MINUTES

WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

at

Board Conference Room

Capitol Building 6, Room 353

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia

November 9, 2000

I.

President J. D. Morris called the work session of the West Virginia Board of Education to order at 8:34 a.m. on November 9, 2000, in the Board Conference Room, Capitol Building 6, Room 353, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston West Virginia. Members present were Vice-President Jim Mc Knight, Sheila M. Hamilton, Cleo P. Mathews, member-elect Howard M. Persinger, Jr., Ronald B. Spencer, David L. Stewart and John Thralls. Members absent: Secretary Sandra M. Chapman and James J. MacCallum.

II.

Following the call to order, upon motion by Cleo P. Mathews, second by Jim Mc Knight, the Board, by unanimous affirmative vote, and in accordance with the provisions of W.Va. Code §§6-9A-4, 6-9A-3 and 6-9A-5, went into an Executive Session to confer with counsel regarding Tomblin v. Gainer. Upon return from Executive Session, President Morris reported that there were no deliberations and no decisions were made and no action was taken.

III.

President J. D. Morris called the regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education to order at 11:00 a.m. on November 9, 2000, in the Board Conference Room, Capitol Building 6, Room 353, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston West Virginia. Members present were Vice-President Jim Mc Knight, Secretary Sandra M. Chapman, Sheila M. Hamilton, Cleo P. Mathews, member-elect Howard M. Persinger, Jr., Ronald B. Spencer, David L. Stewart and John Thralls. Member absent: James J. MacCallum.

IV.

State Superintendent of Schools David L. Stewart administered the Oath of Office to incoming Board member Howard M. Persinger, Jr.

V.

Joe McClung, Principal of Meadow Bridge High School in Fayette County addressed the Board regarding the school accreditation process. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment A.)

VI.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board approved the agenda with the following changes and additions:

Page 3 under Consent Agenda, Personnel item, add the name of Heather Hutchens Deskins, staff attorney, to the addendum.

Page 9 under Miscellaneous, add item B. Improvement Packages, item C. Request for Extension of Time, item D. Pre-Board Discussion Schedule; E. NCATE Discussion; and F. Appointment to School Building Authority.

VII.

The Office of Education Performance Audits has visited Mercer and Berkeley Counties since the last Board meeting.

VIII.

An on-site review of the Brooke County School System was conducted from October 11 - 14, 1999. An Education Performance Audit Team returned to Brooke County October 2 - 3, 2000. The purpose of the return team visit was to verify correction of the noncompliances identified during the original on-site review.

Based upon the performance data, results of the Follow-up Education Performance Audit, and an updated Unified School Improvement Plan, it was recommended that the Brooke County School System be granted Full Approval status, eleven (11) Brooke County Schools be granted Full Accreditation status, and one (1) Brooke County School be issued Conditional Accreditation status.

Upon motion by Paul J. Morris, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board issued the Brooke County School System Full Approval status, granted eleven (11) Brooke County Schools Full Accreditation status and issued one (1) Brooke County School Conditional Accreditation status. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment B.)

IX.

Based on Follow-up Education Performance Audit of the

Fayette County School System

An on-site review of the Fayette County School System was conducted from January 12 - 14, 1999. An Education Performance Audit Team returned to Fayette County September 21 - 22, 2000. The purpose of the return team visit was to verify correction of the noncompliances identified during the original on-site review.

Based upon the performance data and results of the Follow-up Education Performance Audit, it was recommended that the Fayette County School System be issued Temporary Approval status, twenty-four (24) schools be granted Full Accreditation status, one (1) school be issued Conditional Accreditation status, one (1) school be issued Temporary Accreditation status, and two (2) schools continue Seriously Impaired status.

Upon motion by Howard M Persinger, Jr., second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board issued the Fayette County School System Temporary Approval status, granted twenty-four (24) schools Full Accreditation status, issued one (1) school Conditional Accreditation status, one (1) school Temporary Accreditation status, and two (2) schools Seriously Impaired status. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment C.)

X.

W.Va. Code §18-2E-5 and Section 10.6 of Policy 2320, A Process for Improving Education: Performance Based Accreditation System, indicate that a county board having more than a casual deficit shall submit a plan to the State Board specifying strategies for eliminating the casual deficit. According to the code and policy, the Board shall either approve or reject the plan.

Since statutory requirements are being fulfilled by Hardy County, it was recommended that the plan specifying strategies for eliminating the casual deficit be approved.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board approved the plan as submitted. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment D.)

XI.

House Bill 4674, passed during the 2000 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, amended W.Va. Code '18-2E-5 which required revision of State Board Policy 2320. The legislation calls for indicators of efficiency, an exemplary school accreditation status, immediate State Board intervention in the operation of a county school system, and a performance measure for percentage of students enrolled in advanced placement or honors classes.

Additionally, the Agreed Order in Tomblin v. Gainer, signed August 1, 2000, requires that specific issues be included as a part of the accreditation and evaluation process. These include the identification of resource needs. The proposed revisions include the requirements of House Bill 4674 and the Agreed Order in Tomblin v. Gainer.

Policies 2510 and 6200 must also undergo review and revision to bring them into compliance with the Agreed Order in Tomblin v. Gainer.

Upon motion by Ronald B. Spencer, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board approved Policy 2320 to be placed on public comment until January 11, 2001, for action at the February meeting. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment E and addendum.)

XII.

Dr. Stewart recognized all staff who assisted with the eight education forums and indicated that a report of forum findings will be presented in December.

XIII.

Jim Mc Knight, Karen Larry and Kim Nuzum-Lawrence provided a brief overview of demographic information compiled for each forum and reported that the Department's website has had 5,273 hits to the forum page. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment F.)

XIV.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Paul J. Morris, the Board approved consent agenda items as amended and as recommended. (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachments G-S and addenda.)

The Roane County Board of Education requested approval of an amendment to its CEFP as it does not contain a provision for the addition of the Roane County Administrative Support Center. The projected total cost of purchase and renovation of the facility is $870,869.00.

The Hancock County Board of Education requested approval to amend its CEFP as it does not contain a provision for the change of status of Jefferson Elementary School from Transitional to Closure and a change in grade structure from grade 6-8 to grade 5-8 for a new Oak Glen Middle School.

For the Month of October 2000

Total Supplements = $80,226,878 Total Transfers = $13,268,461

The data found in the attachment were collected to assist the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability with their study of the impact of education level of the instructor on home schooled student achievement. This survey was completed by the 55 county boards of education and contains the data available for the 1999-2000 school year. (Attachment I.)

Board members were provided an update on activities of the HVAC technicians. (Attachment J.)

Board members were provided an update on Education First: Our Future Depends on It. (Attachment K.)

Board members were provided an update on Project CATS: Coordinated and Thematic Science. (Attachment L.)

Board members were provided an update on Office of Healthy Schools activities. (Attachment M.)

Board members were provided an update on instructional technology projects in West Virginia. (Attachment Mc.)

Board members were provided an update on administrative technology projects in West Virginia. (Attachment N.)

Board members were provided an update on Mingo County. (Attachment O.)

Board members were provided an update on Lincoln County. (Attachment P.)

The Board approved six (6) waiver requests. (Attachment Q.)

As of October 23, 2000, the Department of Education had received an additional 68 applications for a total of 217 applications for Operation Recognition in connection with Policy 4355: High School Diplomas for Veterans. (Attachment R.)

The Board approved personnel items for the West Virginia Department of Education as listed in Attachment S and the addendum as modified.

XV.

A survey was sent to all high school principals, middle/junior high principals, and vocational directors regarding their schools' ability to implement Policy 2510 as it relates to the 8100 minute requirement. A report was given regarding the number of schools that meet the requirement, reasons for lack of implementation, and a recommended solution was provided based upon the results of the survey.

Action on this item was tabled until December. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment T.)

XVI.

The West Virginia Department of Education has received a five-year, $10.4 million grant to improve the college-going rate in the state. The grant is one of seven state-level GEAR UP grants recently announced by the U.S. Department of Education. The West Virginia GEAR UP initiative will focus on 32 middle and high schools in eight rural counties, connecting those schools with higher education institutions and local, regional and state partners to bring about substantive improvement in student preparedness and participation in college.

The Executive Summary provides details in reference to the participating county school systems and schools, the targeted student population, and the major goals and activities of the initiative. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment U.)

XVII.

Dr. Thralls addressed the Board regarding the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE is the current standard utilized by public higher education in West Virginia. The Board was requested to consider resumption of formal participation with NCATE. Dr. Stewart indicated that he had requested that Dr. Durden look into the matter. Upon completion of her investigation, he will provide a recommendation to the Board.

XVIII.

A number of extended learning opportunities are provided for students in West Virginia. This report summarized the various types of programs and their funding sources. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment V.)

XIX.

The supply and demand of quality educators has become a priority issue in West Virginia. For the past five months, the West Virginia Department of Education has lead a number of activities with the goal of establishing a complete and accurate analysis of the impending educator shortage.

The attachment provides a summation of those activities and results. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment W and addendum.)

XX.

House Bill 4414, passed by the West Virginia Legislature during the 2000 session, provides that county boards of education may, under certain prescribed circumstances, hire up to 25 "prospective employable professional personnel." Unless the current year enrollment is 100 students more than the enrollment four years earlier, a county may only hire prospective employable professional personnel under a waiver granted by the State Board.

The proposed rules mirror the language of the statute. Based on prior net enrollment figures, it appears that six counties would quality on the basis of increased enrollment. Other counties would have to use the waiver process. The policy was on public comment through October 20, 2000. Only one comment was received, but the comment had no bearing on the proposed policy.

Upon motion by Howard M. Persinger, Jr., second by Paul J. Morris, the Board approved

Policy 5103. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment X.)

XXI.

During the summer of 2000, the Office of Professional Preparation conducted eight regional supply and demand fact-finding forums. The meetings were well-attended by both representatives of institutions of higher education and county school systems. As a result of these dialogues, changes were proposed to Policy 5100. The changes are designed to help alleviate shortages in special education, to accommodate the augmentation of the preschool curriculum with services provided by music, art and physical education specialists, and to better reflect national trends and West Virginia programs in administrative specializations.

Four comments were received as a result of the public comment period which ended October 17, 2000. Two of the four respondents objected to allowing secondary teachers to become certified in special education areas at the K-12 level without completing an elementary education endorsement. No changes were made to the policy.

Upon motion by Paul J. Morris, second by Jim Mc Knight, the Board approved Policy 5100. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Y.)

XXII.

Policy 2520 defines the instructional goals and objectives for programs of study required by Policy 2510. Instructional goals and objectives are included for the following areas: 1) Speech I; 2) Journalism; 3) Foreign Language Exploratory, which will be considered an acceptable option at the seventh grade level for implementation of the middle school foreign language requirement; and 4) Foreign Language I-IV. These goals and objectives will provide the basis for designing instructional materials selection criteria in the upcoming adoption cycle.

Minor editorial revisions were made to the policy as a result of the public comment period which ended October 13, 2000.

Since Policy 5202 was placed on comment, two additional sets of instructional goals and objectives have been finalized, and require approval as quickly as possible.

New instructional goals and objectives were presented for nine (9) agricultural courses that will meet the criteria for the Robert C. Beach Vocational Agriculture credit (West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2510, Section 5.54). Those courses are: Agricultural Biotechnology, Agriscience 11, Animal and Veterinary Science - Small Animals, Animal and Veterinary Science - Large Animals, Aquaculture, Environmental Technology, Greenhouse Technology, Horticulture,

and Soil and Plant Science. Approved instructional goals and objectives will also provide the basis for designing instructional materials selection criteria.

Revised instructional goals and objectives were proposed for Science. Approved instructional goals and objectives will provide the basis for designing instructional materials selection criteria.

Upon motion by Sheila M. Hamilton, second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board placed the afore stated sections of Policy 2520 on public comment until December 11, 2000, for action at the December meeting. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Z.)

XXIII.

Improvement consultant teams were approved at the September board meeting for six schools that had been issued Seriously Impaired status. Those teams have met with principals and faculty and have provided recommendations for State Board approval as required by code and policy provisions. Upon approval the recommendations of the team were to be transmitted to the appropriate county boards of education for implementation.

Upon motion by Paul J. Morris, second by Ronald B. Spencer, the Board approved the recommendations of the improvement consultant teams. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment AA and addendum.)

XXIV.

The West Virginia Instructional Materials Review Committee, in accordance with the requirements specified in W.Va. Code §18-2A, completed the process of reviewing and recommending textbooks, instructional materials, and learning technologies for Group VI - English Language Arts Integrated Programs, Reading/Literature, Spelling and Driver Education. To arrive at its recommendations, the committee reviewed materials submitted by 14 publishers for the areas of English Language Arts and Driver Education. The instructional materials being recommended have met the established generic and specific criteria for English Language Arts Integrated Programs, Reading/Literature, Spelling and Driver Education and are aligned with the Instructional Goals and Objectives. Upon approval, the 2000 recommended programs adopted for the above subject areas will become part of the Official Multiple List of Instructional Materials.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Paul J. Morris, the Board approved the Official Multiple List of Instructional Materials for Group VI. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment BB.)

XXV.

Policy 5050 - West Virginia Commission for Professional Teaching Standards requires that all vacancies be filled as quickly as possible. There have been three resignations from the Commission: Dr. Pamela Cain, a county superintendent; Mr. Keith Burdette, a grades 9-12 representative of the West Virginia Professional Educators from Congressional District II; and Louis Capaldini, a business person.

The following individuals were recommended for appointment to the West Virginia Commission for Professional Teaching Standards: Dr. Larry E. Parsons, as the county superintendent representative; Ms. Ann L. Livesay, as the grades 9-12 representative of the West Virginia Professional Educators from Congressional District II; and Mr. John Wells, III, as the business representative.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board accepted the recommendations and appointed Dr. Larry E. Parsons, Ms. Ann L. Livesay, and Mr. John Wells, III, to the West Virginia Commission for Professional Teaching Standards. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment CC.)

XXVI.

Twenty-one (21) FY 2002 Requests for Appropriation (Improvement Packages) were presented and discussed. Additional requests may be presented at future meetings.

Upon motion by Jim Mc Knight, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board approved the Improvement Packages as presented. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment DD.)

XXVII.

The West Virginia Staff Development Advisory Council, through its chairman, Dr. Paul Barcus, has requested an extension of time from November 15 to December 15 for the RESAs, the Department, and the Center for Professional Development to submit their plans to implement the professional development goals established by the State Board in September. Concomitantly, the State Board's date for response to those plans would be moved from January 1 to January 15.

Upon motion by Howard M. Persinger, Jr., second by Paul J. Morris, the Board approved the request for an extension of time from November 15 to December 15. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment EE.)

XXVIII.

The Board meets with various groups throughout the year on the Wednesday afternoon preceding the regular meeting. A number of groups have requested to appear before the Board.

Following a brief discussion, it was decided that the bi-yearly meetings with West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) would be removed from the schedule. Paul J. Morris and Ronald B. Spencer serve as the Board's representatives to the Commission and will keep the Board apprized of concerns and meetings may be scheduled as necessary/upon request. It was requested that the position vacated by the WVSSAC be filled by the West Virginia Elementary and Secondary School Principals Association

Meetings with the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (WVSDB) will be scheduled as necessary/upon request. Superintendent McBride will appear before the Board at regular meetings as necessary. Members were requested to review the schedule for further action at the December meeting. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment FF.)

XXIX.

President Morris appointed Sandra M. Chapman to the fill a position on the West Virginia School Building Authority left vacant by the resignation of Gary G. White.

XXX.

Input was requested regarding the scheduling of a retreat. All members were requested to check their schedules and advise the Board office of their availability.

XXXI.

The next regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education will be held December 14 in Charleston, West Virginia.

XXXII.

Upon motion by Sandra M. Chapman, second by Paul J. Morris, the Board adjourned at approximately 1:52 p.m.

Minutes approved by the Board on December 14, 2000.

______________________________________________

J. D. Morris, President