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Education: Next superintendent must read mixed signals

Members of the West Virginia Board of Education will begin today the next phase in their search for a new state schools superintendent. As they consider each of the three finalists — including Jackson County Superintendent Blaine Hess–board members should add to their checklist of skills the ability to read the minds of lawmakers and the governor, while focusing those whims in a way that best serves Mountain State students.

Despite lip service to local control of school districts, the folks in Charleston just cannot help themselves, when it comes time to write the rules that might make that possible. For example, the elimination of Regional Education Service Agencies, touted as a way to save money on education, would not put more control in the hands of county school districts, but, rather, in the hands of those in Charleston who would take over some of those regional responsibilities.

While those crowing about the removal of Common Core’s pressures are patting themselves on the back for returning control of curricula to the teachers, another group is seeking requirements that West Virginia public schools adhere to a math curriculum from California and a language arts curriculum from Massachusetts. Input from both of those states was used to develop Common Core.

So which is it? Do lawmakers want to give teachers the freedom and flexibility to make decisions about how they can best teach their own students? Or do they want to swap out one set of state-mandated standards for another?

Good luck to the board members who must find the right person to interpret the mixed messages he or she will receive. Given the importance of a well-educated generation of young people who will lead our state through the transition it faces, the need to get this decision right cannot be overstated.

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