State BOE names SBA’s Roach as new state super of schools

August 11, 2022

CHARLESTON — The state Board of Education Wednesday chose state School Building Authority Executive Director David Roach as the next state superintendent of schools. Roach replaces Clayton Burch who, at his request, is being transferred to be the superintendent for the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney. Both moves took effect Wednesday. Roach will be paid $230,000 per state statute. State Board President Paul Hardesty said the state BOE chose to make a quick but solid decision on Burch’s replacement. He said Roach is a top-flight educator. “Look ...

Mon district, BOE terminates teacher’s employment

August 10, 2022

A University High School teacher has been fired by the district. The decision to terminate Travis Wells, who taught science at the school on Bakers Ridge Road, came after a personnel hearing that lasted nearly four hours during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Monongalia County Board of ...

WVEA: State down over 1,000 teachers

August 9, 2022

BY CARRIE HODOUSEK CHARLESTON — With just weeks until school starts, districts across West Virginia are left with dozens of unfilled teaching positions. West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee predicts the problem will only get worse this fall. “I project those numbers to be over 1,500 this coming school year,” Lee said on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.” The state Department of Education reported 1,196 teacher vacancies statewide in 2021. Lee said the vacancies are widespread across all different grade levels. “Before we used to hear it’s ...

Dig in: Mon Schools ready to serve up breakfast and lunch to hungry students

August 5, 2022

There have been more than a few times over these past several months that Brian Kiehl didn't know where his next meal was coming from. From the pandemic to supply-chain issues wrought by the war in Ukraine, the above was a literal concern for the nutrition director of Monongalia County ...

W.Va. Academy has first day of classes — and the Hope Scholarship gets a failing grade

August 3, 2022

Cars from the future? Just like that, a new narrative in the education of the Mountain State’s young people took shape Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a nondescript, white-and-maroon brick building at 763 Chestnut Ridge Road. That’s when parents began rolling up with their ...

A tale of two rankings: Mon Schools officials want to delve into the numbers from two recent quality of life surveys for the classroom

August 2, 2022

Mountaineers, by literal definition, have to keep climbing. Metaphorically, however, planting the flag in triumph at the peak can sometimes be akin to setting off an avalanche below. Translation: Don’t get too comfortable — because there’s always going to be something. Two ...