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Citizens, children of W.Va. deserve better
The coup-like firing of State Superintendent of Schools, Jorea Marples was probably illegal, but certainly unethical.
After receiving an excellent evaluation and a raise in June, Maples was blindsided by five members on the Board of Education and was dismissed last Thursday. Immediately after the firing, the two dissenting board members, Jenny Phillips and Priscilla Haden, resigned their positions in protest.
At the same meeting, Wade Linger, the Board of Education president, announced he was recommending his friend, Dr. James Phares of Randolph County, to fill the superintendent position. This action is in direct conflict of conducting a routine state and national search for such an important job.
Ironically, this is the same board that drug its feet for months to officially respond to an audit of the Department of Education because they “needed time to get it right.”
Yes, this board hired a consultant for $350 a day to help with their response and is pushing to hire another lawyer (they already have two at their disposal). These actions work totally against the audit’s suggestion to “right size” the department.
In a statement after the firing, Mr. Linger had the audacity to use terms like “build mutual trust,” “commitment to transparency” and “building a communication structure.”
Where was the trust, transparency and communication in the handling of Jorea Maples.
The citizens and especially our children of West Virginia deserve better. If you agree, call Gov. Tomblin’s office 888-438-2731 or the Governor’s Mansion at 888-558-3588. You may also contact him at governor@wvgov.org .
A. Wayne Bennett
Stanaford
Job fair participation greatly appreciated
On behalf of the students and faculty of all Raleigh County high schools; I would like to extend our greatest thanks and gratitude to the following agencies, colleges, universities, employers and military representatives for contributing your time and effort to the success of the 2012 Raleigh County Schools Career Connection Fairs. Your presentations and information sharing will assist the students in making informed choices that may impact their lives for years to come.
Academy of Careers & Technology
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative
Beckley Human Rights Commission
Bluefield State College
Bridgemont Community & Technical College
Citizens Conservation Corps of WV
Concord University
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Ghent Volunteer Fire Dept.
HMS HOST
Job Corps
Lillian James Learning Center
Marshall University
MacDonald's
Mountaineer Challenge Academy
Mountain State Center For Independent Living
National Park Service
New River Community & Technical College
Raleigh County Community Action
Region One Work Force Connection Program
REM Community Options
ResCare
Social Security Administration
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Navy
Valley College
Winter Place
Women's Resource Center
Work Force WV - Job Service
WV Air National Guard
WV Army National Guard
WV Dept. Health & Human Resources
WV Division of Rehabilitation Services
WV State Police Academy
West Virginia University
WVU Tech
Mark Kodack
Transition Specialist
Raleigh County Schools
