time, they must shortchange their own students by diverting staff time to manage choice programs. As more counties look to the WVDE for support, reductions in department staff hinder the provision of much-needed services, sometimes resulting in county takeovers and emergency situations.”
Others see things rather differently, showcasing the complexity of the issue.
“ It is a myth that the Hope Scholarship and school choice are taking resources away from public schools,” Pack says.“ Enrollment and population decline were occurring before we brought education freedom to West Virginia and will continue until we find a way to reverse our population trends.”
Although each new challenge in the education system and varying opinions on how to handle them may seem overwhelming, many things are being done to address these issues, and more strategies are being considered to potentially impact the education system.
Teacher recruitment and retention remains a top priority. Many leaders advocate for necessary changes in the school aid formula and for competitive wages, along with incentives and good benefits.
“ I have been impressed during my years on the board to see major steps taken to address staff shortages, like an increased number of alternative, less time-consuming paths to certification focusing on second-career teachers and classroom aides; strengthening traditional post-secondary teacher preparation programs; the Educators Rising program in career and technical centers; student teachers transitioning to paid positions after certain benchmarks are met; and the Grow Your Own program operating in many high schools with the collaboration of our universities and colleges,” Sullivan says.“ Well-developed, professionally delivered statewide and regional staff development seminars, often with stipends to participants, provide research-based support.”
EWV, a statewide union for educators and education support professionals in West Virginia formed to give a unified voice to those working in public education, is working to improve education as a whole, starting with teachers.
“ Our immediate priorities include a salary increase for all school employees to begin to move teacher salaries to the national average and a plan to stabilize PEIA and ensure affordable health care for our hardworking education employees,” says Lee.“ Measures to address student discipline and advocate for much-needed mental health resources for children experiencing behavioral issues are also among our top priorities.”
Regarding funding, Pack believes in pushing financial control from the Capitol level to the local school districts.
“ The one thing we should do is remove as many rules and regulations as possible that are tied to financial dollars,” Pack says.“ Let’ s give our counties and local school districts more autonomy on how they spend education dollars so they can meet the needs of their communities, parents and students. Too often, we have centralized decision-making in Charleston despite the state having regions quite different from one another. What
may work in Southern West Virginia may not in the Eastern Panhandle. By empowering teachers to do what they do best, we can reverse decades of poor education scores.”
It is clear that the state of education in West Virginia is in need of reform, but there is a light fueled by leaders seeking to address these challenges and advocate for future generations of the Mountain State.
“ If West Virginians agree that every child deserves a solid education and the strength and vitality of our state depend on them receiving such an education, we need to act accordingly,” Sullivan says.“ Public schools will continue to educate the vast majority of our future workforce, government officials, caregivers, parents and neighbors. It’ s in everyone’ s interest to make these schools as strong as they can be. West Virginians are known for creativity, resilience and can-do attitude. It’ s time to act on our belief in the value of strong public schools.” •
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