CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch with assistance from state officials has formed an advisory council for addressing the future of schools amid and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Burch announced the council during last week’s state Board of Education meeting, referencing questions happening in school systems around the country about the upcoming summer vacation period and fall semester as well as the future of education.
“We’ve looked at public education as a great equalizer for our children and our communities,” Burch said. “COVID-19 has shown us if we expect learning and education to take place beyond the bricks and mortar of our school, then it is no longer the great equalizer if every child does not have access equally across the state.”
The comment stemmed from an Education Alliance discussion last Wednesday about the importance of internet access and education, in which U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., spoke about improving broadband services as it relates to education.
“We truly believe if technology can be accessible by all, it actually will meet more than just the achievement gap,” Burch said. “It will actually allow us to connect to the families and children in order to be safe.”
Other key areas of the advisory council include career and technical education, child nutrition, special education programs and protecting schools and facilities.
Burch noted there are financial questions regarding education; the state is unable to use $1.25 billion in federal relief funding for backfilling budget shortfalls.
“We have spent more on child nutrition, remote learning efforts, and I think we’ll see those increase in the future,” he added.
Burch said the state Department of Education’s budget is in “good shape,” and the state would oversee funding provided to districts.