CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The West Virginia Board of Education took the first steps during its monthly meeting to begin a national search for the next West Virginia superintendent of schools.

"We believe our current superintendent is doing a good job," said Wade Linger, president of the West Virginia Board of Education. "Dr. Phares' evaluation shows he is leading our state's education system with vision and passion. However, we have indicated all along that as a board we wanted to conduct a nationwide search."

Several months ago the board asked the West Virginia Legislature to update state code to eliminate a section which required a state superintendent to have a degree in education administration. The code changes also included lifting the salary cap on the superintendent position.

More recently, the board reached out to the West Virginia Attorney General's Office to ask for guidance on hiring a search firm and the proper process for hiring a superintendent.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey informed the board that he expects to have his staff available throughout the hiring process to answer questions related to ethics issues, confidentiality concerns and open meeting laws. He also expects to seek a formal bid to involve outside counsel with special expertise in the area of national searches.

Board members are currently working out the details related to the budget for the search and the timeline for the search.

For more information, contact Liza Cordeiro in the WVDE Communication Office at 304-558-2699.

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