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Why four Marshall County Board of Education members decided school Superintendent Jeffrey Crook should be let go in June may never be known. The standard "personnel matters" already is being offered as a reason for not explaining their action.
One perplexing aspect of the situation is the board's evaluation of his work, released just before the 4-1 vote against retaining him after his contract expires in June. According to that document, Crook "overall met the standards as defined by code, specifically focused on improving student achievement generally and through management and administration."
After that was approved, board members Brenda Coffield, Duane Miller, John Miller and Christie Robison voted against renewing Crook's contract. Lori Kestner was the only member voting to retain him.
Many in the audience at Tuesday night's board meeting were upset about the decision. In thanking them for their support, Crook offered a somewhat cryptic comment: "I could have predicted that this would have happened, maybe later on."
There are many reasons why school boards fail to renew superintendents' contracts. It happens on a fairly regular basis in West Virginia.
Let us hope that in Marshall County, most board members want to see more improvement in student achievement than occurred under Crook's stewardship. In fairness, as the board's own evaluation noted, progress has been made.
It does need to be accelerated, however.
Like the vast majority of public school systems in the state, Marshall County's does not meet state expectations in several ways, including student performance in mathematics. That seems to be a chronic challenge throughout West Virginia -- though, as in many other counties, some schools in Marshall County do much better than others.
But Marshall County schools, with the fourth-highest per-student expenditures in the state, ought to be able to do better. Perhaps the four board members who voted to replace Crook think so, too.
If so, they should find a new superintendent with both the dedication and the skill to make change occur more quickly. Board members also need to commit themselves to supporting such a campaign -- in which, beyond any doubt, toes will be stepped upon.