. “Our children, once they graduate high school or college, seem to go to other states in the country, and that’s a valuable resource that we’re losing,” he said.

Freeman would like to do something about the dropout rate in Cabell County. “We tend to struggle with that and try to think of new ways to reach our at-risk children,” she said. “That’s one thing that I’m very concerned about – the dropout rate. Right now, we’re working with the Innovation Zone grants. That’s very exciting. The flexibility in the curriculum – that’s something that’s just really exciting right now, because we’ve never had that before. I’m anxious to see how that’s going to affect our dropout rate.”

Gov. Manchin and legislators have considered going beyond the flexibility offered in the Innovation Zones schools to provide even more flexibility in what they call “Charter Innovation” schools. Freeman said that would be all right with her. “I can live with it as long as the board still has some local control and that we have transportation of students and diversity,” she said.

 

Discipline needs to improve.

White said the biggest problem facing the Logan County schools is student discipline. He wants to see if curriculum changes could address that.

“If you’re presenting things the children want to learn, you are going to have some discipline issues, but you’re not going to have as many,” he said. “I would probably need to look at the offerings we are doing at our vocational center to make sure that our offerings both there and at the high school level are meeting the needs of these children who are getting ready to go out into the workforce.”

Legislators also have been studying whether West Virginia schools need to offer more vocational-technical courses to meet the needs of some students.

Iman ran for the school board in Grant County because she wasn’t happy with the way the schools were being run.

“Right now, the state’s in control,” she said. “Just getting control back from the state would be a big challenge.”

The Grant County schools also face financial challenges because the system does not have an excess levy. “We’ve always had trouble getting one passed,” Iman said. “That’s going to be a big factor in what we can do with the school system.”

As someone who attended school in Mineral County, she said, she has seen the difference an excess levy can make.

“We were offered a variety of different things,” Iman said. “Of course, Mineral County has had an excess levy for years and years. I thought our kids would be offered automatically everything we were offered. No way. We’re offered bare minimum at the school my children attend.”

“What can we do as board members to get test scores up?” – Angela Iman

As a new board member, she also worries about low test scores. “How do we as board members work on that?” Iman asked. “You have somebody in charge of curriculum. What can we do as board members to get test scores up?”

Kidwell said the Morgan County school system is strong financially, but it struggles to retain qualified teachers. “We’re bordered by Washington County, Maryland, on the one side and Frederick County, Virginia, on the other side,” he said. “With everything else that’s going on, staying competitive salary-wise to maintain and retain those teachers [is difficult].”

 

Changes cause turmoil.

In Monongalia County, the big challenge right now for Harvey and his fellow board members is the consolidation of two old schools and their replacement with one building that meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

“The community – as in all school closings – they’re just a little unhappy about closing their hundred-year-old and 90-plus-year-old school,” he said. “They would like us to build the new school on the site of the hundred-year-old school. Our architects tell us – and everybody that knows about siting schools – that it’s an inadequate site.”

The last time Sams served on the Monroe County school board in 2005, he was able to work with a long-serving superintendent, Lyn Guy. But the school board recently let her go after 19 years in the job. Her ouster created much turmoil, as well as legal action, in Monroe County. Three of the board members who chose to remove Guy have been replaced by Sams and two newcomers to the board. They and two members with two years of experience on the board now must work with first-time superintendent Kevin Sears.

“We’re trying to get the healing process started and get the people back together,” Sams said. “We got to play the hand that’s been dealt, whatever those cards are, and do the best we can.”

After six years as a Clay County board member, Cercone said new school board members would do well to realize the importance of working with others.

“You’re not going to make a lot of changes by yourself,” she said. “It’s a team effort. [Don’t] go in there and think you’re going to show them how it’s done. It has to be a group effort. You can’t go in there with your own agenda.”

 

 

Photographs by Judy Reckart,  Reckart & Associates, Morgantown, W. Va.

 

Board members must be budget balancers

 

By Jim Wallace

One of the most important duties of county school board members is to make sure their school system is fiscally responsible. That’s a simple concept, but it’s not so simple to maintain a balanced budget and tend to all the needs of the system.

“I’ve likened this many times to putting together a puzzle. Sometimes you have to cut in one area to add in another area. Sometimes you have to cut in multiple areas.” – J.P. Mowery

“I’ve likened this many times to putting together a puzzle,” J.P. Mowery, treasurer of the Pendleton County schools, told attendees at the West Virginia School Board Association’s Orientation ’10 conference in Morgantown. “Sometimes you have to cut in one area to add in another area. Sometimes you have to cut in multiple areas.”

Mowery said fiscal responsibility includes balancing the budget, managing resources wisely, planning for the future and adhering to state statutes. A budget is a fairly complex document that must follow rules that often change and not just an annual event, he said. It’s an act requiring the balancing of needs versus wants, he said.

“Sometimes those decisions are not very easy,” Mowery said.

Money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the federal stimulus – has helped West Virginia fill in some shortfalls that might have otherwise caused the state to cut funding to county school districts. West Virginia has not been hit as hard by the recession as most other states, Mowery said, and the stimulus money has helped hold off the effects of the recession. But the federal funds could be reduced in fiscal year 2012, he said, so districts should plan for potential cuts in state spending.

 

It’s a matter of priorities.

The primary purpose of a budget, he said, is “to translate the school district’s educational priorities into program and financial terms – within available fiscal resources and legal constraints.” Further, Mowery said about the budget:

• Budget planning is a deliberate action.
  
  
• It should provide a perspective on what has been done, what is now being done and what should be done in relationship to available resources.
  
  
• Completion of the budget document does not terminate the planning process. Constant monitoring and updating is necessary.

When putting together a budget, school board members must consider federal, state and local sources of revenue. Local tax sources include regular levies, excess levies and other levies. Mowery said West Virginia ranks very high compared to other states in terms of equity of funding among the counties, but districts get to keep 10 percent of local share of regular levies for use at their own discretion.

“The state did give us some breathing room,” he said in reference to the Legislature’s decision to increase the local share.

Most districts – 43 out of the 55 counties – also have excess levies to allow them to have money beyond what they get from the School Aid Formula. Citizens’ groups must lead grassroots efforts to get excess levies passed, Mowery said.

“Communication is certainly key if you want an excess levy in your county. It cannot be driven by the board members or by the administration.” – J.P. Mowery

“Communication is certainly key if you want an excess levy in your county,” he said. “It cannot be driven by the board members or by the administration.”

Mowery said the State Aid Formula is driven mostly by enrollment, although there are some extra allowances for sparsely populated counties. Some districts also get state grants for special education and alternative education. If they want School Building Authority money for construction or renovation of school facilities, they must compete for it.

“Is it political?” Mowery asked. “Yes, it is. Now, I really think those guys do a great job meeting the needs around the state.” But he said members of the SBA get much pressure from legislators and others on which projects to choose.

Other state money is used to help school districts with technology needs. “The state has really emphasized technology in the last 20 years,” Mowery said.

 

Enrollment is a big driver.

Because “enrollment is the engine that drives state funding,” he said board members should consider both trends and projections for enrollment. When enrollment declines, as it has been doing in most counties, districts usually must consider cutting positions, he said. The state takes two “snapshots” of enrollment numbers: first-month enrollment in mid-September and second-month enrollment in mid-October.

Mowery said personnel costs account for 80 percent to 90 percent of school systems’ expenditures. He said the state reimburses the districts for what is in the School Aid Formula, but most districts use their local funds to go beyond that. “Think through personnel actions carefully,” he urged board members.

Utility expenses are big among other school system costs, which also include textbooks, supplies, equipment, maintenance and capital improvements, Mowery said. School board members must decide which costs are fixed and which are variable, he said.

Preliminary computations for the School Aid Formula that are generated by the state Education Department’s Office of School Finance are very important, Mowery said. Those computations are usually available in December.

As he went though the 10 steps of the School Aid Formula, Mowery noted that the state reimburses school districts for 95 percent of transportation expenses, but the reimbursements are two years in arrears. He added that districts can get up to 105 percent of their expenses reimbursed if they use alternative fuels.

 

Watch out for deficits and other problems.

Mowery warned school board members about a few potential pitfalls:

• “Be aware that if the county assessment isn’t where it should be, there could be a penalty,” he said. Thus, he advised board members to work with county assessors to make sure that doesn’t happen.
  
  
• “Tax revenues for educating children should be spent on education children,” he said. In other words, that money should not be used on other expenses.
  
  
• “Don’t have a deficit,” he said. “Don’t spend more than you have.”

It’s not unusual for a school district to have a “casual deficit,” which is defined as a deficit of not more than three percent of the approved levy estimate or a deficit that is nonrecurring from year to year, Mowery said. But if a district has more than a casual deficit, it must submit a plan to the state to address the problem. If the state school board doesn’t approve the plan, it could declare a state of emergency in the school system and appoint a team of consultants to determine how to correct the problem.

“Deficits are not to be taken lightly.” – J.P. Mowery

“Deficits are not to be taken lightly,” Mowery said. He warned school board members that they could be found personally liable if they are found to have negligently participated in illegal expenditures.

“The bottom line is we are here to educate students,” Mowery said.

 

OPEB is a big worry.

The issue of deficits brought up the problem of OPEB – “other post-employment benefits.” West Virginia has an unfunded liability of about $8 billion for OPEB, mostly for health care benefits promised to current and future retirees from government positions. School districts have been fighting with the state over whether the state or the districts should be responsible for a large portion of that deficit, and 50 of the 55 school boards have filed a lawsuit against the state.

When the session opened up to questions from the audience, OPEB was what most members wanted to discuss. Rick Olcott, the outgoing president of the West Virginia School Board Association, said that the rules of the General Accounting Standards Board, which led to the requirement for states and other government bodies to account for OPEB, are “a good thing.” He added that there are clauses in those rules that could be implemented to relieve the county school boards of most of the OPEB liability now attributed to them. He said that liability is about 45 percent of West Virginia’s total OPEB liability, and school boards won’t be able to handle it.

“When you get right down to it, we’re all on the Titanic.” – Bill Raglin

“Within a couple of years, that liability could consume all of our assets,” Olcott said. “Frankly, we don’t know what to do at this point.”

Kanawha County school board member Bill Raglin said, “When you get right down to it, we’re all on the Titanic.” He said the Legislature created the OPEB problem over many years, and if school boards don’t have to show the liability on their books, the state will have to come up with funding for it.

“The game that is being played right now is who is going to have to go out and take the wrath of the people,” Raglin said.

One question that came from the audience was about whether school boards already were writing checks to pay off the OPEB liability. Mowery responded that the school boards are not writing checks for it and the state is going to have to figure out how to pay for it.

“My gut reaction on this is it’s smoke and mirrors,” he said, adding that he agreed with the school boards’ lawsuit against the state.

Howard O’Cull, executive director of the West Virginia School Board Association, said the Legislature has a committee working on the OPEB problem. The big issue is “who owns” school system employees, he said.

“I think that’s a very pivotal issue,” O’Cull said. “If they are state employees, that will have quite an effect.”

Olcott said West Virginia is the only state that moved OPEB accountability from the state to county school boards. He said the Legislature didn’t understand what it was doing.

School board members’ powers are limited

By Jim Wallace

Any newly elected school board member feeling big about his or her new position likely felt a bit more humble after hearing from Howard Seufer and Rick Boothby during the West Virginia School Board Association’s Orientation ’10 conference in Morgantown.

Seufer and Boothby are lawyers with the firm Bowles Rice McDavid Graff and Love who specialize in education law. They work with the WVSBA and individual school boards.

Under the nation’s federal system of government, Seufer said, school boards are at the bottom of the hierarchy – below the federal and state governments. He said local school boards are not even mentioned in the West Virginia Constitution but were created by state statute in 1933.

“You are a creature of statute,” Seufer said, meaning that the Legislature could change their status with another statute. “It’s a positive challenge, a good challenge, and you can still get things done,” he said.

Boothby said school boards are corporations, which are exempt from legal process and taxes. As corporations, school boards are continuing entities, independent of personalities, he said.

“You are a member of a board, but you are not the board,” Boothby said.

“School districts are corporations of the most limited power known to law.” – Rick Boothby

As corporations, school boards have only those powers “expressly conferred by law,” he said, or “fairly arising by necessary implication,” he said. “School districts are corporations of the most limited power known to law.”

Unlike local school boards, Boothby said, the state school board is established in the state Constitution, so it is not totally at the mercy of the Legislature. He said the Legislature fortifies the state board through the laws it passes.

 

Boards must consider several layers of law.

Seufer explained that school law is derived from several sources, including the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress, federal administrative regulations, the West Virginia Constitution, state statutes, state administrative regulations and county policies, which have the force of law. Then the courts interpret the law and enforce it, he said.

When school board members consider taking action, they should consider whether such action would hold up under a series of questions Seufer calls “The Gauntlet”:

• Is the action authorized and not forbidden by state statute or state board policy?
  
  
• Is the action free of conflict with the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress, federal administrative regulations and relevant federal court decisions?
  
  
• Is the action free of conflict with the West Virginia Constitution, state statutes, state administrative regulations and relevant West Virginia Supreme Court and circuit court decisions?
  
  
• Is the proposed action free of conflict with county board policies and practices?
  
  
• For a margin of safety, is the proposed action free of conflict with state superintendent interpretations, attorney general opinions, grievance board decisions, and Ethics Commission and Open Governmental Meeting Committee advisory opinions?

“Be really, really careful as board members.” – Howard Seufer

Further emphasizing the limitations of school board members’ powers, Seufer said any citizen has as much authority as board members outside of school board meetings. The one exception is the board president, who has the power to sign checks and call special meetings. Board members cannot negotiate on behalf of or bind the board, give orders to the superintendent, employees, students, parents or volunteers, access confidential records or disregard board policies or school rules.

“If there is any area in which board members get in trouble, it’s from violating that rule,” he said. “Be really, really careful as board members.”

Other advice Seufer and Boothby had for school board members include:

• Be aware of and follow your board’s own policies.
  
  
• Put a high priority on open meetings law compliance.
  
  
• Be very cautious when things get too close to home. (In other words, be careful not to violate the West Virginia Governmental Ethics Act.)
  
  
• Start early to protect board decisions to be made after hearings.
  
  
• Distinguish decisions that, by law, can be made only upon the superintendent’s recommendation.
  
  
• Move with caution in certain “red flag” areas. (For example, Seufer said, “Nothing tears apart a board more than religion in schools.”
• Do not succumb to inflamed public opinion.
  
  
• Seek the advice of competent counsel, in advance, if possible.
  
  
• Do your homework.
  
  
• Make full use of your WVSBA membership benefits.
  
  
• Stay abreast of legal developments.

“The worst moment in a school board lawyer’s life is to be leading in a dispute only to have the other side pull out a board policy still in effect.” – Rick Boothby

Boothby specifically advised board members to make sure they follow their boards’ own policies, no matter how old they are. “The worst moment in a school board lawyer’s life is to be leading in a dispute only to have the other side pull out a board policy still in effect,” he said. “Even though it’s 30 years old, it still applies.”

Seufer said open meetings “are most problematic” for school board members. His advice is to become familiar with the law. “You usually get into trouble because you are doing something someone doesn’t like,” he said. But a judge who finds an open meetings law violation can set aside a school board’s decision, Seufer said.

Further, he warned school board members that e-mail is “dangerous.” School board members should be careful about sending e-mail to all board members, because it could constitute holding an illegal meeting, he said. In some cases, lawyers have asked courts to seize board members’ home computers, Seufer said.

 

Getting through the gray is object of ethics law

 

By Jim Wallace

School board members are expected to act ethically in their positions, but just what is ethical and what isn’t can be tricky to determine sometimes.

“There are so many gray areas in the law,” Theresa Kirk, executive director of the West Virginia Ethics Commission, told attendees at the Orientation ’10 conference of the West Virginia School Board Association.

“If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” – Theresa Kirk

But as in many other aspects of life, she said, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Kirk told the school board members that West Virginia’s Ethics Act includes standards for:

• Prohibitions against private gain;
• Rules on voting;
• Limitations on employment;
• Post-employment limitations;
• Public contracts;
• Limitations on the solicitation and receipt of gifts; and
• Nepotism.

Public officials may not use public resources to conduct private business, Kirk said, but a “de minimis” use of public resources, such as computers and e-mail is permitted. For example, she said, using e-mail to check on children at home, check the gym schedule or check the news is considered permissible. But a government computer may not be used for private business.

 

Voting is sometimes prohibited.

A school board member may not vote on a matter involving: a business in which the member or a family member is an employee or owns at least 5 percent of the stock; personnel involving a relative; or the awarding of a contract to a nonprofit organization of which the member or an immediate family member is an employee.

In regard to public contracts, Kirk said, county school board members may not have a financial interest in a public contract over which their public position gives them “voice, influence or control.”

“Where we see people getting confused is proper recusal,” she said. When a board member has a conflict of interest, that member must state his or her interest and then leave the room as the topic is discussed.

Kirk also reviewed rules for complying with the Open Meetings Act. Among other points she made was that citizens do have the right to record meetings, although boards may establish rules about recording, such as where recording devices may be positioned.

Her advice for handling meetings in which things get out of control was to call a recess and wait until people have calmed down before resuming the meeting.

Kirk also advised school board members to be very careful about holding retreats. They should be only training sessions and not be used for making decisions.

 

Board members get advice from several viewpoints

 

By Jim Wallace

School board members would do well to let school system employees do their jobs and always to keep children in mind, according to leaders of several education groups.

They offered their advice at the West Virginia School Board Association’s Orientation ’10 conference in Morgantown in June. Here are the tips they gave to new school board members.

Bob Brown, executive director of the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association:

• Hands on, fingers off – Board members need to be involved and know what’s going on. They need to know the players, policies and operations. And they need to know about the budget. They should visit the central office and the schools. They should eat a school lunch. They should visit a bus garage if they “really want to know what’s going on.” But board members can’t micromanage the system.
  
  
• Listen to your superintendent and employees – Board members must have confidence in them. Let them do the budget but question them. Trust them on regulations, policies and rewards. And remember employees when spending local money.
  
  
• Stay in touch with the community – The No. 1 problem is a lack of parental involvement.

Frank Collier, executive director of the West Virginia Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals:

• Keep your head straight – “Give principals everything you can give them and they will work their hearts out for you.”
• Think of the children.
• Visit the schools.
• Be aware of hidden agendas.
• Insist that principals know what’s going on in their buildings.
• Beware of the deadly words: “We have never done it that way before.”

Martha Dean, executive director of the West Virginia Association of School Administrators:

• Once the vote has been taken, that’s the decision of the board, so you should support it.
• Always be aware that the power of the board of education is the power of the group. You don’t have any authority as an individual.
• Adhere to the principle of no surprises. You need to be prepared to make informed decisions.

Debbie Gurtis of the West Virginia Parent-Teacher Association:

• Promote and encourage parental and family involvement. Involvement helps improve student achievement and reduce the dropout rate.
  
  
• Educate parents on the chain of command in the county school system. Invite leaders of parent groups to attend school board meetings.
  
  
• Partner with the PTA for advocacy.

Judy Hale, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia:

• Be very careful about any policy you are asked to pass. Policies can be far-reaching.
• You shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Listen to your employees. Get information from the superintendent.
• Don’t fight with the press. Let it go.

Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association:

• Do what’s best for the kids.
• We (educators and board members) should take education back. Talk about reforms that work.

Howard O’Cull, executive director of the West Virginia School Board Association:

• Always remember your true constituents are the students.

 

Editor’s Note: -- 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.

 

 

WVSBA Direct

New officers assume association leadership duties

 

By Howard O’Cull

Mitchem

Mike Mitchem assumes the presidency of the West Virginia School Board Association for FY11. Mitchem is serving his fourth term of office with the McDowell County Board of Education. He is the Executive Director of the King Coal Highway I-73/74 Authority.

His previous occupation includes service as the Chief Appraiser of the McDowell County Assessor’s Office. Mitchem resides in Iaeger with his wife of 32 years, Cheryl, the Executive Director of the Larry Joe Harless Community Center. They have two sons, Michael, a senior software analyst for Computer Science Corporation and Bobby, a junior software analyst for Computer Science Corporation. They both reside with their wives in Fredericksburg, VA.

Mitchem’s interests are playing chess, reading and spending time with his family. During his tenure, he hopes WVSBA will “continue to provide avenues to keep all members abreast of current information and policy development trainings, and advocate for a first class education for all students, as well as joining with other education associations as we work with the state legislature concerning issues involving Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB), school discipline, personnel laws and other important issues affecting our students.” Additionally, Mitchem praised Immediate Past President Rick Olcott (Wood) for “all the hard work he has done and for keeping the association on a steady course.”

Officers were elected at the annual business meeting in February.

Other incoming officers include: Sis Murray (Marion), president-elect; Jimmy Wyatt (Tyler), vice president; and Gary Kable (Jefferson), financial officer. Rick Olcott (Wood) is immediate past president.

Mary Alice Murray is a graduate of Fairmont State University with a degree in nursing, and has worked as a Registered Nurse for 35 years.  She is married to Al Murray and they have two children, Lance and Ann Marie.  She has been a member of the Marion County Board of Education for 8 years and was recently elected to serve another term.

Wyatt is commencing his second term as a member of the Tyler County Board of Education after serving as an educator in three counties for 41 years. He retired as principal of Tyler Consolidated High School in 2004.  His wife, Jo Ann, is also a retired educator. His daughter and son-in-law work for Ritchie County schools.  During his tenure, Wyatt served on several boards of directors, including those for the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference and the Little Kanawha Athletic Conference. While serving on the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Board of Directors, he was elected to a four-year term on the National Federation of High Schools. Wyatt also served as a member of the state board of the North Central Accreditation Association.
                                                                                                                               
Wyatt is active in the Tyler County Retired School Employees and serves as vice president and legislative chairman for that group. Recently, he represented Region One in developing legislative priorities for the state association. 

He and his wife enjoy camping in the Elkins area often and travel as time permits to visit other states. They spend a lot of time following the athletic and academic activities of their grandson, Austin Weekley, who is an incoming freshman at Ritchie County High School. 

 

Board members have industrial backgrounds.

After graduating from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University), Kable worked in sales and as a production planner for Halltown Paperboard, an Eastern Panhandle mill using recycled paper to make boxboard for packaging for candy, shoe, shirt, hosiery and other products.

Following that, Kable became assistant manager for a wholesale petroleum products distributorship for a short time and then joined a division of a Fortune 500 company as a district sales manager and then eastern regional sales manager.  

After 13 years in that position and due to downsizing, he began his own photography business in 1982.  He is now semi-retired but still maintains a number of accounts.  

Kable is married and says he is “helping the love of my life” fight off ovarian cancer. He and his wife, a McDowell County native, are the parents of three daughters. They have seven grandchildren. Kable is president of the homeowners' association for the development in which he lives. He is completing his fourth year as a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education, after being appointed to fill an unexpired vacancy. He is vice president of the board.

Olcott was elected to the Wood County Board of Education in November 2004 and re-elected to a third term in May. He graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 1975. There, he was a member of the state champion baseball team in 1975, the Patriot mascot, president of the Key Club, and involved with student council and band.

 Olcott graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, and obtained Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) in 1997. He was recertified in 2003 and 2008. He is a Global Supply Chain manager with DuPont Filaments, where he has been employed for more than 28 years. He is past president and current board member of the Parkersburg chapter for supply chain professionals and past president of the Pahlhurst Plaza Maintenance Association.

His wife of 29 years, Cheryl, is a ninth-year teacher and former coach at Parkersburg South High School. They have two children, Josh and Jessi, both graduates of PSHS. Josh graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College and from Palmer College of Chiropractic in September 2008. Jessi graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in December 2005 and Florida State University Graduate School of International Affairs in August 2007.

 Olcott’s past school experience includes four years as a high school assistant tennis coach, high school Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) president and member, and high school principal selection committee member. He also is a Regional Education Service Agency V certified substitute teacher.

 

County Board Member Training Standards Review Committee to Meet August 11

West Virginia’s County Board Member Training Standards Review Committee (TSRC) will meet August 11 in the governor’s press conference room at the state Capitol.

The meeting will commence at 9:30 a.m. and is slated to adjourn by 11:30 a.m.

According to School Board Association Executive Director Howard O’Cull, this meeting – the first for fiscal year 2011 – is “exceedingly important” in that county board member training records (FY10) will be certified for presentation to the state Board of Education at its September meetings in Charleston.

Once approved by the state board, the training information is included on the state and county report cards and, as determined by the TSRC or state Board of Education, released to the public.

At the August meeting, the TSRC will also determine nominees to fill vacancies in its membership as well as consider other potential member nominees.

The state board will consider this information at its September or October meetings.

Additionally, a TSRC subcommittee will begin the process of updating state board-approved training regulations, which might include some special session legislative revisions to sections of law concerning board member continuing education.

The TSRC, which is a state Board of Education-sanctioned entity, is comprised of 23 members.

The three state Board of Education members, appointed by the state board president, have committee primacy, meaning they have final say, including amendment and  “veto” prerogatives, regarding committee-approved motions, rules, and regulations prior to their being presented to the full board.

State Board of Education member Gayle Manchin (Kanawha) is TSRC chairperson, a position she has held for the past three years. Committee members include: Priscilla Haden (Kanawha); WVBE President, Jenny Phillips (Randolph), WVBE Vice President; Rick Olcott (Wood), WVSBA Immediate Past President; Mike Mitchem (McDowell), WVSBA President; , David Ambrose (Morgan), WVSBA Region VIII Director; Dr. Barbara Parsons (Monongalia); Rick Snuffer (Raleigh), WVSBA Past President; Gretchen Shaffer (Monongalia), 2010 West Virginia Teacher of the Year; Frank Collier, West Virginia Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals; Bob Brown, West Virginia School Service Personnel Association; The Honorable David Perry, House Education Committee; The Honorable Erik Wells, Senate Education Committee; Betty Jo Jordan, representing the State Superintendent of Schools; Larry Parsons, Ed.D., West Virginia Association of School Administrators; Ron Nichols, representing Regional Education Service Agencies; Kenna Seal, Ph.D., Office of Education Performance Audits; Dixie Billheimer, Ph.D., Center for Professional Development; Michael Cunningham, Ed.D., Representing Higher Education; Cathy D’Antoni, West Virginia Department of Education; Debbie Gurtis, West Virginia PTA, MaryLu Hutchins, At-Large Representative; and, Howard M. O’Cull, Ed.D., West Virginia School Board Association/TSRC Secretary.

All TSRC meetings are published in the State Register and are open to the public and news media.

The TSRC was established in 1990 as a means to implement county board member training, which was adopted as part of then-Gov. Gaston Caperton’s education reform proposals.  At the suggestion of the West Virginia School Board Association, the TSRC was included in state code as part of a county board member reform bill in 2009.

According to the National School Boards Association, West Virginia is one of twenty states that require boards of education members to receive training (six of these states require training for newly-elected members only.) West Virginia, however, is the sole state requiring completion of orientation prior to allowing members to take office according to NSBA.

Additionally, West Virginia is believed to be the only state that operates with a “committee” such as the TSRC, based on NSBA information.

WVSBA records indicate board members usually acquire about 11 clock hours of training per year, although seven hours are required.
Moreover, O’Cull says, the organization is moving toward greater use of technology for training, including online training modules and videoconferencing. He also says the Nicholas and Pleasants county school boards are engaged in independent reading and research training projects and that both initiatives have garnered the praise of the TSRC.

O’Cull serves as TSRC secretary.

West Virginia School Board Association Directory ’11 will be distributed in late August

By Shirley Davidson

The West Virginia School Board Association an annual directory for distribution to county board members and superintendents will be available within two months. The directory includes contact information, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, including fax numbers, as well as e-mail addresses for county board members (to the degree members voluntarily release this information to the association).

The directory also includes contact information for county superintendents, board central offices, and board executive secretaries, as well as relevant information for state Department of Education staff, various education-related associations, and state government information, including contact information for all legislators. Other information in the directory includes WVSBA Constitution and Bylaws as well as state Board of Education-approved regulations governing county board member training.

Except for contact information that is generally available to the public, directory information is not released to vendors/salespersons or for use in business promotional ventures. However, upon request, contact information, as contained in the directory, is provided to state Department of Education officials, legislators/legislative staff members, the governor’s office and similar entities.

Contact information also is provided to representatives of the news media upon their request.

The 2011 “directory request form” is available online at www.wvsba.org. It should be completed by July 31, 2010. Notice of the availability of the form will be sent to each county board member. Please contact me for assistance in completing the form, which is to be done online. My preferred contact information is: sdavidson@wvsba.org by e-mail or 304-346-0571 by telephone.

Based on directives from the association’s executive board, WVSBA staff prefers to provide information to county board members in electronic format, which proves to be a more timely and cost-effective means of distribution, especially for matters regarding legislation.

Please contact me if you would like to be included on WVSBA’s various electronic mailing lists, including the legislative Listserv which includes about 1,000 e-mail addresses. Again, my preferred contact information is: sdavidson@wvsba.org

Shirley Davidson is WVSBA’s administrative assistant, a position she has held since 2000.

Board presidents’ training session slated for July 16/17 in Wheeling

The West Virginia School Board Association's FY11 Presidents Retreat will be held July 16-17 at Oglebay Park in Wheeling.

Central programming relates to the roles and responsibilities of county board presidents. Other training topics include:

•  A "how-to" relating to the county board president's role in presiding over hearings, especially those relating to school personnel and student issues such as school personnel transfer and reductions in force (RIFs), student suspension and expulsion proceedings, specialized hearings such as those relating to school mergers or closures.
  
  
•  A review of education enacted by the Legislature in the 2010 regular session as well as information regarding the proposed special session on education slated to commence July 19, as Gov. Joe Manchin had announced earlier.
  
  
• An exercise in meeting management and how to conduct meetings effectively.  

Additionally, board presidents will learn about current issues in public education and will participate in an exercise in which participants discuss an educational program or service unique to their counties.

The program is to be presented for approval by the County Board School Board Member Training Standards Review Committee next week.

For more information, please contact the association’s office.

According to association meeting registrar Shirley Davidson, about 47 persons have registered for the conference, including a few vice presidents.

Former county board members are commended for their service

We would like to commend the following individuals for their years of service to the students of West Virginia. Their terms as county board members expired June 30, 2010.

Those persons recognized include:

Barbour:	Patrick “Pat” Jones Bradford Robinson Brian Kisamore
Berkeley:	Patrick “Pat” Murphy
Braxton:	John Campbell
Brooke:	W. Richard Pannett William “Bill” Harvey
Cabell:	Bessie Holley
Calhoun:	Elmer Evans Larry Harris
Clay:	RickTanner James “Jim” Dawson
Doddridge:	Ralph Sandora
Fayette:	James Workman
Gilmer:	Larry Butcher
Grant:	Dortha “Dottie” Riggleman Charles “Kirk” Wilson
Greenbrier:	William Zopp
Hampshire:	Lisa Hileman
Hancock:	Jerry Durante
Hardy:	Ricky “Rick” Perkins
Harrison:	Sally Cann James Reaser
Lincoln:	Larry Bays Rod Baker
Logan:	Allison Lambert Robert “Bob” Wolfe
Marshall:	Dr. Mary Komorowski
Mason:	Matthew “Matt” Thompson
Mingo:	Dr. James Endicott
Monongalia:	Mike Kelly
Monroe:	Ralph James Aaron Judy William “Bill” Shiflet
Morgan:	Luke Christie
Nicholas:	James “Jim” Fitzwater
Ohio:	Howard Corcoran Thomas “Tom” Innocenti
Pendleton:	Teresa Bowers
Pocahontas:	Ruth Taylor Thomas VanReenen
Preston:	Jane Crogan Jack Kiem
Raleigh:	Patricia Waddell
Randolph:	Hollis Vance
Ritchie:	Steve Jarrell
Roane:	Russell Moore Randy Whited
Summers:	William Humphreys
Taylor:	Francis Nestor
Upshur:	Lance Koury Diane Godwin
Wayne:	Thomas “Tommy” Gibson John Barr Dr. Rodney Thompson
Webster:	Dwayne McCourt
Wirt:	Sheila Dye
Wyoming:	Robert Toler

 

 

Mike Mitchem (McDowell), West Virginia School Board Association president, on behalf of the West Virginia School Board Association’s Executive Board.

 

 

Several counties get new superintendents

 

By Howard O’Cull

Monroe, Ritchie, Grant and McDowell counties are among the school districts with new superintendents this school year.

The Monroe County Board of Education’s selection of Kevin W. Siers, Ed.D., last month generated considerable controversy. That’s because the outgoing board, which included one member who chose not to run for reelection and two members who were defeated in the election moved ahead in appointing a superintendent without waiting for the incoming board to take office. The old board previously had voted 4-1 not to renew the contract of former longtime Supt. Lyn Guy, Ed.D.

Two separate actions were filed in the Monroe County Circuit Court, the first challenging the right of an outgoing, "lame-duck" board to make such a selection and the second challenging the timing of the selection, which was after the June 1 deadline. According to 2009 legislation, a county school superintendent must be selected by June 1.

Litigation regarding the appointment was settled in June when Monroe County Circuit Judge Robert Irons twice ruled the then-current bord could proceed with the selection. When citizen plaintiffs asked the state Supreme Court to issue an extraordinary writ to prohibit the outgoing board from making the appointment, the court chose not to hear the case.

Siers, a Wyoming County native, formerly served as a school principal in Bland County, Virginia.

Other changes are made.

State Supt. Steve Paine, Ed.D., has named former Barbour County Superintendent DeEdra Lundeen, Ed.D., as Grant County schools’ superintendent. Grant is one of six counties taken over by the state Board of Education.

The Barbour County Board of Education plans to appoint its superintendent later this month, based on a search timeline provided by the West Virginia School Board Association, which is coordinating that effort for the Barbour board.

Ed Toman, former superintendent in Wirt and Gilmer counties, has been appointed superintendent for the Ritchie County district, according to board President Carolyn Bowie. Toman recently was employed by Glenville State University.

Jim Brown has been named superintendent in McDowell County, which is also a state takeover county. He succeeds Suzette Cook, who is returning to a Title I position with the state Department of Education. Brown, who was named to the position by Paine, had formerly worked for the Education Department.

Meeting in May, the Lincoln County Board of Education recommended David Roach be named county schools superintendent, pending approval of the state superintendent. Paine announced Roach’s appointment at the June state Board of Education meeting. Roach is Mingo County schools’ former superintendent.

Paine named Mingo County Assistant Supt. Randy Keathley to the county superintendent position.

Prior to Roach, Mingo County’s superintendent was Dwight Dials. Paine named Dials as Fayette County schools’ superintendent when the state board intervened in that system.

Earlier this year, the Wood County Board of Education selected J. Patrick “Pat” Law, Ed.D, as county superintendent, succeeding Bill Niday, who has retired.

Cyrus Cecil “C.C.” Lester, a former Nicholas County Schools principal, has been selected by the Pocahontas County Board as superintendent. He served as principal in Pocahontas County prior to his employment by the Nicholas County Board.

In Brooke County, Kathy Kidder-Wilkerson was selected as county schools superintendent, succeeding Mary Kay Hervey DeGarmo, who has retired.

Additionally, Paine named Guy as Davis-Stuart School principal. Located in Lewisburg, that school is licensed by the state Department of Health and Human Resources and offers programs in five different settings for children between the ages of 12 and 18, accepting referrals from both the court system and DHHR.

All appointments are effective for the current school year.

WVSBA conducted the Wood, Lincoln, Monroe and Pocahontas county searches.

 

Former WVSBA employee John Frederick Scott dies

 

Commentary

 

 

Budget-balancing is tough is West Virginia but worse elsewhere

By Mike McKown

During the last two years, the “Great Recession” has taken its toll on most states’ budgets. Recent West Virginia state government budget measures reveal the effects of shrinking tax collections, growing state debt, increased unemployment, an aging population, health care costs growing faster than inflation and retirement systems’ investment losses. All these have caused most other states to implement massive budget cuts, furloughs and layoffs.

The State of California faces a multi-billion dollar deficit for fiscal year (FY) 2011, even after extreme budget measures were taken in the state’s FY 2010 budget - large shortfalls, mandatory furloughs, 22,000 teacher layoffs, aid to the university system cut 20 percent just to name a few. Illinois, with large pension payments delayed until FY 2011, faces an FY2011 budget gap of at least $11 billion. Nevada stares at a 33 percent gap for FY 2011.  New Jersey looks at a shortfall of over 27 percent. New York faces deficits larger than West Virginia’s entire budget, warning that 15,000 teaching jobs could disappear. Even North Carolina plans cuts to the FY 2011 budget, reducing 600 state jobs and asking schools and universities to budget a 4 percent funding reduction. Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools expect to cut 600 of the district’s 9,400 teachers after laying off 120 last year.

Our neighboring states also feel the crunch – Ohio has cut budgets, exhausted its rainy day fund and is behind revenue estimates for the current fiscal year. Pennsylvania is facing a current fiscal year gap of over $1 billion. Virginia cut its FY 2010 budget multiple times.  Kentucky faced a $1.5 billion gap in its FY 2011 budget. Maryland, along with 29 other states, balanced its FY 2011 budget assuming a six-month extension of enhanced FMAP (the federal match rate for Medicaid funding).  This FMAP extension has not materialized.  West Virginia did not assume the enhanced FMAP in its FY 2011 budget.

We’ve weathered the current financial storm relatively well. While many states are borrowing from the federal government to help pay unemployment benefits, West Virginia has not done so.

We’ve weathered the current financial storm relatively well. While many states are borrowing from the federal government to help pay unemployment benefits, West Virginia has not done so.  Some states have delayed retirement funding – West Virginia continues to fully fund its retirement systems.  Many states furloughed or reduced staffs – West Virginia has not done so.  A few states borrow money just to pay daily bills – West Virginia’s cash flow is strong and all payments continue on time.  West Virginia’s rainy day fund is one of the strongest in the country at $565 million, or almost 15 percent of its general revenue fund budget.  Also, West Virginia was one of only three states that received upgrades in their bond ratings during 2009.  This rating upgrade should result in lower interest rates for any future bond issues. 

The state’s relatively strong financial position did not occur by accident. The use of long-term budget planning, through the state’s six-year plan, highlighted the need for conservative budget planning even during pre-recessionary periods of revenue surge from the volatile severance tax and video lottery revenues. This planning has allowed West Virginia to fare better than most during the last few budget cycles and provides invaluable information when considering future budgets. West Virginia was one of a handful of states that didn’t have to cut their FY 2009 budgets. Small adjustments were required to West Virginia’s FY 2010 and FY 2011 budgets. With the help of $218 million of one-time federal education stabilization funds, public education’s school aid funding formula was made whole and higher education funding was maintained at the FY 2009 level for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.  However, this one-time funding source is not available for FY 2012’s budget.  And there are looming budget clouds on the horizon.

The state’s six-year plan reveals plenty of significant funding challenges for future budgets. Current estimates show a funding gap in general and lottery funds of over $200 million (about 5 percent) for FY 2012 (excluding the OPEB – other post-employment benefits – funding issue). While revenue collections typically grow year after year, general revenue collections will not exceed FY 2008 collection levels until FY 2013 and future lottery revenues will gradually decrease. Health care funding continues to drive the increased budget expenditure requirements for FY 2012 and beyond. Then in FY 2013, FY 2014 and FY 2015, large state funding increases for current level program funding in the Medicaid program kick in as the Medicaid Trust Fund is exhausted.

There are some budget balancing options available to West Virginia that could help to soften the predicted upcoming budget gaps. We have a relatively strong rainy day fund. We have planned and funded current budgets by holding the line on base-building costs (items that carry-forward year to year), knowing we faced future budget shortfalls. Unappropriated funds from previous fiscal years have been set aside. A 3.4 percent mid-year budget reduction was implemented during the current FY 2010 that was based on a “worst-case” scenario of a revenue shortfall of approximately $120 million. It now appears that the shortfall will only be in the $60 million range. This also could help to soften future budget gaps. 

Tough fiscal decisions will have to be made. If new funding sources are not found, (and the appetite for tax increases is not there) the upcoming budget shortfalls will require fundamental, downward, structural budget adjustments on the expenditure side of the ledger.

While West Virginia has fared better than most other states during the recession, when looking toward future budgets, we need to plainly understand the challenges that face us and continue to prepare for them. Future budget gaps must be addressed. Each year, the budget must be balanced. Tough fiscal decisions will have to be made. If new funding sources are not found, (and the appetite for tax increases is not there) the upcoming budget shortfalls will require fundamental, downward, structural budget adjustments on the expenditure side of the ledger.

In looking forward, we know tough times lie ahead and there is the potential for an even more challenging future. What’s the impact of “Cap and Trade”? How will the newly enacted federal health care legislation affect West Virginia? How do we address rising PEIA costs, the OPEB unfunded liability, Medicaid requirements, prison overcrowding and our aging population needs? These are a few key questions that remain as we head into the FY 2012 budget cycle.

Mike McKown is West Virginia’s state budget director.

 

 

ETC.

 

 

 

Meanwhile in Rhode Island...

A Rhode Island second-grader violated his school’s no-weapons policy by gluing toy soldiers to his hat. David Morales, 8, chose the project, but school officials objected to the tiny guns carried by the solders. “The issue for us,” a school official said, “was the zero-tolerance for weapons.”
 – The Week, July 2-9, 2010.

 

Wisdom

“I have the best job in America because I represent you, the people of West Virginia…” – Robert C. Byrd (1917-2010).  

 

 

Soundbites

“A minimum of sound to a maximum of sense.” – Quotation attributed to Mark Twain describing the term “sound bites.”

 

“You’re not going to make a lot of changes by yourself. It’s a team effort. [Don’t] go in there and think you’re going to show them how it’s done. It has to be a group effort. You can’t go in there with your own agenda.” – Clay County school board member Beth Cercone on serving on a school board

“Learn how to stay the hell out of the way, and let the people who are trained to do their jobs do their jobs. No micromanagement.” – Monongalia County school board member Clarence Harvey on serving on a school board

“I’ve likened this many times to putting together a puzzle. Sometimes you have to cut in one area to add in another area. Sometimes you have to cut in multiple areas.” – Pendleton County treasurer J.P. Mowery on putting together a school system’s budget

“When you get right down to it, we’re all on the Titanic.” – Kanawha County school board member Bill Raglin on the OPEB liability

“My concern is we haven’t gelled a long-term strategy on how we want to tackle this rather large problem. The problem…will eventually solve itself, because eventually, we’re not going to have enough money to even pay the pay-go or to do anything else. And what you’re going to say to me is, ‘Cut the benefits.’ And we’re going to slowly erode those benefits until there aren’t any and they go to Medicare and the OPEB liability goes away unless we come up with a funding source and a long-term plan.” – PEIA Director Ted Cheatham to lawmakers on the OPEB problem

“This thing is looming over us with huge, dark clouds.” – Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick on OPEB

“School districts are corporations of the most limited power known to law.” – lawyer Rick Boothby

“I think we will be staying the course with our present curriculum for some time.” – Supt. Steve Paine on West Virginia’s compliance with Common Core State Standards

 

 

Last Word

“The wide world is all about you; you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot fence it out.” – J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973), British writer and author of the richly inventive epic fantasy, The Lord of the Rings.

If Freedom to teach is the goal, how about removing some of these regulations

By Greg Prudich

Ah, the myth of yet another magic bullet to save education – the charter school.

Envisioned years ago as an alternative to "failing" urban schools, the idea is for a group to operate free of the many rules and regulations that govern traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing such a school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The idea is to provide freedom from rules, in exchange for accountability. In this way, we are told, innovation can thrive and students can excel.

Those who tout charter schools in West Virginia and nationally, including President Obama, suggest freedom to teach will drive the process.

Accountability will protect our children.

Sounds great so far, huh?

My question is this: If freedom to innovate in public schools is such a great idea and rules are so bad, then why do Washington and Charleston dump rule upon rule and regulation upon regulation in every aspect of public school administration and the classroom?

Ever check the number of statutes involving public education? How about the state Department of Education's policies? Ever check out the federal regulations? If freedom in the classroom is driving charter schools, how about giving public educators a little freedom to innovate?

Are charter schools real or a mirage? The data are all over the place. Like public schools, charter schools range in quality from really great to pretty bad. National data indicate only 17 percent of charter schools outperform comparable public schools, and 37 percent under-perform. Does this make charter schools inherently bad? No. What I do suspect is, like all schools, success rests with the teacher-student-parent triangle. Where each side is doing its best, success will be achieved. It is much harder when one of the sides is loafing.

Many who have strongly supported the charter school movement, including education scholar Diane Ravitch, Albert Shanker and New York state Sen. Bill Perkins, no longer support the movement. They have become disaffected because in most instances, charter schools are simply another version of the same thing. They rise or fall on the quality of the teachers.

As a member of the Mercer County Board of Education, I can tell you that the sheer volume of statutes, rules, policies and regulations governing schools from the federal and state governments are daunting and prevent innovation and stifle best practices. Teachers in public schools find themselves constrained. Then, when things don't work, they are blamed. They aren't permitted to cook the meal, but they are blamed when the steak is burnt and the potato is raw.

If innovation is so important, then why not let all schools innovate? Why have just a few schools in each county educating maybe 3 percent of students innovate? Instead, how about an approach that lets all schools discuss, prepare and implement innovation that will serve that particular school? Why not free the professional educators and staff throughout this great state from the shackles of the many "policies" and rules handed down from the top.

Let every school be a charter school.

Too radical? Who do you think really knows the best way to teach an individual child? The teachers of that child. They know what works for their students. Maybe a different kind of school day, or a different delivery method, or a different curriculum. The educator is in the very best position to know.

Too hard to implement? Well, we are either serious about this or not. Hard should have nothing to do with it.

Last year, Mercer County proposed an innovation zone for its Tec-ed school.

The idea is to integrate and imbed core subjects in the technical education program. A technical high school is being born. Hopefully, in a few years, students in Mercer County will go to this new technical high school all day, with the core subjects being taught in a relevant manner related to chosen careers. Is it hard? Yes. Is it scary? Yes. Is it taking lots of work? Yes.

But I have every faith it will succeed. Why? Because the educators see the opportunity to provide a new way for students. A better way. It will succeed because those who teach are the driving force behind it. It is true innovation, and given a chance, it will succeed.

Why, then, can't we let all schools in every county change they way they provide public education? Not every change need be radical. Not every change need be substantial. Some may choose year-round programs. Some may change the times for school. Some may change the delivery method, or the use of technology, or the use of core teachers in elementary subjects. Then, we would be giving every child the best of what charter schools are supposed to offer.

This can be done, working with teachers. They are not the enemy. They are the solution. We must stop the public recriminations and the attack dogs must be called off. Folks, they are our best hope.

Greg Prudich is president of the Mercer County Board of Education. This opinion piece was published first in the Sunday Gazette-Mail on June 27, 2010.

 

 

Marketplace

 

 

 

 

 

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The Legislature is published by the West Virginia School Board Association. It provides county board of education members, state policymakers, school administrators and the education community information and opinions regarding West Virginia legislative issues. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official opinion or policies of the WVSBA, unless specifically stated.

West Virginia School Board Association
PO Box 1008
Charleston, WV 25324
Phone (304) 346-0571 • Fax (304) 346-0572 WVSBA.ORG

Mike Mitchem (McDowell), President

Howard M. O’Cull, Ed. D., Executive Director, Editor
hocull@wvsba.org
Shirley M. Davidson, Administrative Assistant,
Production and Circulation
sdavidson@wvsba.org

Vincit omnia veritas
“Truth conquers all”