W.Va. Board of Education votes to intervene in Mingo County Schools

MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The West Virginia Board of Education (WBVE) will intervene in Mingo County Schools to oversee concerns about students’ education, according to a release issued Wednesday by the WVBE.

State board members voted unanimously to declare “an immediate intervention of Mingo County Schools.” The agency said it happened after “significant findings” from a review, including concerns that “student education and achievement are being compromised by political conflict within the county.”

The agency said when the review is complete, all the findings will be released.

Wednesday’s vote came after the WVBE’s monthly meeting in Charleston.

The Department of Education Office of Accountability began conducting the review at the State Superintendent’s request on Feb. 17. Alexandra Criner, director for the Office of Accountability, presented their findings so far.

“A plethora of calls, emails and letters dating back to 2022, consisting of allegations of misconduct against certain personnel,” Criner said.

She recommended immediate action, and that’s when board members went into executive session.

“This pattern of complaints and in-fighting amongst the adults paints a picture of a school system and, most importantly, the children within that system caught in a political crossfire,” Criner said.

According to the release, “the action also requires the WVDE’s involvement in the hiring of the next county superintendent. The county board rescinded the four-year contract extension of the current superintendent shortly after last year’s general election.”

Additionally, “the intervention limits the county board’s authority in school operations and requires most rule-making authority to be delegated to Superintendent Blatt or her designee. The action also requires the WVDE’s involvement in the hiring of the next county superintendent.

The WVDE also intervened in Mingo County Schools during the previous two decades, with control being returned to Mingo County in 2014 after nine years of intervention.

“We have unfortunately repeated history and that’s sad, our children deserve far better,” Paul Harvesty, a state board member, said.

State Superintendent, Michelle Blatt said the Superintendent’s office must be vacated by June 30. She said the current and future superintendent need to provide reports to the board when requested and come up with a strategic plan before the county regains control of the school system.

State education officials also announced a new Assessments Results Portal where parents and guardians can track the progress of students in third through eighth grades.

“WVDE hopes this allows families and educators to outline resources that support student learning during the summer break,” the agency said in the release.

Furthermore, “students in Grades 5 and 8 will be able to see their WVGSA science results, and the portal will also have past exam results for comparison.”

The statewide testing window is April 7 through May 23, and families may also navigate to the portal from the WVDE assessment webpage after April 7, according to WVDE.

During Wednesday’s meeting, WVDE Superintendent Michele L. Blatt also acknowledged the hard work of school districts in Mingo County that were impacted by last month’s flooding.

For more information from Wednesday’s meeting, click or tap here.