MINUTES

WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

Board Conference Room

Capitol Building 6, Room 353

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia

March 23, 2006

I.

President Lowell E. Johnson called the meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education to order at 1:10 p.m. on March 23, 2006, in Capitol Building 6, Room 353, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.

The following members were present: President Johnson, Vice President Delores W. Cook, Secretary Priscilla M. Haden, Barbara N. Fish, Sheila M. Hamilton, Burma Hatfield, Jenny N. Phillips (via telephone), Ronald B. Spencer and ex officio Steven L. Paine, State Superintendent of Schools. Members absent were Robert W. Dunlevy and ex officios James L. Skidmore, Chancellor, the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education and Bruce C. Flack, Interim Chancellor, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

II.

Upon motion by Mr. Spencer, seconded by Ms. Hatfield, the Board unanimously approved the agenda.

III.

President Johnson distributed copies of the investigative report and requested that Superintendent Paine provide an overview of the governance of RESAs. Mr. Joe Panetta, Executive Director, Office of School Finance, provided information regarding the investigation process. Mr. Jim Welton, retired West Virginia school system administrator and author of the investigative report, provided an in-depth overview of the process utilized in developing the investigative report and discussed the report's findings and recommendations.

Mr. Erwin Conrad, Esq., counsel for Ms. Carol Morgan, RESA I Executive Director, and Dr. Deborah S. Akers, RESA I Regional Council Chair and Superintendent of Mercer County Schools, addressed the Board regarding the report's conclusions and recommendations.

Superintendent Paine distributed and discussed recommendations for the Board's consideration regarding the financial operation of RESAs.

Mrs. Cook moved, and Ms. Hatfield seconded, approval of the recommendations. Following discussion, and with the common consent of the Board, the recommendations were amended at bullet number two with the addition of the word "grants" and at bullet number four with the addition of the following agencies "Office of Education Performance Audits and West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind." Upon the call for the question the motion was unanimously carried. (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachment A.)

IV.

As the presiding officer, President Johnson informed the members that he had identified various matters that needed to be discussed in Executive Session involving attorney-client privilege, citing W. Va. Code §6-9A-3, and personnel, citing W. Va. Code §6-9A-4(b)(2)(A).

Upon motion by Mrs. Cook, seconded by Ms. Hatfield and unanimously carried, the Board entered into Executive Session at 2:17 p.m.

V.

The Board returned from Executive Session at 5:20 p.m. at which time President Johnson announced that no action was taken and no decisions were made.

Ms. Haden moved, and Ms. Phillips seconded, that the Board suspend the Executive Director of RESA I for 90 days without pay. The motion carried with five members voting yes and three members, President Johnson, Mr. Spencer and Mrs. Hamilton, voting no.

VI.

Legislative matters were deferred to the April Board meeting.

VII.

The West Virginia Board of Education's Communications Committee will meet on April 10, 2006 in Charleston, West Virginia.

The next meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education will be held April 12-13, 2006 in Lincoln County, West Virginia.

VIII.

Upon motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded by Ms. Phillips and unanimously carried, the meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

Minutes approved by the Board on April 13, 2006.

___________________________________________

Lowell E. Johnson, President

___________________________________________

Priscilla M. Haden, Secretary

Minutes were recorded by

Virginia M. Harris

Executive Secretary to

the Board.

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