W.Va. schools struggle to make up snow days P.J. DICKERSCHEID Associated Press Writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - It's going to be stick-your-nose-to-the-grindstone from now until summer for students across West Virginia as districts cram more instruction into the remaining school year to make up for near-record numbers of snow days in some counties. In an attempt to meet the 180 days of instruction required by law, many schools are canceling field trips, eliminating theater productions and other in... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Schools_struggle_to_make_up_snow_days,184.aspx Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT 2010-02-28T12:00:00 Charter School debate becomes heated Phil Kabler CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Things got ugly over public charter schools legislation even before the bill (SB686) got to the Senate Finance Committee last week. During the weekly meeting of the Senate Labor Caucus - a closed-door lunch hosted each Thursday by labor groups for senators they have endorsed - West Virginia School Service Personnel executive secretary Bob Brown warned that any senator who voted for or co-sponsored Sen. Erik Wells' bill would never... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Charter_school_debate_becomes_heated,183.aspx Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT 2010-02-27T14:00:00 Charter schools bill heads to full Senate By Phil Kabler CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- During a contentious Senate Finance Committee meeting Thursday, members heatedly debated the pros and cons of legislation to permit public charter schools in the state (SB686) -- before advancing the bill to the full Senate on a voice vote. Under the proposed legislation, public schools could be converted into charter schools, free of most school system procedures and regulations, if 80 percent of teachers in the school... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Charter_School_bill_headed_to_full_Senate,182.aspx Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:00:00 GMT 2010-02-26T16:00:00 Business principles won't work for school reform, former supporter Ravitch says By Nick Anderson Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, February 26, 2010 For those who believe that performance pay and charter schools pose a threat to public education and that a cult of testing and accountability has hijacked school reform, an unlikely national spokeswoman has emerged. Diane Ravitch, an education historian, now renounces many of the... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Business_principles_wont_reform_schools,181.aspx Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT 2010-02-26T13:00:00 Plan to fire all its teachers roils poor RI city RAY HENRY Associated Press Writer CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) - The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end. No more than half those instructors would be hired back under a federal option that has enraged the state's powerful teachers union, earned criticism from students, and... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/All_teachers_fired_in_RI_school,180.aspx Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-25T10:00:00 Quarrel continues on school charter bill Bill endorsed by the Senate Education Committee Tuesday by Sara Gavin Daily Mail Capitol Reporter CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Unions representing teachers and other school service personnel continue to squabble with Sen. Erik Wells over proposed legislation that would create charter schools in West Virginia. The bill was endorsed by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, but not before the two sides traded jabs back and forth.   During the committee meeting,... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Quarrels_continue_on_charter_schools,179.aspx Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:00:00 GMT 2010-02-24T11:00:00 Schools file suit over OPEB By MICHAEL ERB POSTED: February 24, 2010 CHARLESTON - Fifty West Virginia school systems filed suit against the state Monday morning, asking the courts to rule whether a massive retirement debt belongs to the state or local districts. Howard O'Cull, executive director of the state School Boards Association, said the paperwork was filed Monday morning in the Kanawha County Circuit Court. The lawsuit names the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the Public Employees... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Schools_file_lawsuit_over_OPEB,178.aspx Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-24T10:00:00 Fifty County Boards of Education File OPEB Lawsuit in Kanawha County The counties argue that the state should have to pay the OPEB liability. Story by Jessika Lewis CHARLESTON -- A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 50 of West Virginia’s 55 county boards of education regarding the reporting and funding of Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB), or benefits employees receive when they retire.   Attorneys... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/50_BOEs_file_OPEB_lawsuit,176.aspx Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-23T10:00:00 Dropouts W.Va. seeks ways to keep its students in schools Cumberland Times-News The high school dropout rate in West Virginia is 17 percent, and lawmakers are grappling for ways to dramatically reduce that percentage. Bills in both the state Senate and House of Delegates would increase the age as a way of reducing West Virginia’s 17 percent high school dropout rate. That may be part of the remedy, but we agree with Gov. Joe Manchin, who believes raising the age is a superficial fix if it’s not... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Dropouts,174.aspx Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-22T10:00:00 INVENTORY TAX: Manchin says measure is being progressive Feb 21, 2010 (The Register-Herald – Mannix Porterfield)-- Gov. Joe Manchin insists his proposal to accord businesses a tax break on new equipment is an effort to eliminate the worst barrier to attracting new firms and cannot hurt counties since they could exercise the option of striking it from their tax rolls.   Nor, Manchin says, can the proposal be viewed as one that would create an uneven playing field among counties.   "If you want... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Manchin_on_Inventory_Tax,175.aspx Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-22T10:00:00 W.Va. Gov. Manchin dubious on proposed dropout fix LAWRENCE MESSINA, Associated Press Writers CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Raising the age when students can drop out of school from 16 to 17 is a superficial fix if it's not combined with other programs and support for young people, Gov. Joe Manchin said Friday. Bills in the state Senate and House of Delegates would raise the age as a way to reduce West Virginia's 17 percent dropout rate, but they differ significantly otherwise. The Senate bill changes only... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Governor_dubious_of_dropout_fix,173.aspx Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:00:00 GMT 2010-02-20T11:00:00 House approves property tax break proposal on new business inventory, equipment By: LAWRENCE MESSINA Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Gov. Joe Manchin's bid to exempt some business property from taxes by amending the West Virginia Constitution cleared the House of Delegates on Wednesday, but worries of lost revenue persist among counties. The measure sent to the Senate 95-1 would ask voters to allow counties to decide whether to keep new business inventory and equipment off the tax rolls. If... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/House_approves_business_tax_breaks,171.aspx Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-19T10:00:00 OPEB plan would raise retirement age to 60 By Lawrence Messina Associated Press Writer CHARLESTON — County school boards and other government employers would get a break on what they must pay each year toward retiree benefits, as part of an emerging state Senate plan for closing a huge funding gap from these costs. The pending legislation would also delay retirement for future teachers and public employees by five years from the current minimum, to age 60. Another possible provision in the bill... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/OPEB_plan_would_raise_retirement_age_to_60,172.aspx Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-19T10:00:00 Bill could revoke college's flexibility by Ry Rivard Daily Mail Capitol Reporter CHARLESTON, W.Va.--The state Senate is working on a plan that would strengthen the state's Higher Education Policy Commission and take autonomy back from Marshall and West Virginia universities.    Details of the bill are still being worked on by the Senate Education Committee, but the plan would give the higher education commission more say over tuition and fee increases, campus construction projects and the creation... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Bill_revokes_colleges_flexibility,169.aspx Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT 2010-02-18T13:00:00 W.Va. House approves property tax break proposal AP   CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Gov. Joe Manchin's bid to exempt some business property from taxes by amending the West Virginia Constitution cleared the House of Delegates on Wednesday, but worries of lost revenue persist among counties. The measure sent to the Senate 95-1 would ask voters to allow counties to decide whether to keep new business inventory and equipment off the tax rolls. If senators adopt the resolution, the question would end... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/House_approves_property_tax_break,170.aspx Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT 2010-02-18T13:00:00 More Snow, More Snow Days MetroNews Talkline Statewide "We can't control the weather." It's a fact that's being driven home this Winter in West Virginia. This week has brought even more snow days for county school systems, many of the same counties where schools were closed for all of last week after two separate storms. "This is just an extraordinary year," says West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee. He says teachers have been doing what they can to keep students from... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/More_snow_days,168.aspx Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT 2010-02-16T14:00:00 State education policies out for public comment The Herald-Dispatch   CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Board of Education has put two new policies out for public comment. The first is a policy establishing environmental science standards, which will be open to comment for 30 days.   Policy 2520.35, "21st Century Science 9-12 Content Standards and Objectives for West Virginia," updates requirements for an elective course in environmental science. The objectives are tied to concepts and performance... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/WVBE_policies_on_comment,167.aspx Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-15T10:00:00 Funding unfunded liabilities By Phil Kabler CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dealing with the massive, $7.8 billion unfunded liability for future retiree health benefits for state employees and school personnel (also known as the OPEB liability) is the most critical issue facing the Legislature that nobody wants to read about. Then again, if lawmakers in the 1970s and '80s had acted on growing workers' compensation and teacher pension fund deficits at the time, the state wouldn't have to shell out nearly $500... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/Funding_unfunded_liabilities,166.aspx Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-15T10:00:00 Analysis: W.Va. lawmakers taking it slow LAWRENCE MESSINA Associated Press Staff Writers CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia legislative session reached its halfway point Thursday, and lawmakers have fulfilled predictions that they would be taking it slow this year. A lack of money and the prospect of elections in May and November have made lawmakers cautious with legislation. With 30 days until the session ends, delegates and senators have passed barely more than half the number of bills they... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/WV_lawmakers_taking_it_slow,165.aspx Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-12T10:00:00 McDowell County Schools Getting Provisional Control W.Va. Board of Education voted Thursday to return more control to McDowell School board. CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Board of Education voted Thursday to give McDowell County schools provisional control.   “McDowell County educators, students and parents have worked extremely hard to address problem areas,” said state Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine. “By July... http://www.wvea.org/news/articles/McDowell_get_provisional_control,164.aspx Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT 2010-02-12T10:00:00 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:34:29 GMT http://www.wvea.org/shared/handlers/newsrss.ashx?cid=11 10 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:34:29 GMT