MINUTES

WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission

Conference Room

2875 Staunton Turnpike

Parkersburg, West Virginia

April 14, 2005

I.

President Barbara N. Fish called the regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) to order at 8:35 a.m. on April 14, 2005, in the Conference Room at the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC), 2875 Staunton Turnpike, Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The following members were present: President Fish, Vice President Lowell E. Johnson, Ms. Sandra M. Chapman, Mrs. Delores W. Cook, Mrs. Sheila Hamilton, Ms. Burma Hatfield, Mr. Paul J. Morris, Mr. Ronald B. Spencer and ex officio Dr. David Stewart, State Superintendent of Schools. Members absent were: Secretary Priscilla M. Haden and ex officios Dr. J. Michael Mullen, Chancellor, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and Mr. James L. Skidmore, Chancellor, West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education

II.

Mr. William A. Niday, Superintendent of Wood County Schools, and Mr. Mike Hayden, Executive Director, WVSSAC, welcomed the Board, recognized students, staff and board members, and provided brief overviews of accomplishments and initiatives.

III.

President Fish and Mr. Doug Kiger, Director/Principal, Wood County Technical Center, recognized a number of technical education students from Wood County Schools who will represent the state in national level competition.

IV.

Ms. Candy Canan, Hampshire County Education Association, and Mr. Tom Lange, West Virginia Education Association, addressed the Board regarding the Hampshire County audit. Ms. Sue Kettridge, representing a number of Doddridge County citizens, distributed information and addressed the Board regarding the Superintendent of Doddridge County Schools and financial matters. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment A.)

V.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Chapman, the Board unanimously approved the agenda with the following modifications: President Fish moved item X. Legal and/or Personnel Matters to the first order of business following approval of the Consent Agenda and moved the following items from the Consent Agenda, under item B. Routine Business, to be taken up immediately following Legal and/or Personnel Matters: 3. Waivers of State Board of Education Policies and Regulations, Superintendent's Interpretations and State Statutes and Legislative Rules; 7. 2004 Educational Personnel Data Report; 9. Report on Summers County High School, Summers County; 15. Final Individual School Education Performance Audit Report for Hinton Area Elementary School, Summers County; 16. Final Individual School Education Performance Audit for Talcott Elementary School, Summers County; and, 18. Revised Unified School Improvement Plans, to be taken up immediately following Legal and/or Personnel Matters.

VI.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Morris, the Board unanimously approved items on the Consent Agenda as modified. (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachments B-M.)

Meeting minutes of March 10, 2005 (Attachment B)

Budget supplement and transfer requests for the month of March 2005 as follows: total supplements = $18,096,344 and total transfers = $31,658,638 (Attachment C)

Amendment to Roane County Board of Education Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan (CEFP) to include construction of a Meat Processing Laboratory at Roane County High School. The Roane County Board of Education, in action taken January 13, 2005, approved this amendment of their CEFP. The projected cost of this amendment is $75,000.00. This action is amendment number five in their current CEFP.

• Thirty-six (36) county applications representing summer school at seventy-four (74) county locations (Attachment D)

• Employment of Substitute Teachers in Areas of Critical Need policy for McDowell County (Attachment E)

Appointment of Robert A. Lockhart to the West Virginia Commission for Professional Teaching Standards (Attachment F)

• Update of the West Virginia Department of Education's Strategic Plan (Attachment G)

• Continued the Full Approval status of the Upshur County School System, issued the schools the accreditation status listed in the report and gave the school system a Date Certain of May 31, 2007 to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) (Attachment H)

Continued the Conditional Accreditation status of the Philip Barbour High School Complex with a May 31, 2007 Date Certain to achieve AYP and continued the Full Approval status of the Barbour County School System (Attachment I)

Continued the Conditional Accreditation status of Mill Creek Intermediate School with a May 31, 2007 Date Certain to achieve AYP and continued the Full Approval status of the Berkeley County School System (Attachment J)

Continued the Conditional Accreditation status of Martinsburg North Middle School with a May 31, 2007 Date Certain to achieve AYP and continued the Full Approval status of the Berkeley County School System (Attachment K)

Continued the Full Accreditation status of Greenbrier West High School and continued the Full Approval status of the Greenbrier County School System (Attachment L)

Continued the Conditional Accreditation status of Franklin Elementary School with a May 31, 2007 Date Certain to achieve AYP and continued the Full Approval status of the Wood County School System (Attachment M).

VII.

President Fish introduced a resolution concerning a deed of right away for the new Lincoln County High School.

Upon motion by Ms. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

President Fish requested a motion to move into an executive session under the provisions of W. Va. Code §6-9A-3 involving matters involving attorney-client privilege in Mingo County.

Mrs. Cook moved, and Ms. Hatfield seconded, that the Board move into executive session. The motion carried unanimously. The Board entered into executive session at 9:32 a.m.

VIII.

The Board returned from executive session at 11:11a.m. at which time President Fish announced no action was taken and no decisions were made in executive session.

IX.

Ms. Karen Larry, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent, addressed questions regarding the wavier process.

Upon motion by Mr. Morris, seconded by Mr. Spencer, the Board unanimously approved one (1) request for a new waiver of instructional materials, eight (8) requests for new waivers of State Board policy, six (6) county requests to waive adoption of mathematics instructional materials for one (1) year and denied one (1) request for a new waiver of State Board policy as found in the attachment. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Mc.)

X.

Dr. Jack McClanahan, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Administrative Services, addressed questions regarding the 2004 Educational Personnel Data Report. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment N.)

XI.

Dr. Donna Davis, Deputy Director, Office of Education Performance Audits (OEPA), addressed questions regarding the report on Summers County High School. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment O.)

XII.

Dr. Davis presented the Final Individual School Education Performance Audit Report for Hinton Area Elementary School in Summers County for the Board's consideration.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Morris, the Board unanimously continued the Full Accreditation status of Hinton Area Elementary School and continued the Full Approval status of the Summers County School System. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment P.)

XIII.

Dr. Davis presented the Final Individual School Education Performance Audit Report for Talcott Elementary School in Summers County for the Board's consideration.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Mr. Spencer, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the Board unanimously continued the Full Accreditation status of Talcott Elementary School and continued the Full Approval status of the Summers County School System. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Q.)

XIV.

Dr. Davis addressed questions regarding the Unified School Improvement Plan revision process.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Chapman, the Board unanimously approved the twelve (12) plans. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment R.)

XV.

Dr. Davis reported that an announced on-site review was conducted at Petersburg Elementary School in Grant County on February 8, 2005. The OEPA conducted the review which was limited in scope to the performance and process standards relative to school and student achievement. The review also consisted of resource evaluation.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Mrs. Hamilton, seconded by Mrs. Cook, the Board unanimously continued Petersburg Elementary School's Conditional Accreditation status, continued the Grant County School System's Full Approval status and gave the school and county a Date Certain of May 31, 2007 to correct the high-quality standards necessary for improvement. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment S.)

XVI.

Dr. Davis reported that an announced on-site review was conducted at Moorefield Middle School in Hardy County on February 9, 2005. The OEPA conducted the review which was limited in scope to the performance and process standards relative to school and student achievement. The review also consisted of resource evaluation.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Mr. Spencer, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the Board unanimously continued Moorefield Middle School's Conditional Accreditation status, continued the Hardy County School System's Full Approval status and gave the school and county a Date Certain of May 31, 2007 to correct the high-quality standards necessary for improvement. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment T.)

XVII.

Dr. Davis reported that an announced on-site review was conducted at Fort Ashby Primary School in Mineral County on March 15, 2005. The OEPA conducted the review which was limited in scope to the performance and process standards relative to school and student achievement. The review also consisted of resource evaluation.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Chapman, the Board unanimously continued Fort Ashby Primary School's Full Accreditation status and continued the Mineral County School System's Full Approval status. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment U.)

XVIII.

Dr. Davis reported that an announced on-site review was conducted at Wiley Ford Primary School in Mineral County on March 15, 2005. The OEPA conducted the review which was limited in scope to the performance and process standards relative to school and student achievement. The review also consisted of resource evaluation.

Upon recommendation of Dr. Davis and a motion by Mrs. Hamilton, seconded by Ms. Chapman, the Board unanimously continued Wiley Ford Primary School's Full Accreditation status and continued the Mineral County School System's Full Approval status. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment V.)

XIX.

President Fish called for a break for lunch at 12:02 p.m.

XX.

President Fish called the meeting back to order at 12:40 p.m.

XXI.

RESA Report. Mr. Ronald K. Nichols, Executive Director, RESA V, and Mr. Richard Weigand, Director, West Virginia Environment Training Center, distributed information and provided an update of activities and initiatives taking place in RESA V. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment W.)

Board Member Reports. President Fish addressed the Board regarding the resignation/retirement of the State Superintendent of Schools effective June 30, 2005. Mrs. Cook, Mr. Morris, Mrs. Hamilton, Ms. Chapman, and Ms. Hatfield reflected on Superintendent Stewart's accomplishments.

Upon motion by Mr. Morris, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the Board unanimously accepted the resignation/retirement of Superintendent Stewart.

President Fish (distributed information and assisted by Dr. Stan Hopkins, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Technical and Adult Education, and Mr. C. W. "Butch" Powell, Assistant Executive Director, WVSSAC), Mr. Spencer (distributed information and assisted by Mr. Hayden), Mrs. Cook, and Mr. Morris (assisted by Dr. Hopkins and Ms. Liza Cordeiro, Executive Director, Communications Office, State Superintendent's Office) provided reports. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment X.)

Attitude Is Everything Award. President Fish conferred the Attitude Is Everything award on Ms. Melanie Purkey, Executive Director, Office of Student Services and Health Promotion, Division of Instructional and Student Services, and Mr. Rick Goff, Executive Director, Office of Child Nutrition, Division of Administrative Services, in recognition of their efforts during the last legislative session.

Superintendent's Report. Superintendent Stewart provided a report regarding personnel and distributed an article from the April/May 2005 issue of Edutopia entitled HIGHSCHOOL.COM which spotlights West Virginia's virtual school initiative. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Y.)

Legislative Update. Dr. Steven L. Paine, Deputy State Superintendent, distributed information and provided an update regarding federal and state legislative activities. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Z.)

President Fish recognized Dr. Stewart, Dr. Paine and Department staff for their efforts during the legislative session.

West Virginia Board of Education Strategic Plan Quarterly Report. Ms. Larry, in compliance with Objective 3.2 of the Strategic Plan, provided the quarterly status report. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment AA.)

Assessment Recommendations for Request for Proposal (RFP): 2007-2014. Dr. Jorea Marple, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of School Improvement, and Dr. Jan Barth, Executive Director, Office of Student Assessment, Division of School Improvement, presented the current assessment recommendations for the Board's consideration. An Executive Summary of the RFP will be presented for Board approval and release in June or July of 2005. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment BB.)

XXII.

President Fish called for a break at 3:17 p.m.

XXIII.

President Fish called the meeting back to order at 3:32 p.m.

XXIV.

Dr. McClanahan distributed information and presented the recommendations of the Improvement Consultant Team for correcting the deficiencies of the Hampshire County School System and RESA VIII Regional Council as cited in the OEPA audit report for the Board's consideration.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Morris, the Board unanimously accepted the Improvement Consultant Team's report and approved the recommendations. Said recommendations are to be effected within six months of the Board's acceptance of the report. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment CC.)

President Fish issued a formal thank you to the committee members responsible for the report.

XXV.

Dr. Paine presented the Board's personnel items for consideration.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Hatfield, the Board, with seven members voting yes, and one member, Ms. Chapman, voting no, approved the WVBE personnel items. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment DD.)

XXVI.

Dr. Hopkins presented Policy 3232 for the Board's consideration. A number of procedural and statutory changes dictate the need to repeal and replace the current policy. The proposed replacement policy includes these changes, and updates titles and terminology to reflect current practice.

Upon motion by Ms. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Hamilton, the Board unanimously placed Policy 3232 on public comment for 30 days. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment EE.)

XXVII.

Dr. Johnson presented a resolution supporting a wage increase for public school personnel for the Board's consideration.

Upon motion by Ms. Hatfield, seconded by Mrs. Cook, the Board unanimously approved the resolution. (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment FF.)

XXVIII.

Mr. Morris presented the appraisal process for the State Superintendent, OEPA Director, Superintendent of the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, RESA Executive Directors and Executive Secretary to the Board.

XXIX.

President Fish distributed information and initiated discussion regarding the process for selection of a State Superintendent of Schools. It was the consensus of the Board that the entire Board would constitute the search committee with Ms. Chapman serving as chair. A special meeting of the Board will be held prior to the end of April to continue discussion regarding the hiring process. The hiring/selection process will be completed by June 30, 2005.

XXX.

The next regular meeting of the Board will be held May 11-12, 2005 in Randolph County, West Virginia.

XXXI.

Mr. Spencer moved, and Mrs. Hamilton seconded, that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m.

Minutes approved by the Board on May 12, 2005.

____________________________________________

Barbara N. Fish, President

____________________________________________

Priscilla M. Haden, Secretary

Minutes were recorded by

Virginia M. Harris

Executive Secretary

to the Board..

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