MINUTES

WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

Board Conference Room

Capitol Building 6, Room 353

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia

September 13, 2007

I.  Call to Order

  President Cook called the meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) to order at 9:00 a.m. on September 13, 2007, in the Board Conference Room, Capitol Building 6, Room 353, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.

  The following members were present:  President Delores W. Cook, Vice President Priscilla M. Haden, Secretary Ronald B. Spencer, Robert W. Dunlevy (via telephone), Barbara N. Fish, Burma Hatfield, Lowell E. Johnson, Gayle C. Manchin, and Jenny N. Phillips, and ex officio Steven L. Paine, State Superintendent of Schools.  Student representative in attendance was Cameron F. Wilson of Spencer who attends Roane County High School.  Members absent were ex officios Brian E. Noland, Chancellor, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and James L. Skidmore, Chancellor, West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education

II. Approval of Agenda

  Upon motion by Mrs. Manchin, seconded by Ms. Hatfield, the Board unanimously approved the agenda. 

III. Consent Agenda

  Mrs. Fish requested that Consent Agenda item 2.  Waivers of West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Policies and Regulations, Superintendent's Interpretations and State Statutes and Legislative Rules be removed from the Consent Agenda for discussion.  Upon motion by Ms. Phillips, seconded by Dr. Johnson, the Board unanimously approved the Consent Agenda as amended.  (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachments A through C and E through I.)

· Meeting minutes of August 8 and 9, 2007  (Attachment A)

· Budget supplement and transfer requests for the month of August 2007 as follows: total supplements = $19,134,392 and total transfers = $17,347,415 (Attachment B)

· Amendment to the Preston County Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan to include the installation of two/three modular units to serve Central Preston Middle School students  (Attachment C)

· Six additional applications for a total of 1,419 applications for Operation Recognition in connection with Policy 4355: High School Diplomas for Veterans  (Attachment E)

· Employment of Substitute Teachers in Areas of Critical Need policies for Grant, Lewis and Wetzel County Schools  (Attachment F)

· Notifications, per Senate Bill 227, W. Va. Code §18A-4-7a, Transfer of Teachers After Five Days Prior to Starting Instruction, from Wood County Schools  (Attachment G)

· Policy 2423, Communicable Disease Control (Attachment H and addendum)

· Policy 4334, West Virginia Minimum Requirements for Design and Equipment of School Buses  (Attachment I).

IV.  Waivers of West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE)

Policies and Regulations, Superintendent's Interpretations

  and State Statutes and Legislative Rules

Dr. Karen Larry, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent, provided clarification regarding the waiver requests from Mason and Morgan Counties.

  Upon motion by Mrs. Fish, seconded by Dr. Johnson, the Board unanimously approved the waiver requests.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment D.)

V. Reports

  Board Member/Committee Reports.  Mrs. Manchin provided a report regarding her attendance at a meeting of the Center for Professional Development, provided information regarding the A+ Benedum Project, and issued a concern regarding weighted grades;  Ms. Haden  thanked the Board’s executive secretary for her assistance with the student representative initiative and provided a report regarding her attendance at the West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference; Mrs. Fish issued an invitation to Board members to a reception with the West Virginia Commission for Professional Teaching Standards on October 9 at the University of Charleston; Dr. Johnson attended the Center for Professional Development meeting and provided an update regarding a meeting of the West Virginia 21st Century Learning First Alliance (during this report it was the consensus of the Board that webinar training be provided to members in the near future).

  State Superintendent’s Report.  Mr. Jack Wiseman and Ms. Robin Taylor, West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, provided information (Attachment K) regarding Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.  

VI. Break

  President Cook called for a break at 10:00 a.m.

VII.  Call to Order

  President Cook called the meeting back to order at 10:15 a.m.

VIII.  Reports (Continued)

  Superintendent Paine presented Department personnel actions (Attachment J) for the Board’s information; distributed a letter from SREB regarding the release of the SREB State Virtual Schools Report 2007; attended a meeting with the Higher Education Policy Commission regarding college readiness; provided an update regarding the status of initiatives found in Taking Career & Technical Education to the Next Level in West Virginia – A Report on the Legislative Study Mandated by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 42 and requested that President Cook appoint two members to an implementation committee; reported that, as a result of a request at the August meeting, discussion is underway regarding a way to receive student input; discussed possible avenues to pursue with regard to a plan of action (said plan to be presented to the Board for discussion at a future meeting) regarding the anticipated need for teachers that will occur as a result of retirement; provided reports in Lincoln, McDowell and Mingo Counties, Normantown Elementary (Gilmer County), Valley Head Elementary (Randolph County); provided an update (assisted by Dr. Pamela S. Cain, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Student Support Services, and Mr. Wilson) regarding the parent involvement initiative [it was the consensus of the Board that a past proclamation and Board Policy 2200 be revisited and that the Board be provided a guidance document regarding parental involvement and that this initiative be accelerated with another report to be provided at the October meeting];  and, assisted by Dr. Jorea Marple, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services, Ms. Brenda Williams, Executive Director, West Virginia Department of Education’s (WVDE) Office of Instructional Technology, Ms. Carla Williamson, Executive Director, and Ms. Denise White, Coordinator, WVDE’s Office of Instruction, provided an in-depth presentation entitled “Virtual Learning for All Students and Teachers.”  (Copies appended to Official Minutes, Attachment J and addendum, and Attachment K.)

IX. WVBE Records Retention Guidelines

  Heather Deskins, Esq., General Counsel to the WVBE and the WVDE, presented proposed records retention guidelines, for WVBE records, for the Board’s consideration.

Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Phillips, the Board unanimously approved the records retention guidelines.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment L.)

X.  WVBE Personnel Matters

  Upon motion by Dr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Phillips, the Board unanimously approved the Board’s personnel items.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment M.)

XI.  Board Items for Future Consideration

  Mrs. Manchin requested an item to be placed on a future agenda to address the evaluation component in connection with the recently approved Master Plan for Professional Development.  Superintendent Paine, in response to Mrs. Manchin’s request, indicated a Request for Proposals has been released.

  President Cook, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution 42, appointed Mr. Spencer and Ms. Phillips to the committee set forth in the Resolution.

  President Cook requested that items to be considered for placement on a future agenda to be provided to Dr. McClanahan as soon as possible.  (Copy appended to Official Minutes, Attachment Mc.)

XII. Future Meetings

  The next regular meeting of the Board will be held October 9-10, 2007 in Charleston, West Virginia.  President Cook stated that consideration is being given to changing the October meeting to a one day meeting and that the meeting date would be October 9.

XIII.  Adjournment

  Upon motion by Mrs. Manchin, seconded by Ms. Phillips and unanimously carried, the Board adjourned at 12:20 p.m.

    Minutes approved by the Board on October 9, 2007.

    _______________________________________________

  Delores W. Cook, President

_______________________________________________

   Ronald B. Spencer, Secretary

Minutes were recorded by

Virginia M. Harris

Executive Secretary to the Board.

   Wvbeminutes9/13/07