Paul Hardesty Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

More School Closures Approved By State Board Of Education

At their monthly meeting Wednesday morning, the state Board of Education approved the closure of six Kanawha County schools at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

They join close to a dozen other schools that have been approved for closure and consolidation over the past year.

Several Kanawha County schools will be closed and consolidated at the end of this school year.

At their monthly meeting Wednesday morning, the state Board of Education approved the closure of six Kanawha County schools at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

Belle, Mary Ingles, Malden and Midland Trail elementary schools will be consolidated into a new Eastern Kanawha Elementary Center. East Bank Middle School will be merged into DuPont Middle School, while McKinley Middle School will merge into Hayes Middle School.

They join close to a dozen other schools that have been approved for closure and consolidation over the past year, including three other elementary schools in Kanawha County.

In recommending the closures, Kanawha County Schools cited declining enrollment of approximately 5,000 students over the past 11 years and the funding associated with those students.

Several community members spoke against the proposed closures at the start of the meeting, including two individuals who read letters from state senators Mike Stuart and Rupie Phillips, Republicans from Kanawha and Logan counties respectively.

Tresa Howell is a member-elect of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 52. She takes office on Dec. 1, 2024. Howell expressed concern for students being consolidated into larger schools, but also on the broader impact of losing a community asset with the school closures.

“The school was also noted as a public space for interaction,” Howell said. “You have recently closed the doors just this year on Marmette Elementary. So what do you think will happen in the upper Kanawha Valley? Will it be a destination for business growth in families or a ghost town?”

Some of the speakers addressed a school closure in Wood County that will come before the board next month.

Board member Paul Hardesty and others expressed a need to reform the state’s funding formula to avoid similar closures in the future.

“We are hemorrhaging population loss in public schools. It’s going to get worse,” he said. “I’m sorry I cannot provide you any comfort today, but I owe you the truth, and that’s what I want to try to do. I want to thank you all for coming and standing up for your community. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I wished I had a different outcome, a different answer, but I don’t. All I have is the code of West Virginia to go by. And right now, the funding formula for public education is severely flawed.”

According to the filings for school closure approval, Kanawha County’s total population has decreased by more than 16,000 over the past decade.

But board member Debra Sullivan also pointed towards students and funding being diverted away from public schools in the state to charter schools and Hope Scholarship.

“There’s a lot going on that is decimating – and, you know, I’m just gonna put it out there – decimating public schools,” she said. “You would probably have maybe different ideas, maybe you’d suggest building two schools instead of one consolidated if you had money. So money is the prime motivator, and it’s very gut wrenching to see our schools have to close in the state.”

Later in the meeting, state superintendent Michele Blatt presented the 2024 certified count for public schools. The numbers represent the official enrollment for West Virginia public schools, as well as employee and facilities counts.

“We have 241,024 students, and that’s down 4,023 from last school year. 23,320 professional staff,” she said.

The superintendent stated that there are 629 public schools in West Virginia, and that Micah Whitlow, director of the Office of School Facilities, has already closed eight schools since last year.

“If the trajectory continues in the work that Michah Whitlow has been doing with our counties, we’re looking at a possible 26 school closures for this school year due to the enrollment and the funding that we’re facing,” Blatt said.

Blatt also stated that Hope Scholarship usage has grown to 10,174, which she estimated to be a doubling from last year.

State Board Of Ed. Reviews Local School Takeovers, Elects New Leadership

Much of the West Virginia Board of Education’s Monday morning meeting was spent hearing updates on three of the state interventions into local school systems.

Four of the state’s county school systems are currently under state control, and much of the West Virginia Board of Education’s Monday morning meeting was spent hearing updates on three of the state interventions into local school systems.

Local School Takeovers Update

Logan County Schools has been under state control since the fall of 2022 after a report from the Department of Education’s Office of Support and Accountability found 46 points of non-compliance in the school system ranging from failing to post meeting agendas, to improper use of county funds.

Upshur County Schools began their intervention a year ago in June 2023 after a “special circumstances” review revealed tens of thousands of dollars in misspent federal funds, among other financial misappropriations.

It was reported that county policies have been reviewed to correct and improve practices including overtime pay policies and more than $800,000 in federal and state funds have been repaid.

Hampshire County Schools Special Education Services was most recently placed under a state of emergency in November 2023.

Board President Paul Hardesty said Hampshire’s special education program was not alone across the state’s 55 counties in facing issues.

“I wish some of them would come to us and call us and say hey, we got a problem.” he said. “We’re having problems, come and help us – rather than wait until after the fact [when] we come in to do our reviews.”

Jeff Kelley, officer of educational accountability for the Department of Education, reported that all three school systems are improving. But he said near the end of the meeting that there is no specific timeline for intervention to end.

“You don’t check off a set of boxes and then hand the keys back,” Kelley said. “It’s not the way it works. If things are better in the current construct, why are you trying to get out of it? I don’t think intervention’s necessarily a bad thing.”

Kelley reflected that many of the state’s recent interventions have come from what he saw as decision makers setting aside accountability to appease adults.

“They do so at the expense of student learning and what’s best for kids,” he said. “What I know about these folks that are involved, is they’re not gonna put adult happiness ahead of student achievement and student learning, they’re not going to do that, we need to be proud of the work they’re doing.”

The board placed Martinsburg North Middle School in Berkeley County under a state of emergency in May.

New Leadership

The board also voted on its new leadership, with member Nancy White becoming the new president. White previously held the position of vice president of the board and has served on the board since 2018 when she was appointed to fill an unexpired term. She was reappointed in January 2023.

“I am humbled to be elected as president of the West Virginia Board of Education,” White said. “This board is dedicated to the education of children in our public schools and the advancement of education to support our state’s economy and future. We have worked earnestly to represent our education community and the critical work that occurs every day at the hands of our educators and administrators. It is a privilege to continue to serve my state because the work ahead of us is so very important.”

Victor Gabriel was elected to vice president, and after the restructuring of offices F. Scott Rotruck was elected as secretary. Hardesty, who served as board president for the past two years, will move to the newly created position of legislative liaison.

The board holds elections each July to elect or re-elect officers. President White may serve two consecutive one-year terms as President.

State Board Of Ed Updated On Foster Care Program, Berkeley County State Of Emergency

50 students in foster care are expected to begin dual enrollment classes at Fairmont State University (FSU) in the coming weeks, under a new program designed to address academic deficiencies and other needs.

Fifty students in foster care are expected to begin dual enrollment classes at Fairmont State University (FSU) in the coming weeks, under a new program designed to address academic deficiencies and other needs.

Announced in March, the Middle College at FSU will offer free dual enrollment for all West Virginia juniors and seniors in foster care.

The West Virginia Board of Education heard at its monthly meeting Wednesday that the college is prepared in the coming weeks to welcome the program’s first 50 students to campus.

The Middle College Program is the culmination of a partnership between FSU, Marion County Schools, KVC West Virginia and the West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition.

Enrolled students will reside at FSU and, over two years, will earn their high school diplomas. Additionally, each will exit Middle College with 60 college credit hours for the completion of an associate degree. Students may then pursue pathways to employment, enlistment or education with the skills and confidence of the general school population.

Diana Phillips, provost of FSU, thanked the board for their support of the program. She said students will live on campus full time.

“They will be living on our campus 365 days out of the year,” Phillips said “We have a residence hall that is dedicated just to the Middle College population. It will be staffed with counselors and the dean of the Middle College will be resident in that residence hall. Students will be in a safe, stable environment, their basic needs will be taken care of and they’ll be able to focus on their education, which we know is the most important thing.”

Donna Heston, superintendent of Marion County Schools, said the county has dealt with the logistics of having high school students on a college campus before. She said part of the appeal of the Middle College’s structure is the shared responsibility of support across program partners.

“The other thing that was appealing with this pilot is that there are supports in place, supports that are not falling upon the school system to provide for mental health needs,” Heston said. “The expertise is there for it. Also there are supports there with instruction. We did not have to add any staff to do this.”

Heston said the interview process has revealed concerns and challenges unique to the foster care system.

“The stories are challenging that these students bring to the table in the foster care program,” she said. “They are advocating for themselves. They are bringing strong potential to this program. It also helps us realize the supports that some students are not receiving and are not able to advocate for themselves. That gives us an opportunity to involve our alternative education program and hear their voice that they’ve been experiencing for years. We’re blessed to have this opportunity.”

Nonprofit child welfare organization and program partner KVC West Virginia says they are already onboarding mental health professionals and tutors who will work with students on campus.

Martinsburg North Middle School Update

The board approved the Corrective Action Plan for a Berkeley County Middle School during its June meeting today.

The board placed Martinsburg North Middle School under a State of Emergency last month after a Targeted School Environment Assessment (TSEA) conducted by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) identified conditions that threaten a safe and productive learning environment for children. The proposed plan will assist county leaders in addressing areas that led to the State of Emergency.

In April a WVDE team visited the middle school to conduct the TSEA. The assessment was prompted by behavior data reported in the West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS) and achievement scores which continued to lag significantly below state averages (among other issues).

Among the plan requirements, county and school leadership will:

Develop a multi-tiered discipline plan with appropriate supports and interventions
Set clear and consistent processes for supporting and managing student behaviors
Examine and maximize instructional time for improved student outcomes
Provide professional learning to improve instruction
Provide a mentor for instructional leadership

Paul Hardesty, president of the board, said the superintendent of Berkeley County was set up for failure when he was given a one-year contract. Hardesty said it is not an isolated incident, with 19 new superintendents last year across the state, many also on one-year contracts

”Any county that gives somebody a one-year contract, you’ve set that person up for complete failure. There is no way he can win. There’s no way he can succeed,” he said. “You have set him up for failure the day you hired him. If you give someone a two-year contract, you probably gave him a 50-50 shot at succeeding. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the CEO you’re hiring for a multi-million-dollar corporation. You give him one year, he got to know the lay of the land. He can’t put his stuff in place. They’ve done this gentleman a terrible injustice.”

Superintendent Evaluation

The board also evaluated the job performance of Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt as, “outstanding in all areas of the evaluation.” The board evaluated the superintendent annually; Blatt was appointed to the position in June 2023.

Board Of Education Hears Updates On School Discipline

Educational leaders have expressed concern about a legislative change to school discipline that makes it easier to suspend a student.

At the Wednesday meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education, Board President Paul Hardesty called a new requirement introduced by House Bill 2890 a “train wreck waiting to happen.”

The bill was written to give school teachers and administrators more leeway in school discipline, but the statute mandates that students be suspended if removed from a classroom three times in one month.

Hardesty said he’s concerned the law doesn’t define why a student would be removed, and that inexperienced teachers might remove students without cause.

“We have special needs teachers that have specializations, that have training to know what to look for in this child with this type of deficiencies and behavioral patterns,” he said. “We take a long term sub and put them in a classroom that has no training. Now we give them the capacity to become arbitrary and capricious in their actions for a child to get a finite result of being kicked out of school. It may be well intended but you’re not hitting what you’re shooting at.”

School discipline data presented by the West Virginia Department of Education to the board earlier this year showed that the state’s students already lose a collective 178,000 instructional days to suspensions.

Drew McClanahan, director of leadership development for the state Department of Education, presented the board with an update to the Student Behavior Response Plan that resulted from the May study. He identified three areas that comprise the focus of the plan: training and support, accountability and policy.

“With the training support piece, I am excited to announce that we’ve been looking at data practices for school administrators,” McClanahan said. “Root cause analyses have been a part of supports and trainings that we provided throughout the summer. We’ve had some best practices related to classroom management, engagement and structural quality.”

McClanahan also reported his office is working with the Behavior Technical Assistance Center at Marshall University to expand training and support for educators. He also announced that the public, statewide dashboard announced at the May board meeting and meant to promote transparency and accountability around school discipline is ready.

“We believe that it will give the public an opportunity to see what types of discipline are being used at a school,” McClanahan said. “We hope that that gives the community an active opportunity to have meaningful conversations with school administrators on what’s being used at their school.”

The discipline dashboard can be found in the state’s ZoomWV information portal.

Michele Blatt Named New W.Va. Superintendent Of Schools

The West Virginia Board of Education unanimously chose Michele Blatt to become the state superintendent of schools and accepted the retirement of state superintendent David Roach effective June 30.

The West Virginia Board of Education unanimously chose Michele Blatt to become the state superintendent of schools at a special session Friday morning. She is currently the deputy superintendent of academic achievement and support and will take on the new role July 1.

Prior to the selection, the board accepted the retirement of state superintendent David Roach effective June 30.

Roach’s departure comes after a contentious board meeting June 14 where the board questioned Roach’s handling of an investigation into financial misappropriation in Upshur County Schools. The investigation is ongoing, but during the same June 14 meeting board members approved Roach’s recommendations to place Upshur County Schools under a state of emergency and state control.

Board member Debra Sullivan gave a brief statement regarding Roach’s retirement.

“I am so pleased I’ve had the opportunity to work with him while a member of the School Building Authority and as a member of the state Board of Education,” she said. “I have found him to be a person who cares deeply about West Virginia, its students, its educators and service personnel.”

Sullivan continued to say that thanks to Roach and his staff, West Virginia now has a path to increase student achievement in reading, writing and math.

Board President Paul Hardesty called Blatt’s appointment, “comfortable.”

“Talking to the board members earlier this morning, the one word, the theme seems to be comfortable. Comfortable with our decision of Michele Blatt,” he said. “She’s a proven, known commodity that can take this job July 1 and move forward for the children of West Virginia because at the end of the day, we’re all here for that reason. For the children.”

Hardesty also said that Gov. Jim Justice, First Lady Cathy Justice, legislative leaders, county superintendents and West Virginia Department of Education employees were all comfortable with Blatt.

The board will meet again in regular session July 12.

State School Superintendent To Retire At End Of Month

State Superintendent David Roach will retire at the end of the month, pending approval from the West Virginia Board of Education.

Roach’s final day is set to be June 30, less than a year after he accepted the role. Roach was appointed to the position in August 2022 after former state Superintendent Clayton Burch became the superintendent of the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Romney.

The announcement came shortly after a contentious board meeting Wednesday in which state board members questioned why Roach had not informed them sooner of financial mismanagement discovered in Upshur County Schools.

At one point Paul Hardesty, state board president, interrupted a procedural discussion between Roach and Samuel Pauley, school operations officer for the Department of Education.

“I don’t mean to cut you off but this is getting quite nauseating,” Hardesty said. “You all had in depth meetings yesterday. Why didn’t you have this conversation with him yesterday?”

Hardesty continued and said that reporting on Upshur County Schools’ issues was not following the board’s normal process, with questions being discussed in a public meeting that should have been resolved before being brought to the Board of Education.

“I’m going to try to be professional, be diplomatic, but I have never seen anything of this nature in my whole 30 year education career,” Hadesty said. “This is bush league.”

The state board will meet in special session on June 23 to discuss the retirement and appoint a new state superintendent.