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Lawmakers draft plan to lift starting teacher salaries to $43K
By Shauna Johnson, WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Bills that would raise the starting salaries of West Virginia teachers to $43,000 within the next five years were scheduled to be introduced in the state Senate and House of Delegates, possibly this week.
“We made a promise to our educators last year that we would get them to a competitive level of pay by 2019, so that’s part of our goal,”...
Charter schools bill sees scrutiny
By Joel Ebert, Charleston Daily Mail
The current draft of a bill that would allow for charter schools in West Virginia received some scrutiny during two Senate Education Committee meetings on Tuesday after it was discovered the proposed legislation could permit discrimination against special needs students and allow schools to set their own academic calendar.
The committee listened to testimony from five different...
Amanda Pasdon: Give our children the best in the classroom
West Virginia has long had the reputation as one of the most difficult states in the nation in which to become an educator.
While we want the best qualified educators for the children of our state, we have a certification process so narrow that, especially when coupled with low teacher pay, means that many promising teaching prospects pass us by.
The sad truth is that we have more than 700...
Fayette school board wants all buildings inspected
By Ryan Quinn, The Charleston Gazette
The Fayette County Board of Education has requested inspections of all school buildings in the district, following the sudden Jan. 12 closure of a Collins Middle School building that forced roughly 400 students to miss almost a week of school.
Board member Leon Ivey said all five members presented a letter at a meeting Friday requesting that the state Department of...
State schools chief reorganizes administration
By Samuel Speciale, Education reporter Charleston Daily Mail
State Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano has changed the organizational structure of his cabinet by reclassifying the titles of his senior administrators and hiring a new liaison to the Legislature. He also plans to hire a chief of staff.
The changes were outlined Thursday for Senate Education Committee members, who asked Martirano and...