December 28, 2009 Manchin orders midyear budget cuts By Lawrence Messina The Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Midyear budget cuts are in store for all three branches of West Virginia state government to avoid a potential budget deficit now estimated at $120 million. Gov. Joe Manchin on Monday ordered all executive branch agencies, including those headed by other elected officials, to trim general revenue spending by 3.4 percent. They have until Jan. 20 to explain how they will meet that... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Manchin_orders_mid_year_budget_cuts,110.aspx Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-29T08:00:00 December 25, 2009 PEIA conducting eligibility audits By Alison Knezevich Staff writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Public employees and retirees will need to dig up documents to prove that their kids, spouses and other dependents qualify for coverage offered by West Virginia's Public Employees Insurance Agency. If they don't, their dependents' coverage could be canceled. PEIA is conducting its first full-scale dependent eligibility audit of all policyholders who have dependents, said state Department of... http://wvea.org/news/articles/PEIA_to_conduct_eligibility_audits,109.aspx Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT 2009-12-26T10:00:00 Student in school video fight to face hearing Father says incident spurred by racist remarks By MICHAEL ERB  POSTED: December 24, 2009 PARKERSBURG - A hearing has been scheduled for a Parkersburg South High School girl accused of assaulting another student while being videotaped in a school hallway The suspected assailant's father, however, says his daughter was the victim of racial slurs and harassment, a situation school administrators did nothing to allay. Kenny Tullius said his daughter... http://wvea.org/news/articles/School_fight_on_video,108.aspx Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-24T09:00:00 December 21, 2009 W.Va. lost 25,000 jobs to recession, report finds By Eric Eyre Staff writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The number of unemployed West Virginians doubled this year as the state lost 25,000 jobs amid the recession, according to a report released Monday. "The impact on working families has been staggering," said Ted Boettner, director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, which prepared the report. One of every six West Virginians now looking for work can't find a full-time... http://wvea.org/news/articles/WV_lost_25000_jobs_to_recession,107.aspx Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT 2009-12-22T10:00:00 December 22, 2009 W.Va. optimistic on swine flu decline The Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia health officials are cautiously hopeful about a steady decline in swine flu cases even as traditional flu season is about to begin. State Health Officer Dr. Cathy Slemp said Monday that cases of H1N1, or swine flu, are continuing to drop from autumn highs. The state has seen just over 2,000 cases a week since late November, compared to more than 13,000 a week in late October. Slemp... http://wvea.org/news/articles/WV_swine_flu_in_decline,106.aspx Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT 2009-12-22T10:00:00 December 17, 2009 Eight expelled for threats that closed Keyser school Eight students implicated in bomb threats that disrupted classes at a Keyser school for four days have been expelled. By The Associated Press KEYSER, W.Va. -- Eight students implicated in bomb threats that disrupted classes at a Keyser school for four days have been expelled. The Mineral County Board of Education expelled the students for a year Tuesday evening. Superintendent Skip Hackworth says two other students remain under... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Students_expelled_after_bomb_threat,105.aspx Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-18T08:00:00 December 16, 2009   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   WVEA Congratulates 2009 National Board Certified Teachers®   The West Virginia Education Association congratulates the 73 West Virginia teachers who have earned National Board Certification - the highest professional credential in the field of teaching.  West Virginia now has 493 who have certified.  The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS) announced nearly 8,900 teachers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia... http://wvea.org/news/articles/WVEA_congratulates_new_NBCTs,104.aspx Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:00 GMT 2009-12-16T14:00:00 Senators want OPEB suit delayed By MICHAEL ERB CHARLESTON - Two state senators asked West Virginia's 49 school districts to hold off filing a lawsuit over out-of-control retirement debts, but local officials said they this week will file a 30-day notice of intent to sue. Gov. Joe Manchin gathered his OPEB task force in Charleston Monday for what could be the group's last meeting, saying officials must decide on a final number for the state's Other Post-Employment Benefits debt before coming up... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Senators_want_OPEB_suit_delayed,103.aspx Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-15T08:00:00 ’06 measure at heart of tumult over retiree costs AP POSTED: December 14, 2009   CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Much of the uproar over West Virginia’s handling of public retiree benefit costs can be traced to a Manchin administration decision to go above and beyond national accounting standards. But a recent study holds up the approach as one example of a state taking those liabilities seriously. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board called on public employers in 2004 to calculate and... http://wvea.org/news/articles/06_measure_at_heart_of_retiree_costs,102.aspx Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-14T09:00:00 Monday December 14, 2009 States axing scholarship promises Program has been adjusted over the years to stay alive in W.Va., despite rising tuition by Zack Harold Daily Mail staff CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- By continually upping its standards and recently capping its payouts, West Virginia's Promise Scholarship seems to have secured its footing by controlling its costs. But similar programs in other states are dead or dying. Michigan's Promise scholarship program was axed earlier this year, one part of... http://wvea.org/news/articles/States_axing_scholarship_promises,101.aspx Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-14T09:00:00 Friday December 11, 2009 Dale Lee: The way we hire teachers isn't broken Raising salaries, increasing positions would help a lot I am intrigued by school "reformers"  who consistently point fingers at teachers and teacher unions as standard-bearers of the status quo. Quite the contrary. The West Virginia Education Association and our members have always been concerned about moving education forward by providing relevant, engaging instruction that includes the rigor necessary to prepare our students... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Dale_Lee_The_way_we_hire_teachers_isnt_broken,100.aspx Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-11T09:00:00 Legislator: Staggering OPEB liability serious, complex By Mannix Porterfield Register-Herald Reporter December 10, 2009 09:25 pm — CHARLESTON — Behind the scenes of December’s legislative interims, a select committee huddled for a second time to learn more about West Virginia’s staggering liability in post-employment health benefits that threaten to make state government insolvent. That debt is at least $7.8 billion — or more than twice the current state budget — and some lawmakers see the issue... http://wvea.org/news/articles/OPEB_liability_staggering,99.aspx Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-11T09:00:00 Friday December 11, 2009 Improvement councils given list of guidelines by Zack Harold Daily Mail staff The West Virginia Board of Education is taking steps to let Local School Improvement Councils know just how powerful they are. Using legislation already on the books, the committee created a list of guidelines for the councils. State board member Wade Linger said the committee will next work on creating a digital, online resource for the county boards of education, superintendents, principals, and... http://wvea.org/news/articles/LSICs_given_list_of_guidlines,98.aspx Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-11T09:00:00 December 9, 2009 W.Va. state school board moves closer to getting federal grants By Davin White Staff writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State school board members want West Virginia lawmakers to change how the state takes over struggling schools and county systems and fires ineffective leaders, and to let schools pay teachers more if they're in a high-need field like high school math or science. Those changes, school board members say, will help the state compete for a slice of $4.3 billion in federal... http://wvea.org/news/articles/WVBE_closer_to_federal_grant,97.aspx Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-10T08:00:00 December 9, 2009 State board ties some legislative goals to align with federal grant program By Davin White Staff writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. --  State school board members want lawmakers to change how the state takes over struggling schools and county systems and fires ineffective leaders, and to let schools pay teachers more if they're in a high-need field like high school math or science. Those changes, school board members say, will help the state compete for a slice of $4.3 billion in federal... http://wvea.org/news/articles/State_to_apply_for_RTTT_funds,96.aspx Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-10T08:00:00 Thursday December 10, 2009 Schools to apply in droves for status by Zack Harold Daily Mail staff State officials in charge of selecting schools to become innovation zones might have their work cut out for them. Donna Peduto, coordinator of the Department of Education's office of organizational effectiveness and leadership, said about 60 schools from 30 counties have said they intend to apply, and about half of those plan to ask for policy waivers. The Innovation Zone Selection Committee met... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Schools_to_apply_for_Innovation_Zones,95.aspx Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-10T08:00:00 12/08/2009 Print this story Jobs Cabinet Approves... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Jobs_Cabinet_approves_teacher_hiring_changes,94.aspx Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT 2009-12-09T11:00:00 Tuesday December 8, 2009 Study aims to improve RESAs Ideas generated will help school support agencies get back to their original purposes by Zack Harold Daily Mail staff Though some lawmakers have suggested they're out of date, West Virginia's eight Regional Education Service Agencies are working through recommendations to prove their efficacy.   State school board member Lowell Johnson chaired a committee on RESAs in 2006, producing 27 recommendations for changing the agencies.   RESAs were... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Study_aims_to_improve_RESAs,93.aspx Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT 2009-12-09T10:00:00 December 7, 2009 Local group backs charter school measure By Davin White Staff writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Ben Adams and Sallye Clark say with charter schools, teachers and students won't get bogged down by red tape and paperwork like public schools do.     Adams and Clark are members of West Virginians for Education Reform, a group that wants state lawmakers to pass a bill next year that would specifically allow charter schools in West Virginia. The state doesn't have a law that allows or... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Local_group_backs_charter_schools,92.aspx Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-12-08T09:00:00 Tuesday December 8, 2009 Teacher hiring overhaul urged Changes likely to diminish role of seniority in teacher hiring by Ry Rivard Daily Mail Capitol Reporter CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia should streamline its teacher hiring process, a group appointed by Gov. Joe Manchin said Monday.   The 21st Century Jobs Cabinet, a group of state officials and business leaders, recommended changes that union officials say are likely to diminish the role of seniority in teacher hiring.   The jobs... http://wvea.org/news/articles/Teacher_hiring_overhaul_urged,91.aspx Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT 2009-12-08T08:00:00 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:46:01 GMT http://wvea.org/shared/handlers/newsrss.ashx?cid=9 10 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:46:01 GMT