Southern West Virginia News

The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) authorized the immediate intervention of the Logan County School system as the result of a Special Circumstance Review that began last month and resulted in 46 points of non-compliance. Control of the day-to-day operations of the county school system as well as county board operations will be under the authority of the WVBE and the State Superintendent of Schools effective close of business Oct. 27, 2022. The Board announced the decision during a special meeting today in Charleston.

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) initiated a Special Circumstance Review of Logan County Schools under the direction of State Superintendent of Schools David L. Roach. A team from the WVDE’s Office of Support and Accountability arrived unannounced at several Logan County schools and the county’s central office on the morning of Sept. 15, 2022, to investigate complaints submitted to the WVDE as well as documentation submitted to the WVDE through routine federal programs monitoring.

Weeks of review and investigation ensued leading to the following findings (among others).

• Lack of oversight of the Logan County Virtual School program resulting in the lack of a thorough and efficient system of free education for those enrolled. This also resulted in a lack of services for special education students who are among the most vulnerable
• The use of public funds to subsidize private education;
• Allegations of intimidation of school system administrators, educators and staff by executive-level staff resulting in a toxic work environment and low morale;
• Improper use of county funds for county board member travel, special events and in the acquisition of the services of a vendor;
• Overuse of executive sessions at county board meetings in violation of the Open Governmental Proceedings Act and leading to poor public transparency;
• Issues of noncompliance in the area of finance; and
• Misuse of federal program funds to support activities, programs and vendors outside of the scope allowed by law

As a result of the Special Circumstance Review, it is the recommendation of the West Virginia Department of Education that extraordinary circumstances exist in the county that constitute major impediments to the provision of education programs and services for students, and that Logan County School System be issued Non-approval status. 

It is further recommended that since these extraordinary circumstances have been documented and currently exist, delaying the intervention by the WVBE into Logan County Schools for any period of time would not be in the best interest of the students and staff in Logan County in accordance with W.Va. Code.

The following recommendations were made by Superintendent Roach and approved by the WVBE.

• the State Board find, based on the report from the Office of Support and Accountability that extraordinary circumstances exist in Logan County Schools.
• the State Board assign Nonapproval status to Logan County Schools;
• the State Board declare a state of emergency exists in Logan County Schools regarding the information presented in the report;
• the State Board find the conditions precedent to state board intervention in a county school system exist and delaying the intervention would not be in the best interests of the students or the staff of Logan County Schools;
• the State Board find that the county board failed to act on a statutory obligation which would interrupt the day-to-day operations of the school system;
• the State Board limit the authority of the county board in areas that compromise the delivery of a thorough and efficient education to its students as designated by the state board by rule, which may include delegating decision-making authority regarding these matters to the State Superintendent;
• the State Board declare the office of the county superintendent of Logan County Schools to be vacant at the end of the business day 4pm. on October 27, 2022, and that any existing contracts be voided, if necessary;
• the State Board appoint Jeff Huffman to be the interim Superintendent of Logan County Schools starting October 31, 2022, at a salary to be determined by the State Superintendent;
• the State Board grant the State Superintendent the authority to hire a county superintendent to replace the interim appointment and set his/her salary;
• the State Board declare the positions of personnel who serve at the will and pleasure of county superintendent to include the assistant superintendent of Logan County Schools to be vacant at the end of the day on October 27, 2022, at 4pm and that any existing contracts be voided, if necessary;
• the State Board appoint Patricia Lucas to be the Assistant Superintendent of Logan County Schools starting October 28, 2022, at a salary to be determined by the State Superintendent;
• the State Board delegate to the State Superintendent the authority to fill positions of administrators and principals with individuals determined by the State Superintendent to be the most qualified for the positions;
• the State Board grant the State Superintendent the authority to take action necessary to correct the extraordinary circumstances;
• the State Board limit the authority of the Logan County Board of Education as to the expenditure of funds for purchases, the establishment of instructional programs, the operation of federal programs, the delivery and operation of special education, the establishment of policies; county board governance and operational relations; and any other areas designated by the State Board by rule and delegate decision-making authority to the State Superintendent regarding those matters;
• the State Board delegate to the State Superintendent or his/her designee the authority to conduct hearings on personnel matters, the referral of investigations to other agencies as necessary, amendment of the Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan (CEFP), school closure or consolidation matters and subsequently to render the resulting decisions, and the authority to appoint a designee for the limited purpose of conducting hearings while reserving to the State Superintendent the authority to render the resulting decision, if needed;
• the State Board limit the authority of Logan County Board of Education as to the ability to conduct real estate transactions and delegate to the State Superintendent the authority to act in lieu of Logan County Schools in a transfer, sale, purchase or other transaction regarding real estate;
• the State Board delegate to the State Superintendent the authority to replace administrators and principals in low performing schools and to transfer them to alternate professional positions with the county at his discretion;
• the State Board delegate to the State Superintendent the authority to fill positions of administrators and principals with individuals determined by the State Superintendent to be the most qualified for the positions;
• the State Board direct the Logan County Superintendent and the State Superintendent, after consultation with the Logan County Board of Education, to jointly develop and present to the State Board at a future meeting a set of standards and/or a strategic plan that must be implemented in order for the Logan County Board of Education to regain control of the school system; and
• that the State Board direct the Logan County Superintendent to provide written and/or oral progress reports to the State Board as requested.

“The Board’s action today reflects the seriousness of the findings and the urgency to address issues in Logan County,” said Superintendent Roach. “We have designated a team that will begin the immediate work necessary to protect students, educators and staff in the county. It is important that we create a more productive environment for academic stability and growth that also promotes a healthy work environment for employees. This has been a very challenging time and process for the students, families and employees, and we appreciate the continued dedication of our school-level administrators, educators and employees have shown at this time, and we will continue to support them throughout this intervention.”

“We will move forward with every effort to provide stability and support to staff and students,” said WVBE Vice President Nancy White. “All contingencies are covered in an intervention, and the employment of school-level administrators and educators are not being contemplated at this time.”

“I am truly sorry this school system is in this situation, again,” WVBE President L. Paul Hardesty said. “Change starts today.”

To view the Special Circumstance Review report ,please visit the WVDE website.

The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 9 a.m., Wednesday, November 9, 2022, in Building 6, Room 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.

Original source can be found here