CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Board of Education approved an update report on Upshur County Schools during its December meeting in Charleston today. The WVBE authorized an immediate intervention of the county in June following a Special Circumstance Review by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) that resulted in the identification of numerous areas of noncompliance.

The WVDE Office of Accountability updated the WVBE on additional areas of noncompliance and recognized the progress of the county under the leadership of Upshur County Schools Superintendent Christy Miller who was appointed in July by State Superintendent Michele L. Blatt.

Superintendent Miller focused on ensuring personnel contracts were in place and schools were prepared to open for the year in August. Additionally, the central office staff began the process of reviewing and updating all county policies and prioritizing noncompliances from the report.

You can read more details in this My Buckhannon story published Wednesday.

To review the report, please visit the WVDE website.

School Closures and Consolidations

The WVBE approved the following during the December meeting:

• Clay County – Closure of H.E. White Elementary and Lizemore Elementary schools and merging them into Clay Elementary School
• Harrison County – Closure of Norwood Elementary School and its merger into existing Simpson Elementary, Nutter Fort Primary and Nutter Fort Intermediate
• Lincoln County – Closure of Ranger Pre-K-5 and its merger into Harts Pre-K-8 and West Hamlin Elementary

WVBE Policy Revisions

Policy 2322 is being amended to clarify language related to the identification of school districts in need of support related to student academic achievement and success and the required actions of the districts based on the level of support needed. In addition, the levels of support for the county operational effectiveness efficiency indicators were revised to clarify the responsibilities of county board members and the requirements for each level of support. The livestreaming of local board of education meetings and posting a summary of the annual county board of education self-assessment to the district website are among the new additions to the policy.

Policy 2510 has been revised to add a personal finance requirement and increase graduation requirements from 22 to 23 credits beginning with the 2024-2025 freshman cohort. The Early Learning and Elementary section has been revised to provide a cohesive alignment across middle school and high school grade levels. This includes language around physical activity (recess) for grades K-5, literacy and numeracy assessments and changes to high school math credits. Additionally, language was added to provide clarity regarding grading and the transfer of students from other locations, including the use of the uniform grading schedule and quality points.

These policies have been placed on public comment for 30 days and may be reviewed on the WVDE website.

The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.