Teacher retention and supporting the learning needs of both students and educators.  Those should be the priorities West Virginia Education Association (WVEA) President Dale Lee told West Virginia Board of Education (BOE) members at their latest meeting.

Lee shared the importance of teacher retention – of attracting and retaining qualified educators to teach students. After such a difficult year, he said the focus must now be on the social and emotional learning of our educators and our students. “They need resources and opportunities to be successful,” he said.

Lee expressed concern over state lawmakers trying to cut funds to public schools during the 2022 session based on the amount of federal money schools will receive from the American Rescue Plan. “This is one time money,” he said. “This is our opportunity to stand together for public schools and prevent cuts to our already hurting local school systems.” 

You have the chance to make your voice heard as well. The BOE put two policies out for public comment:

• Policy 2520.3C Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives for Science in WV Schools: This policy was repealed and replaced. The largest changes included incorporating classes like engineering and technology.
• Policy 3300 Charter Public Schools: After the passage of HB 2012, this policy required several updates. Those include: adding the charter school board as an authorizer, creating requirements for virtual charter schools and changing the number of charter schools allowed.

Make comments on these policies by going to http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/.