MINUTES - WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

State Board Conference Room

Capitol Building 6, Room 353

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia

September 18, 2003




I.   Call to Order



President Sandra M. Chapman called the regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education to order at 8:30 a.m. on September 18, 2003, in the Board Conference Room, Capitol Building 6, Room 353, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, West Virginia.

       

The following members were present: President Chapman, Vice-President Barbara N. Fish,  Secretary Sheila M. Hamilton, Delores W. Cook, Priscilla M. Haden, Paul J. Morris, Ronald B. Spencer and ex officio David Stewart, State Superintendent of  Schools.  Members absent were Howard M. Persinger, Jr. and ex officio J. Michael Mullen, Chancellor, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.



II. Recognitions



Frank D. Andrews, Superintendent, Office of Institutional Education Programs, Division of Instructional and Student Services, introduced Dr. Jack Littlefield, Chair, Standards Commission, Correctional Education Association, who presented national accreditation certificates to the Anthony Correctional Center, Davis Correctional Center and the West Virginia Industrial Home for Youth. 


Mr. Andrews introduced David Cole, Evaluation Team Leader for the Graphic Arts Education Research Foundation/PrintEd, who presented a certificate of national accreditation to the Printing Technology program at the Northern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility school and instructor, David Chambers.


Mr. Andrews recognized Michael Barrett, Adult Basic Education instructor at the Department's Institutional Education Program at the Southern Regional Jail, as the West Virginia Adult Education Association's Educator of the Year for 2003.


III. Delegations



Constance Breza and Bernadette Rush, officers, West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, distributed information, provided a PowerPoint presentation and addressed the State Board regarding section 9.22 of Policy 5202.  Tom Lange, President, West Virginia Education Association, also addressed the State Board regarding Policy 5202. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment A.)


Bob Seymour, retired Kanawha County Science Supervisor, addressed the State Board regarding science education at grades 9 and 10.


IV. Approval of the Agenda


Upon motion by Mr. Spencer, seconded by Mrs. Cook, the State Board unanimously approved the agenda with the following modifications:  President Chapman removed from Reports, item D, The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Annual Report, and asked that it be placed on the October agenda. 


V. The 2003 Annual Report of the Office of Education Performance Audits



Kenna R. Seal, Director of the Office of Education Performance Audits, presented the 2003 Annual Report for the State Board's approval.  This is the fifth report compiling accountability activities.  This report synthesizes the activities of the Office of Education Performance Audits as established by the West Virginia Legislature and the West Virginia Board of Education.

  

Upon recommendation of Dr. Seal and a motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously approved the 2003 Annual Report.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment B.)


VI. Consent Agenda

      


Upon motion by Ms. Haden, seconded by Mrs. Fish, the State Board unanimously approved the consent agenda.  (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachments C-J.)  The following items were approved:




Minutes of August 13, 14, and 21, 2003.  (Attachment C.)

 

Budget supplement and transfer requests for the month of August 2003 as follows:  Total Supplements = $109,654,863   Total Transfers = $7,245,132  (Attachment D.)


An amendment to the Nicholas County Board of Education  Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan  to provide heating/ventilating/air conditioning upgrades for Summersville Elementary School.  The anticipated completion time would be 2005 and the anticipated funding source of this upgrade is the SBA Needs Project.


Receipt of an additional 15 applications for a total of 1,255 applications as of September 8, 2003 for Operation Recognition in connection with Policy 4355.  (Attachment E.)



Personnel items for the Department of Education, Schools for the Deaf and the Blind and Regional Education Service Agencies.  (Attachment F.)


Three (3) athletic trainer  waivers.  (Attachment G.)


Two notifications of transfers of teachers after five days prior to starting instruction from Wood County Schools.  (Attachment H.)

 


Receipt of a Learning for the 21st Century, A Report and Mile Guide for 21st Century Skills report.  This report was developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and was funded through the U.S. Department of Education.  (Attachment I.)     

 

Receipt of applications for Part II, D, Educational Technology Funding Competition, Round 2, No Child Left Behind that are to be distributed to counties.  Technical assistance will be provided to complete applications in accordance with federal and state guidelines.  (Attachment J.)


VII. Break


President Chapman called for a break at 9:45 a.m.


VIII. Call to Order


President Chapman called the meeting back to order at 10:00 a.m.

    


IX. Position Paper on the Value of Pre-Kindergarten Education

 


Cathy Jones, Coordinator, Early Childhood/Even Start, Office of Instructional Services, Division of Instructional and Student Services, presented a position paper on the value of pre-kindergarten education for the State Board's consideration.  Dr. Jones indicated that one change had been made as a result of yesterday's discussion on the proposed position paper on the value of pre-kindergarten education: "early education standards" has been changed to "early learning standards". 


Upon motion by Mrs. Cook, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously approved the position paper with the aforestated change as the State Board's position on pre-kindergarten education.


Mrs. Fish moved, and Ms. Haden seconded, that the position paper be conveyed to members of the West Virginia Legislature.  The motion carried unanimously.  President Chapman requested that the position paper be shared with members of the School Building Authority, county superintendents and others as deemed appropriate.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment K.)

X. Educational Personnel Preparation Programs in

West Virginia Colleges and Universities (2003-2004)


Jack McClanahan, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Administrative Services, presented the annual reports of 18 West Virginia institutions of higher education and recommended all institutions be granted "Continuing Program Approval Status."  Policy 5100 requires all institutions of higher education with West Virginia Board of Education approved educational personnel preparation programs to report annually to the State Board on their progress to:  1) meet any program component standards not fully met as identified by the Program Review Board and/or on-site review teams, 2) implement new legislation or State Board initiatives or policies that impact their programs, 3) address new program criteria, and 4) maintain current program descriptions.


Upon recommendation of Dr. McClanahan and a motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded  by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously granted "Continuing Program Approval Status" to the 18 institutions of higher education whose educational personnel preparation programs are contained in the attachment.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment L.)


  

XI. 2004 State Administrative Expense (SAE) Plan for Child Nutrition


Mary Kay Harrison, Executive Director, Office of Child Nutrition, Division of Administrative Service, presented the SAE Plan for Child Nutrition Programs for fiscal year 2004 for the State Board's consideration.  The plan reflects the staffing plan and projected budget for West Virginia Department of Education administration of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition programs.   These programs include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The projected budget includes federal funds and required state matching funds totaling $1,461,561.  Release of federal SAE funds is contingent upon USDA approval of this plan.


Upon motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded by Ms. Haden, the State Board unanimously approved the FY2004 SAE plan.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment M.)



XII. Improvement Consultant Teams for Seriously Impaired Schools


Steve Paine, Deputy State Superintendent, reported that East Hardy Early/Middle School, Sissonville Middle School, Duval High School, and Guyan Valley High School were designated as seriously impaired during the August 2003 meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education.  Policy 2320 states:  "Whenever a school is issued seriously impaired status, the West Virginia Board of Education, shall appoint a team of improvement consultants to make recommendations within sixty days of appointment for correcting the impairment."  Dr. Paine recommended the that the following individuals be approved as the improvement consultant team for each identified school.




  East Hardy Early/Middle School

   Ron Whetzel, Superintendent, Hardy County

   Sharon Hammer, Administrative Assistant, Hardy County

   Janice Hoover, Director of Special Education, Hardy County

   Rebecca Brill, Assistant Principal, East Hardy Early Middle School

   Ann Aclin, Assistant Principal, Moorefield High School

   Vicki Hilton, Staff Development Coordinator, RESA VIII

   Dale McVicker, Distinguished Educator, West Virginia Department of

      Education (WVDE)


  Sissonville Middle School

   Cindy Daniel, Assistant Superintendent, Kanawha County

   Mark Milam, Assistant Superintendent, Kanawha County

   Elaine Gayton, Director, Staff Development, Kanawha County 

   Judy Gillian, Curriculum Specialist (ELA), Kanawha County

   Bill Mullett, Director, Testing and Guidance, Kanawha County


  Duval High School and Guyan Valley High School

   William Grizzell, Superintendent, Lincoln County

   Donna Martin, Assistant Superintendent, Lincoln County

   Doug Smith, Director, Special Education, Lincoln County

   Dwight Coburn, Director, Vocational Education, Lincoln County

   Jeff Huffman, Administrative Assistant, Lincoln County Schools

   Dee Cockrille, School Improvement Specialist, RESA II

   Rose Kessinger, Assistant Director, Partnership Development, WVDE



Upon motion by Mr. Morris, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously approved the improvement consultant teams as stated above.


Dr. McClanahan and Liza Cordeiro, Executive Director, Communications Office,  distributed information and provided a brief report regarding a program to recognize schools demonstrating outstanding performance under West Virginia Achieves.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Mc.)


Upon recommendation of Dr. Stewart and a motion by Ms. Haden, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously removed Ann Aclin from the improvement consultant team for East Hardy Early/Middle School.  



XIII. Policy 2422.8 - Medication Administration


Melanie Purkey, Executive Director, Office of Student Services and Health Promotion, Division of Instructional and Student Services, presented Policy 2422.8 for the State Board's consideration.  Over 11,000 students have medication administered to them during the school day.  In order to meet the needs of this number of students, school nurses delegate medication administration to teachers, aides, and school secretaries.  The policy outlines specific procedures to be followed.




Upon motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded by Mr. Spencer, the State Board unanimously placed Policy 2422.8 on public comment for thirty days.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment N.)


XIV. Policy 4110 - Attendance



Ms. Purkey presented Policy 4110 for the State Board's consideration.  Revisions to Policy 4110 are being recommended due to federal and state legislation changes.  W.Va. Code 18-8-4  required changes be made to the allowable deductions for accountability purposes.  W.Va. Code 18-8-11 required changes be made to the driver's license law.  Subtitle B of Title VII of the McGivney-Veneto Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) required the addition of the definition of homeless children and youth and school of origin. The attendance director's duties as the liaison for homeless children and youth were revised due to the federal legislation changes.


Upon motion by Mr. Spencer, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously placed Policy 2422.8 on public comment for thirty days.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment O and addendum.)


XV. Policy 5309 - County Superintendent Performance Evaluations



Rebecca Tinder, General Counsel to the State Board and the Department, presented Policy 5309 for the State Board's consideration.   The Legislature enacted W.Va. Code 18-4-6 to require county boards to annually evaluate the performance of their county superintendent with a process "authorized by the state board."  In response to this legislation, the West Virginia School Boards Association facilitated meetings involving all stakeholders which resulted this proposed policy.


Upon motion by Mrs. Cook, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the State Board unanimously placed Policy 5309 on public comment for thirty days.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment P.)


XVI. County Board of Education Self-Assessment Instrument


  Ms. Tinder presented a county board of education self-assessment instrument for the State Board's consideration.  The Legislature amended W.Va. Code 18-5-1c to require county boards to annually assess their own performance using an instrument approved by the State Board.  In response to this legislation, the West Virginia School Boards Association facilitated meetings involving all stakeholders which resulted in the recommendation that the State Board  adopt the Board Self Assessment Questionnaire, with permission of Holland, Blackman & Associates, Inc., of Athens, Georgia, as it meets or exceeds the legislative requirements.

Upon motion by Ms. Haden, seconded by Mr. Morris, the State Board unanimously approved the Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire as the instrument by which county boards of education shall assess their own performance. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Q.)



XVII. State Board Member Reports

Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) Committee Report

Strategic Planning Committee Report



Ms. Haden provided a report regarding her attendance at a healthy schools initiative  event at Piedmont Elementary in Kanawha County, participation in Classroom Walkthrough training, and a tour of the Department of Education.  

President Chapman reported that Mr. Spencer had provided members a copy of a report from the Per Diem Committee.



Mrs. Fish provided reports from the RESA Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Holocaust Education Commission.  The State Board, by consensus, designated Mrs. Fish as the State Board's representative to the NASBE annual conference.


Mrs. Hamilton provided a brief update regarding plans for the October meeting in Jefferson County. 


Mr. Spencer provided a brief report on behalf of the Legislative Committee.



Ms. Haden distributed information and provided an update from the Strategic Planning Committee.   (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment R.)



XVIII. Limited English Proficient (LEP)/Title III



Amelia Courts, Executive Director, International Schools/English as a Second Language, Division of Instructional and Student Services, distributed and presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding the requirements of Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which states that limited English proficient students must be provided full educational parity with their peers.  Ms. Courts reported that West Virginia has made progress toward this goal with the adoption of Standards for English Language Proficiency (Policy 2417) in May 2003.  The next step, as required by both Title I and Title III, is the development of an annual assessment of English Language Development for LEP students. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment S.)



XIX. Alignment Study Update on WESTEST





Brenda  West, Assistant Director, Office of Student Assessment, Division of Instructional and Student Services, provided an alignment study update on WESTEST.  Alignment was requested in West Virginia's Request for Proposal; additionally, an external alignment study of the West Virginia curriculum standards and assessments in three content areas    language arts, mathematics, and science for seven grade levels  grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 was conducted.  The external study addresses both quantitatively and qualitatively the comprehensiveness of tests in terms of alignment with West Virginia's content standards and objectives and performance descriptors. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment T.)


XX. Break


President Chapman called for a break at 11:31 a.m.


XXI. Call to Order


President Chapman called the meeting back to order at 11:36 a.m.


XXII. West Virginia Virtual School Update



Brenda Williams, Executive Director, Office of Instructional Technology, Superintendent's Office, provided an update regarding the West Virginia Virtual School.  Information provided included increased enrollment, courses approved and development status for Spanish courses.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment U.)


XXIII. Appointment to School Building Authority


President Chapman appointed Mrs. Hamilton to the School Building Authority.


XXIV. State Board Meeting and Travel Schedule for 2004



President Chapman presented a proposed  State Board meeting and travel schedule for 2004 for discussion and requested that the meeting at the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind be changed to June 10-11 (Thursday and Friday) in order that members be available to attend graduation. 


Upon motion by Mrs. Hamilton, seconded by Ms. Haden, the State Board unanimously approved the State Board meeting and travel schedule for 2004 as amended.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment V.)



XXV. Executive Session



Mr. Morris moved, and Mrs. Fish  seconded, that the State Board go into executive session as provided in W.Va. Code 6-9A-3 (attorney-client privilege) and 6-9A-4(b)(2)(A) (personnel exception).  The State Board entered into executive session at 11:45 a.m.





XXVI. Return from Executive Session

 


The State Board returned from executive session at 11:57 a.m. at which time President Chapman announced that no decisions had been made or action taken.


XXVII. Future Meetings

 


The next regular meeting of the State Board will be held October 8-9, 2003 in Jefferson County, West Virginia.



XXVIII.      Adjournment



Upon motion by Mr. Morris, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, and unanimously carried, the State Board adjourned at 11:58 a.m.



     Minutes approved by the State Board on October 9, 2003.


 



      _________________________________________________

      Sandra M. Chapman, President





     _________________________________________________

     Sheila M. Hamilton, Secretary



Minutes were recorded by

     Virginia M. Harris

Executive Secretary to

      the State Board.

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