Tag: West Virginia Department of Education

W.Va. Schools Chief Looks Forward to Retirement

Retiring state schools Superintendent James Phares says he viewed his brief stint as an opportunity to help make a difference in West Virginia’s education system.

Phares is stepping down on June 30 after 18 months on the job. He says that was set long ago as the day he’d walk with his wife into retirement.
 
Phares was Randolph County’s schools superintendent when he was hired to replace the fired Jorea Marple.
 
His task was to help the state school board’s response to a sweeping audit that found the education system lagging in student achievement and weighed down by state-level staffers and policies made inflexible by laws.
 
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Phares says he hopes he helped “raise the bar” in the education system.
 

W.Va. Superintendent Announces Retirement as National Search Continues

State Board of Education members are now under even more pressure to complete their nationwide search for a new state superintendent of schools after Dr. James Phares announced Tuesday he would retire from that position in June.

In a short letter to state Board President Gayle Manchin, Phares cited pressing family issues and a desire to spend some time out of the public eye as reasons for retiring from his current position, as well as his 40 years of service in public education.

Phares was appointed to the position in November 2012 after then Superintendent Jorea Marple was ousted by a Board vote.

Manchin said she is thankful for the work Phares has done with the Board, but they will now press forward with their nationwide search to fill his position, with the hopes of having a replacement by his end date on June 30.

“We are looking for a strong person to really move West Virginia forward,” Manchin said, “to provide that vision as the educational leader that will motivate and inspire not only the educational arena, but parents and communities.”

Manchin said a state contract became effective Tuesday for national search firm Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, IA, who will begin recruiting candidates for the position.

The firm’s website says it specializes in education executive leadership searches and has been in the business of doing so since 1975.

Governor Tomblin mimicked Manchin’s sentiments, saying the state needs someone who can continue to push education reform with a focus on student achievement.

 

Department of Education Says Gov. Tomblin Taking Proactive Steps to Ensure Student Safety

The West Virginia Department of Education said through a news release that they are working with the West Virginia National Guard following a directive from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Tomblin has called for additional water testing to confirm that all schools in the counties impacted by the chemical leak on Jan. 9 are under 2 parts per billion (ppb).

 
“We have been testing water in all of our schools at the governor’s more stringent level of 10 parts per billion which is 100 times more rigorous than Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s  recommend level of 1 part per million,” said Adjutant General James Hoyer in the release.

“After testing thousands of lab samples, chemists can now confidently test at 2ppb.  This additional safety factor is one more example of how the governor has gone above and beyond the federal recommendations to bring added confidence to parents, students and staff to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he added.
 
It is expected that the testing will occur over the weekend and results should be back by mid-week. Any school that tests above the two parts per billion will be re-flushed and retested. Moving forward, the Rapid Response Team established earlier this month to address issues in schools will continue to answer and investigate calls.
 
“Student safety continues to be our top priority,” said Gov. Tomblin. “As a parent, I understand that families need the additional peace of mind that comes with this testing.”
 
In the meantime, schools will continue to provide hand sanitizer and bottled water for drinking and cooking, according to the release.

“We are taking every precaution because we know that parents trust us to keep their children safe,” said Jim Phares, West Virginia Superintendent of Schools.

On The Legislature Today on Tuesday, February 18, Phares said he doesn’t know of any plans for the Rapid Response Team, which includes a member of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division Air Quality, to begin testing the air quality in schools.  The smell and fumes in school is what is believed to be linked to symptoms of burning eyes and noses, as well as fainting.

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.
 

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.
 

More Kanawha Co. School Closures Due to Water Concerns

Even more Kanawha County schools have canceled classes because of an odor resembling the chemical that spilled into a regional water system last month.
 
West Virginia Department of Education spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro says Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Ron Duerring directed J.E. Robins Elementary School in Charleston to close Thursday morning as a precautionary measure.

Updated on Thursday, February 6, 2014 at 4:30:

Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Ron Duerring released the following statement:

Tests were conducted by the West Virginia National Guard in the three Kanawha County Schools which were dismissed early today because of reported odor issues in the schools. Results from all three schools ( J.E. Robins, Overbrook and Watts) came back as non-detect.   In consultation with the Kanawha – Charleston Health Department officials, the Governor’s Office, National Guard, and the West Virginia Department of Education the decision was made to keep schools open.    Kanawha County Schools have followed all flushing protocols and in many cases have gone beyond requirements in an effort to ensure student safety. We also continue to provide bottled water, cook with bottled water, and make available hand sanitizer.  In addition, all schools in the county were tested last week and all were reported at the non-detect level.

More from our original post at Thursday, February 6 at 12:00 p.m.

Cordeiro says she was told that a cook at J.E. Robnbins Elementary was using a dishwasher when the smell began. Both the cook and a custodian reported burning eyes.
 

She says the school plans to do more flushing and water testing.

The West Virginia Department of Education also announced the closures of two other schools due to water concerns:
 

 

Cordeiro says last week’s testing at J.E. Robbins, Watts, and Overbrook came back as a “non-detect.” Testing will continue at these three schools.

Riverside High and Midland Elementary remained closed Thursday. Both schools canceled classes Wednesday morning because of the licorice smell. Cordeiro also notes that testing  on Wednesday at Riverside High and Midland Elementary yielded non-detected levels of MCHM on Thursday.

Cordeiro says the school system continues to work with the local health department and West Virginia National Guard.

The Jan. 9 spill  spurred a nine-county water use ban for days.
 
 

Exit mobile version