Tag: Public Education

Listen: A West Virginia Superintendent Sings to Announce Closings, Delays

Winter weather has shut down government offices, shopping malls and, of course, public schools. School was in session for President’s Day in some schools…

Winter weather has shut down government offices, shopping malls and, of course, public schools. School was in session for President’s Day in some schools systems in order to make up for snow days.

There’s no doubt that children look forward to the automated calls from school administrators canceling or delaying school days. But some working parents dread those calls since another snow day means another day to find child care or even miss work.

Fayette County Superintendent Keith Butcher is hoping to ease the tension by adding a melody to the message.

"This is the phone call kids love to hear, So gather around let me be clear. Ice and snow has come our way, And so I announce this two-hour delay. Please don't cry and please don't complain, You'll get a chance to wake up your brain. Two more hours of sleep and then it's back to the school again."

On Friday of last week, Butcher announced schools in Fayette County would be closed. Central office staff didn’t have to report to work but, custodians, maintenance, and transportation staff were called into work. At least he broke the news to everyone with an adaptation of “Let It Snow.”

0214FayetteCoClosing.mp3
Fayette County Superintendent of Schools Keith Butcher announces a Code B Closing on Friday, February 14 through an automated voice message.

"Oh, the snow outside is still falling. That's the reason that I'm calling. Since traveling is not cool, There's no school, there's no school, there's no school."

W.Va. School Board Seeks Local Spending Flexibility

The West Virginia Board of Education says county school districts should have more control over how their state funding is spent.
 
A decades-old funding formula determines how much state funding each county system gets annually. The formula also determines how this funding is spent.
 

The Charleston Gazette reports that the state board voted last week to ask the Legislature to consider allowing counties to use up to 10 percent of their state school funding however they choose.
 
Board member Tom Campbell says the proposal wouldn’t change the state formula. He says the goal is to use the formula to use the money more efficiently.
 
Board member Lloyd Jackson says he’s concerned that counties would take money allocated for teachers and use it to hire more administrators.
 

Data Shows Fewer Poor W.Va. Students Take AP Exam

The number of low-income students taking Advanced Placement courses around the nation has more than quadrupled in the last decade, according to the College Board. But a study shows West Virginia is still behind when it comes to making sure low-income students have access to these rigorous classes.

In West Virginia, nearly 52 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches — an indication of poverty — but such students make up only 16 percent of exam-takers.

States with similar percentages of low-income students have more who take AP Exams.

Raleigh County Assistant Superintendent Kenny Moles said individual school size and teachers’ willingness to go through AP training play huge roles in what courses are taught.

Students can take AP courses online in West Virginia, but being self-paced is often more difficult than a traditional classroom setting, he said.

Kanawha Co. Schools Pulling Brand of Bottled Water from Circulation

Test results show bottled water provided to Kanawha County Schools do not contain coliform after a health official discontinued its use Wednesday.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department ran tests for coliform, an indicator of bacteria, after complaints that the water had a musty smell and an issue with taste.

Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Director Dr. Rahul Gutpa embargoed the use of a specific lot of Ice Mountain water sent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency linked to the complaints. The water was shipped to Sharon Dawes Elementary, John Adams Middle and Andrew Jackson Middle Schools.

Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources Karen Bowling says they have contacted Ice Mountain water and samples will be submitted for further testing from the company.

Bowling said in a release she believes the smell was related to wherever the bottles had been stored before being donated to West Virginia schools.

Kanawha County Schools are working to remove the brand of water from all schools and will not circulate additional supplies in storage.

The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is working to determine where the shipment of water came from since supplies were donated by more companies and organizations than just FEMA.

W.Va. to Get Funding for Low-Performing Schools

West Virginia will receive $3.2 million in federal funding for continued efforts to help low-performing schools.
 
     The U.S. Department of Education announced more than $38 million in school improvement grants for West Virginia and five other states Friday. Education agencies in each state will dole out the funding to districts that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds.
 
     West Virginia Department of Education spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro says 25 schools in 18 West Virginia counties are eligible to apply. She says schools would be able to use the funding on such things as parent and community activities, consultants, hiring staff or professional development for staff to improve student achievement.
 

Tests Show Presence of MCHM at Five W.Va. Schools

Tests conducted more than two weeks after a chemical spill tainted the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians show the presence of the chemical remains in five schools.
 
     The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Friday released the results of water samples taken at 83 schools in five counties.
 
     The chemical that spilled Feb. 9 from Freedom Industries was present in tests at Andrew Heights Elementary, George Washington High School and John Adams Middle School in Kanawha County; Buffalo High School in Putnam County; and Lincoln County High School.
 
     The tests conducted Tuesday and Wednesday don’t detect levels of crude MCHM below 10 parts per billion, and 78 samples are listed as “non detected.” No results were released for samples taken at 24 other schools.
 

Update: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

In a news release issued Friday afternoon, state Department of Education officials say they are working closely with schools whose water tested positive for MCHM and the West Virginia National Guard are conducting another round of flushing.

“It is important for students, parents and educators to understand that the five schools highlighted by the most recent round of testing were well below the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended level, but were not yet at the more stringent screening level that the interagency team was directed to achieve beyond the CDC guidelines,” said West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares.

The release state that this second round of flushing is to achieve a non-detect level, below 10 parts per billion, which is 100 times more rigorous than the 1 part per million screening level provided by the CDC for protecting public health.

The news release also states that hand sanitizer, bottled water and food preparation with bottled water will continue to be used in impacted county schools until the schools have been cleared below 10 parts per billion.
 

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