A former state senator and chairman of the state Senate Education Committee says it’s time to rethink what West Virginia needs in a state superintendent of schools.
Lincoln County resident Lloyd Jackson, now a member of the state Board of Education, says with a search for a new superintendent about to get underway the board needs to look for not only the most qualified candidate but one that can actually meet the qualifications set forth by the state legislature.
“I wish the legislature would just take off the qualifications and let the board search for a superintendent they same way that every other organization searches for them,” Jackson recently told MetroNews.
Currently state law requires the state school superintendent to: be of good moral character, have the recognized ability of a school administrator, a master’s degree in Education Administration and have five years of work experience in public education.
Jackson says when he was head of the Senate Education Committee a decade ago, the state board was searching for a new superintendent. They had to nix the most qualified person for the job because that candidate didn’t meet all four of the requirements.
“Currently the statute requires a certain type of degree before you can be a superintendent. It’s a degree that’s fairly limited in nature, not a lot of people have it. So it limits the scope of the people we search for,” according to Jackson.
The board agreed to a nationwide search after they terminated former superintendent Dr. Jorea Marple back in November.
The state board chose Randolph County Superintendent Jim Phares last week to serve as superintendent until a search is completed. But Jackson says the legislature must limit the requirements on who is qualified this upcoming session before the board begins to take applications.
“It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t hire someone with the particular qualifications that are currently in the statute, but it would give us the ability to look beyond that,” Jackson said.