CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The “I Love West Virginia Public Schools” campaign is up and running but some state leaders are asking it to be more specific.
The campaign was unveiled last Tuesday at a news conference at Herbert Hoover High School. It was then presented to the state Board of Education at its meeting on Wednesday by the West Virginia Association of School Administrators. Supporters of the campaign said it’s designed to remind people 90 percent of the children in the state attend public schools and that every family in the state has access to a high-quality education.
State Board of Education member Greg Wooten watched and listened to the presentation to the state BOE. He said he is impressed by the campaign but added what’s happening to student enrollment numbers year-over-year may tell a different story. Wooten said part of the campaign should be to find out what is leading families to make the decision to leave public schools and then find a way to address it quickly.
“West Virginia public schools look like a terrific place to go and get an education but there is some disconnect between what we’re seeing in the video and hearing in the presentation versus the reality playing out in parents and students making a choice to do something different,” Wooten said.
Statistics show there will be 5,000 fewer students in West Virginia public schools next year, and the reasons for many are unclear.
Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Eddie Campbell said the best people to tell their story are the students and families that have graduated and moved on to bigger and better things. He said allow them to tell the story gives the district insight into things that could be improved and provides a testimonial for the public at-large.
“For those people to be able to share those experiences that have gotten them to the place where they are and that were grounded in the public school system, I think is super important,” Campbell said.
The campaign is highlighting all that is good about public schools in the state and using accomplishments and success stories to make the point. State BOE member James Paul said that unless there are changes or adjustments to the campaign, it’s unlikely it will reverse the steady trend of declining enrollment across the state.
“I’m concerned that unless you address school performance, school quality, or something in the schools themselves, perhaps this can’t be changed just by changing perceptions or marketing,” Paul said.
House of Delegates Education Committee Chairman Joe Statler said he views the campaign as an opportunity to get local communities excited about what public schools can offer just weeks before the start of a new school year.
“I’m encouraged to see this movement forward and really look forward to seeing if we can get some fruitful information from this,” Statler said.
Statler said there is value in that information within the family as to why they left public schools.
“We’ve got to do a much better job of finding out where these students are going and why they’re leaving the system before graduation,” Statler said.