CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Board of Education voted Friday to seize control of the Hancock County school system and fire its superintendent and assistant superintendent because of the district’s major financial problems..
The board’s action, taken in an emergency meeting, declares a state of emergency in the system based on having more than 100 employees over the funding formula.
“You’re 140 people over today and you all have escalated and grew your overage by significant amounts,” state BOE President Paul Hardesty told Hancock County School Superintendent Dan Enich before the state BOE voted to fire Enich a few minutes later. “There’s been nothing done in regards to RIFs and transfers in Hancock County.”
Hardesty said what’s happened is inexcusable. He said county school systems have been warned over and over again not to use the millions of dollars they received in federal funding (ESSER) during COVID for permanent jobs.
“Hancock County and the malfeasance of the administration is a direct reflection on what has happened with regards to people who continue to use ESSER funding when ESSER funding ran out. I don’t know any other way to put it,” Hardesty said.
The state Board was told Friday there haven’t been any Reduction in Force in Hancock County Schools in 10 years.
The local school board borrowed funds from its technical education center to meet payroll late last year and had requested more than $700,000 from the state Department of Education to meet February’s payroll. Hardesty said workers will be paid.
“I’ve had a lot of people contact me where the employees are scared to death where they are not going to receive their pay,” Hardesty said. “Nothing could be further from the truth, they will receive their pay.”
Enich told the state BOE Friday that once the financial problems were discovered the district worked with the state Department of Education.
“We have been striving to be fiscally transparent in providing factual information when it comes from me to our staffs. Our staffs are very concerned and they should be,” Enich said.
The Hancock County BOE fired Chief Financial Officer Joseph Campinelli in November.
Enich admitted his plan to cut positions was not aggressive enough. He asked the state board Friday to allow himself and Assistant Superintendent Dave Smith to keep their jobs and continue to work to fix things.
“I think a viable solution would be to carry on with the current administration and to carry out the steps and procedures (discussed with the state department),” Enich said.
The state BOE voted instead to fire Enich and Smith effective at the end of the day Friday. Walter Saunders was appointed new superintendent. Both Enich and Smith were in the second year of their four-year contracts.
State Department of Education School Finances Operation Officer Uriah Cummings said the employee overage is costing the system millions of dollars.
“The cost of operating that many personnel over formula is $10 million in both of those fiscal years,” Cummings said.
Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, has been speaking publicly about the financial issues.
“This situation is about mismanagement, lack of accounting, and a number of other factors that led to this sudden financial crisis,” McGeehan said last week on MetroNews “Talkline.” “The books were just wrong and that’s likely just from gross incompetence.”
The approved state of emergency motion gives state School Superintendent Michele Blatt broad powers over the Hancock County system including decisions over personnel and finances while limiting the authority of the local school board in finances, instruction and the establishment of policies.
To regain local control, the Hancock County BOE will eventually have to develop a set of standards with Blatt and Saunders and initiate and follow an improvement plan.
Saunders has served as the director of Federal Programs and Assessment for Ohio County Schools for the past 10 years.