West Virginia looks at schools

West Virginia looks at schools

Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, W.Va.: One of West Virginia’s vexing problems is that it spends a relatively generous amount of money on education but has little to show for it in terms of student achievement. That was underscored earlier this year in the findings of a $275,000 “education audit” which made dozens of recommendations relating to everything from the state’s education bureaucracy to the efficiency of counties’ school bus systems.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s office and two statewide advocacy groups are seeking the public’s input on the audit during the next two months as state policymakers consider how to react to its recommendations.

High spending, low results

The challenge was laid out clearly by Vision Shared, a non-profit group and host for eight community forums to be held throughout the state in June and July. In announcing those dates, the group noted: “Despite relatively high rankings in educational spending, West Virginia students score below the national average on 21 of the 24 indicators of student performance as reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.”

Among the education audit’s overriding themes is that state government has a too-rigid hold on the state’s K-12 education system. That, the audit found, contributes to inefficiencies, higher costs and a lack of flexibility that hampers innovation and flexibility at the local level.

The report also suggests the state has too many bureaucrats. It cites a need for flexibility in pay strategies to attract teachers in key subject areas or to schools in more rural areas. And it says the state can’t successfully compete for high quality teachers unless it boosts pay.