West Virginia’s first lady, Cathy Justice, has been appointed to the state Board of Education.
Gov. Jim Justice announced the appointment of his wife to the board that oversees the state’s elementary and secondary schools during his regular media briefing Thursday morning.
Cathy Justice holds a degree in secondary education from Marshall University and has previously worked as a substitute teacher in Raleigh County schools. The governor also cited her work expanding the Communities in Schools (CIS) program, designed to connect struggling students to caring adults and community resources.
“I couldn’t possibly, there’s no way that I could find someone, no matter where they are, that’s more qualified than Cathy Justice for this job,” Gov. Justice said. “So I think she’ll do great.”
The First Lady has made CIS her primary initiative since 2018. According to the West Virginia Department of Education, CIS supports supports 272 schools and 114,000 students
The appointment fills the vacancy left after the five year term of Dr. Daniel Snavely expired this month. The governor said several times during the briefing that he had to convince Cathy Justice to take the position.
“In the beginning, I couldn’t get Cathy across the finish line on this and everything, but I think she’ll do an amazing job,” Gov. Justice said. “She’s fired up now and ready to go and do the job.”
Later in the press briefing Gov. Justice was asked if he had any comment on the appearance of nepotism in the appointment. The governor said he could not hear the question and an aide running the briefing said they were having technical difficulties before turning the floor back to Gov. Justice for closing remarks.
“All I can say is Cathy’s super qualified,” he said. “For crying out loud, you know, there’s no point in, no point in beating up Cathy. She’s given everything she could possibly give, you know. And, and, like I said, I had to, I had to really, really work hard to talk her into this.”
The West Virginia Board of Education will next meet on Wednesday morning, Nov. 13.
Last month West Virginia Board of Education members learned the state has not received state-required assessments from many homeschooling families. Barely a third of the state’s homeschooled 11th graders submitted the paperwork last year. Assessments are required in 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades.
At the board’s October meeting held Wednesday, board member Debra Sullivan called on the board and the state Department of Education (WVDE) to reevaluate the requirements in state policy regarding homeschool students.
Sullivan cited recent news stories involving the abuse of homeschooled children, as well as those low assessment numbers in her statement.
“These are our West Virginia children, so I would ask that we have a deep dive into what’s going on with them,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking when you hear news stories as recently as today about ways in which children are not being kept in safe environments.”
It is estimated there are around 24,000 students being homeschooled in West Virginia. Sullivan was joined in her call for a review by fellow board member Robert Dunlevy.
“That’s something we really should look into,” he said. “I know from a couple children in the area that are in homeschooling, and I’ve talked about this several times, they’re not being tested at all, and these children are out running around. They’re not being educated, and I think it’s our responsibility to see we can do something about that.”
School Closures
The board also approved a statewide waiver of Policy 6204 which sets the requirements for county boards of education to close or consolidate schools. The waiver will allow counties to complete the required procedures for closing a school on or before Feb. 28 of the calendar year in which the closures or consolidations are to be effective. The deadline to complete the procedures was previously set at Dec. 31 of the year prior to the effective closure.
The application for the waiver from Greenbrier County Schools states the additional time is needed due to “decreases and uncertainties in student enrolment, personnel shortages, and limited school finances” but that counties are still otherwise required to complete the procedures laid out in the policy.
Sullivan called school closures “the most heartbreaking things” the board has to deal with. She cited analysis from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy that shows 53 of the state’s 55 counties experienced enrollment loss between the 2022-23 and the 2023-24 school years.
“Of course, that affects state funding,” Sullivan said. “And in eight of those counties, in eight of the 53, the number of students not already receiving Hope Scholarships exceeded the enrollment decline. Meaning that if we didn’t have this voucher program, the county would not be having a negative enrollment. I thought that was fascinating.“
She went on to cite the analysis’ finding that 52 percent of enrollment decline across the state was attributable to the Hope Scholarship, and concluded by asking what the WVDE and the board are doing to help “stop the bleed.”
District Approval Status and Accreditation
The board also approved the 2024 District Approval Status and Accreditation Report. The report provides a review of each district’s operational efficiency (e.g., Finance, Facilities, Special Education), as well as its performance on the West Virginia Balanced Scorecard Indicators of Academic Performance and Student Success (e.g., English language arts [ELA] and Mathematics Achievement and Progress, Attendance, Behavior).
“Indicators that do not meet the standard for one year, are designated on watch,” explained Alexandra Criner, director of the WVDE Office of Accountability. “If any indicator does not meet the standard and does not improve for two consecutive years, it is reported as support. If an indicator does not meet standard and does not make improvement for three consecutive years, the county is designated intensive support for that indicator, additional intervention or possible non approval status is possible based on county willingness and capacity to implement improvements and to make changes to support students.”
For attendance, 91 percent of districts designated as “on watch” in 2023 showed a reduction in chronic absenteeism. Additionally, 100 percent of districts that were designated as “support” showed a reduction in chronic absenteeism.
For English language arts (ELA), 100 percent of counties designated as “on watch” for ELA Achievement last year made gains. No counties were designated in the more intensive categories for ELA Achievement or ELA Progress.
For math, 65 percent of districts designated as “on watch” for math achievement in 2023 made increases. Also, 33 percent of districts identified as “on watch” improved in Math Progress.
Communities In Schools Celebration
Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice were also in attendance to provide the board with an update on the Communities In Schools (CIS) program in West Virginia.
“The program is thriving,” Cathy said. “It’s going well, and the people are so proud of it and want it to continue.”
CIS has expanded to all 55 counties, reaching 117,000 students through the work of 298 site coordinators in 285 schools. As a result, 99 percent of students served have stayed in school with a significant number of them showing improved behavior, academic performance and attendance.
“Really, when we get right down to the nitty gritty, is there a program that we have in education anywhere that works any better than this?” the governor said. “We should be really proud, really, really proud, because what you’re doing is not only are you impacting and changing a child’s life and you are, but often times that child is a deterrent to lots of other children in the school and and so all of a sudden, what you’ve done now is you really, really changed all kinds of lives.”
Vulnerable student populations often need assistance extending beyond what schools or any single organization can provide. The site coordinators bring together local resources to meet the unique needs of the child and reinforce support through consistent and sustained engagement. This allows the child and family to focus on school success.
Coordinators for an innovative school support program are meeting in Morgantown this week to learn how best to help their most vulnerable students.
Patrick Patton is the Communities in Schools contact for Berkeley County Schools. He handles the administrative side of the program and supports school-based coordinators so they can focus on forming relationships with students and addressing their needs.
“If I don’t know where I’m going to sleep that night, or if I’m going to go to bed hungry it’s hard, a lot harder to study, you can’t pay attention in school,” Patton said. “We might act out. And if we act out in school, there’s consequences. With Communities in Schools, building on relationships, what the site coordinator does is get to know those students, get to know those families, and works tirelessly and very many instances creatively, to address any burden that could get in the way of not only that student, but that family succeeding in school.”
Communities in Schools is a national program designed to connect struggling students to caring adults and community resources such as mental health services or clothing. Berkeley County was one of the first counties in the state to take part in the Communities In Schools pilot program.
Now active in all 55 West Virginia counties, the annual Student Supports Institute of The Communities In Schools (CIS) West Virginia Program is being held in Morgantown this week.
Patton came to the conference to see what other counties are doing and ensure his district is doing the best for their students.
“It’s easy to do, I think, to continue doing what you do, but by getting exposure to other districts, other counties, they might have new ideas that we can bring back to Berkeley County,” he said. “New fresh ideas, creative things that we haven’t thought of. So that’s the benefit of really getting us all together in person, not just virtually.”
In December West Virginia became the first state department of education to receive national certification as a licensed CIS partner.
First Lady Cathy Justice has made CIS her primary initiative since 2018. She helped start the conference, and praised the program’s site coordinators for their creative problem solving and commitment to students.
“You all make this program go. If it weren’t for you all, and your caring, it wouldn’t be what it is today,” Justice said “Everyone in this room, you have washed clothes at school, you have gotten a child out of class who doesn’t feel well. You have collected food on Fridays to put in backpacks for them to take home so they’ll have food to eat over the weekends. People don’t know that’s what you do, but you care. And these children in the schools, they know where you are in the schools, they know where to come and talk to you. And y’all have such a rapport with the children, that they come and tell you their needs or what’s wrong with them.These children in the schools, they know where you are in the schools, they know where to come and talk to you. And you all find a solution to their problem.”
First Lady Cathy Justice, right, BabyDog and Gov. Jim Justice helped kick off the Communities in Schools conference in Morgantown July 30, 2024. Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The First Lady was joined by Gov. Jim Justice, as well as BabyDog, who acted as an ambassador for Friends With Paws, a spinoff of Communities in Schools that brings therapy dogs into classrooms to help students.
The governor extolled the importance of CIS – but also said that as he prepares to leave office, the program’s future is uncertain.
“This is a home run of homeruns of home runs of home runs. You got to keep it going,” Justice said. “I’m not gonna be your governor forever. Cathy’s not gonna be your first lady forever. In fact, it’s very, very short lived. You’ve got to make sure that your legislators absolutely believe just as much as I believe, or Cathy believes. Because this is the real deal.”
Justice pointed not only to the effects the program has on individual students, but its broader-reaching implications for the communities it serves.
“You know, when you change that life, and you put them on the right path by just doing the smallest of things, but you’re there for them, you’re there for them. Absolutely,” Justice said. “When you do that, not only do you change that life and make things so much better, but you’re doing something that affects all the other kids in the class. You’re doing stuff that affects all the things about the school, the community and on and on. You should be really proud.”
According to the West Virginia Department of Education, CIS supports 272 schools and 114,000 students through the work of 243 site coordinators, like Nadia Johnson.
“I’m from McDowell County, graduated from the high school I’m working at and exactly what our mission statement says, ‘Support students in every aspect of their life to achieve,’” she said. “Whether they go into a job, whether they’re going to school, we’re just going to provide them with a community of support to help them achieve.”
Johnson is the site coordinator at Mount View High School in McDowell County. She says the community covers students’ food needs well, so clothing and hygiene needs are a focus of her work.
“I’m just looking forward to networking with other counties to better see how I can serve my students,” Johnson said. “It’s always important just to get out here and figure out what I can do differently, what I can do better, and how I can branch out to just offer more services because my kids deserve the world.”
According to national CIS data, among the case-managed students the program has served, 76 percent experienced improvements in their behavior, 82 percent had improvements in academics and more than 99 percent remained in school.
While educators across the nation are getting ready for the start of another school year, coordinators for an innovative school support program are meeting in Morgantown this week. As Chris Schulz reports, they’re gathering to learn how best to help their most vulnerable students.
On this West Virginia Morning, while educators across the nation are getting ready for the start of another school year, coordinators for an innovative school support program are meeting in Morgantown this week. As Chris Schulz reports, they’re gathering to learn how best to help their most vulnerable students.
Plus, Black and brown students across America are disciplined at twice the rate of white students. Students from poor families get suspended from school for bad behavior more often. West Virginia reflects this national trend.
In this episode, we hear an excerpt from the Us & Them episode called “The ‘Toxic Stew’ of School Discipline,” which was recently honored with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Reporting on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
West Virginia is the first state department of education to receive national certification as a licensed partner of Communities In Schools (CIS).
West Virginia is the first state department of education to receive national certification as a licensed partner of Communities In Schools (CIS).
Active in all but two of the state’s counties, the program’s site coordinators are based in schools. They coordinate with community partners to bring outside resources into the schools. From addressing immediate needs like food or clothing to more complex challenges such as counseling and emotional support, CIS uses an evidence-based model that is adaptable to meet a child’s, or a community’s, unique needs.
During his regular briefing Tuesday, Gov. Jim Justice highlighted the program, calling it the most successful program he had ever seen in schools.
“All we are doing in West Virginia, and all we continue to do, is step up and help a kid,” he said.
Later in the briefing, Justice was asked how he measured the program’s successes given the variety of issues facing the state’s students. He highlighted the impact of the program on the state’s children for a small investment.
“The site coordinators and these people are reacting and they’re doing it,” he said. “There is so many success stories, it’s unbelievable. For nothing, for peanuts in the scope of things. Whether it be two or $5 million. It sounds like a lot of money, but in the entire scope of our education department and in schools, it’s peanuts.”
The governor and First Lady Cathy Justice have supported a statewide CIS initiative since 2018, when it was in just three counties.
The West Virginia Department of Education said Communities in Schools has supported more than 100,000 students in the 260 schools where it has been implemented.
Skye is the seventeenth therapy dog to be placed in West Virginia’s public schools through Friends with Paws. The program began in April 2022 with the first placement at Welch Elementary.
A school in the Eastern Panhandle is the latest recipient of a therapy dog through the Communities In Schools: Friends With Paws program.
Berkeley Springs High School in Morgan County received its very own therapy dog this week named Skye. First Lady Cathy Justice made the announcement in a press release Wednesday.
“I am very happy that we were able to place Skye in beautiful Berkeley Springs,” she said in the release. “I think this will be a great home for her, and I can’t wait to hear about all the ways that Skye’s presence will make a positive impact on students’ lives. This is a day of celebration!”
Skye is the seventeenth therapy dog to be placed in West Virginia’s public schools through Friends With Paws. The program began in April 2022 with the first placement at Welch Elementary.
The therapy dog program, according to the governor’s office, was launched as a way to alleviate some of the social-emotional effects of poverty, addiction and other at-risk situations in the state’s Communities In Schools (CIS) counties.
Gov. Jim Justice also noted at the time of launch that the program would help to combat the emotional effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) last year produced a documentary on the Friends With Paws therapy dog project under the same name. It can be viewed for free on WVPB’s YouTube channel or through PBS Passport.
“Berkeley Springs High School is very thankful for this opportunity through the Friends With Paws program. We are extremely excited to have Skye with us to support and comfort our students,” Principal Mitch Nida said.
Friends With Paws is a partnership between the governor’s office, West Virginia Communities In Schools, and the West Virginia Department of Education.
