Teachers Unions Host ‘Listening Session’ At Wheeling Park High

WHEELING -- West Virginia's teachers unions want to know what the issues are in the state's schools, what the schools are doing right, where they're coming up short and how they can be improved.

On Wednesday, the West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia jointly hosted a listening session at Wheeling Park High School. The unions want to gather information from the public that they will take to the Legislature when it convenes in January, said Tega Toney, vice president of the WV-AFT.

She was joined at the event by WVEA President Dale Lee.

But just five community members turned out for the discussion - West Virginia Board of Education member Dr. Jim Wilson of Glen Dale; Ohio County Board of Education member David Croft; labor leader Walter "Fuzz" LaRue; and teachers Brock Lowther of Bridge Street Middle School and Kallie Kastrevec of John Marshall High School.

They were first asked what they thought was the most pressing issue facing schools.

For Lowther, the issue is attendance.

"If we can just get them to the school, they are going to perform better in all areas," he said. "We have to get them there."

The answer to attendance issues is first determining why they aren't coming to school, then a solution can follow, according to Lowther.

He made the claim that absences and tardiness likely would increase by later start times for the school day, which are being considered in Ohio County Schools.

Croft said there must be a way to work with those families who would be negatively affected by a later start time. He noted science suggests later start times improve the mental, physical and overall well-being of high school students.

"All those elementary and middle school students will (later) be in high school," he added.

Lowther said while the science shows later start times benefit high school students, he wondered what effect start time changes would have on those in younger grades.

"They need to get a really good base before they start moving up," he explained. "If they can't read by the time they get to (the middle school) level, they're already behind the eight ball."

Wilson said his main concern is simply improving reading and math skills in the state.

"That is the basis of all learning, and it's primary," he said. "If you don't learn it in the first three years, you're lost.

"That is what (State Schools Superintendent David Roach) really wants to concentrate on."

Wilson added that improving teacher salaries and addressing staffing issues are also priorities of the state Board of Education.

LaRue said he believes there is a fear of change in education that is also present within the state as a whole.

"It's all about change," he said. "We have a lot of people in the state who don't want to change, and the world is changing fast. The state is slow to change. Are people afraid of it?

"We just need to teach people to accept change and move ahead - whether it is in the education system or elsewhere."

Those present agreed that what West Virginia is doing right is its efforts to instill career and technical education within the schools.

Lee said he wasn't necessarily disappointed by the small turnout for the listening session in Wheeling.

"One of the things this allowed us to do was to have a great dialogue and get to see all sides of an issue," he said. "I don't know if we would have gotten the dialogue that we had tonight."