Paul Hardesty Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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.

Hope Scholarship Reinstated: What’s Next?

With the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals reinstating the Hope Scholarship program, the concept of public funding for private schooling becomes a reality.

Morgantown mom Katie Switzer appealed the Hope Scholarship and won. She said her daughter, Ruth, has a rare speech disorder, best treated by a private speech therapist who does not take insurance.

“We used the early intervention program here in West Virginia called Birth to Three and it was great. But when she graduated from that program, we were able to find a speech therapist that specializes in apraxia of speech,” Switzer said. “At the time, there was only one in the state who practiced in person. Unfortunately, most speech therapists aren’t trained to treat this disorder, so we have been paying for her to go to see this private speech therapist for more than two years now.”

Switzer and her daughter love her public school kindergarten class, but she said it doesn’t meet all of Ruth’s educational needs. Switzer has hopes that Hope Scholarships can lead to new public school revenue streams.

“It opens the door to make this really flexible system,” Switzer said. “A system where the public schools can offer programs to homeschoolers or to private school kids, and they can take Hope money”

Attorney Tamerlin Godley with Public Funds, Public Schools represented parents who challenged the constitutionality of Hope Scholarships. She said in the three countries that have instituted universal vouchers, education suffers.

“In all of those countries, all of the peer reviewed research shows that there is increased segregation, by race and by socio-economics,” Godley said. “And the achievement in the public schools goes dramatically down.”

Godley said West Virginia students and public schools will also suffer from millions of dollars in diverted funding.

“These bills are put forward by people who want to dismantle public education,” Godley said. “We know the people that are behind this. Public education is the primary driver of social mobility in the United States.”

The split decision Supreme Court of Appeals court ruling came after only two days of deliberations.

Back In July, Kanawha Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit halted the legislative program, ruling that the $4,300 offered to about 3,000 students for non-public school educational expenses was unconstitutional, diverting millions of dollars from an already underfunded public school system.

The order reversing the lower court ruling noted “The nature of the constitutional matters at issue and the need to resolve the appeal in an expedited manner.”

A Supreme Court of Appeals opinion will be released at a later date.

Godley said there’s a possibility the case could be remanded back to Circuit Court.

State Treasurer Riley Moore chairs the Hope Scholarship Board. He said Hope payments should be disbursed Jan. 1 for the winter semester and expects they will be paid retroactively for the fall semester.

“It might just all come in one lump sum in January. But some of that, obviously, is going to be contingent upon how quickly we can get the Department of Education and everybody to move,” Moore said. “We’re going to be pushing extremely hard. The first step in that process is to get approval from the board on my motion to file this emergency rule to authorize the payments.”

Moore said he does not see any pending negative Hope Scholarship funding effect on public education.

”We’re making these dollars for education competitive. It’s going to raise the standard and quality of education in the state of West Virginia,” Moore said. “If a student decides to leave a public school and go to a private school, a Christian school or homeschool, those dollars are going to go with that student, and the financial requirements to educate that student will no longer exist for that public school.”

Moore said a free education for West Virginia students will not go away.

In a statement, West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty said the board respects the court’s decision and will move forward without delay.

“I am confident that this legislature and this governor will continue to fund public education at adequate levels,” Hardesty said. “The state board has directed the State Superintendent and the State Department of Education to work closely with the State Treasurer to support a seamless and timely implementation of the Hope Scholarship program.”

School Safety Tops Agenda For State School Board

With the fall 2022 school year just around the corner, school safety and preparedness were top of mind at the July West Virginia Board of Education meeting last week.

This summer began with a dark cloud hanging over the country, as the United States reeled from yet another devastating school shooting. This time, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where 19 children and two teachers were killed.

For many state education departments throughout the country, the incident renewed conversations about school preparedness in the face of a crisis.

That has certainly been true in West Virginia.

With the fall 2022 school year just around the corner, school safety and preparedness were top of mind at the July West Virginia Board of Education meeting last week.

Emergency Preparedness

Board members received an update from the state department of education’s Jonah Adkins, who spoke on behalf of Rob Cunningham, Deputy Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.

“Mr. Cunningham made this statement when we presented to the legislature a couple of weeks ago: that school safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Adkins said.

The West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security have had regular meetings throughout the summer since the horrific school shooting in Uvalde in May.

The agencies are exploring ways to better collaborate and ensure everyone is prepared in the event of an active shooter or other emergency at schools.

Adkins reiterated to the board the importance of “one caring adult,” which is an initiative set by the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch. It builds off the idea that as long as a child knows that at least one adult at school cares for them, they will do well in school, both emotionally and academically.

“We have to ensure that children have the services and the support that they need to deal with any emotional, social and emotional issues they may have, or any mental health issues that they may be facing,” Adkins said. “We have to make sure that those students have those appropriate supports. It takes people speaking up. It goes back to that saying, ‘if you see something, say something.’ Everyone has a part, everyone has a role in ensuring that our students are safe.”

Adkins told the board that Cunningham wants to implement a new app where students can report concerning behavior at school via text message. Adkins said the one they are considering would interface with existing apps that many West Virginia schools use to report bullying.

He also said the Office of Student Support and Well-Being in September will provide threat assessment training for school administrators, counselors, social workers and psychologists.

“We look forward to ongoing collaboration between [the department of education], department of homeland security, School Building Authority, the Fusion Center, and the West Virginia State Police,” Adkins told told board members. “I really believe that we’re working more collaboratively. We’re seeing positive results come of these meetings.”

State police also explained that some of the training offerings will not only be made available to school personnel and emergency responders, but also to members of the community, according to the WVDE.

“We have to address school safety from many angles,” said State Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch in a news release. “From creating safe and supportive school environments and being able to quickly recognize problem areas, to the role of our emergency response partners to protect public safety, we all have a part to play. Partners have plans in place that will also assist communities in understanding their roles in protecting schools. I believe by keeping this issue in front of us, we will be able to better protect our students.”

Paul Hardesty Named New Board Of Ed President

Also at the July meeting, former state senator and longtime public servant Paul Hardesty was elected unanimously as the new president of the West Virginia Board of Education.

Hardesty replaces former President Miller Hall who served as president since 2017.

Hardesty was first appointed to the state board as a member in Dec. 2021. Previously, he served on the Logan County Board of Education and was appointed by Gov. Jim Justice to an unexpired term in the West Virginia Senate.

Hardesty also held the positions of director of the Office Coalfield Development and legislative liaison for Gov. Bob Wise. He served as the director of the Public Energy Authority and was a member of the legislative staff for Gov. Joe Manchin.

Hardesty is a resident of Logan County.

“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the great state of West Virginia and the children of our public school system,” said Hardesty in a news release. “We have many important issues in front of us, and we will work tirelessly to ensure our children are prepared for the opportunities available to them. I will start, day-one, to try and build back damaged relationships around the Capitol Complex, because, at the end of the day, we all want better educational opportunities.”

President Hardesty’s complete bio is on the WVDE’s website.

Paul Hardesty Named To West Virginia Board Of Education

A former West Virginia senator from Logan County has been named to the state Board of Education.

Gov. Jim Justice appointed Paul Hardesty to the board Monday. Hardesty will serve the remaining eight years of the term of Stan Maynard, who resigned last week.

At the time he was appointed by Justice to the state Senate in 2019, Hardesty was a lobbyist for the governor’s businesses, including the Greenbrier resort. Hardesty served in the Senate until December 2020 and did not seek another full term.

“I’ve known Paul and respected his tremendous abilities for a long, long time and I’m sure he will do a great job for the people of West Virginia in this important role,” Justice said in a statement.

Hardesty previously was president of the Logan County Board of Education. He also served on the Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College board and was the director of the Office of Coalfield Development in the state Development Office.