photo by: Joselyn King

Ohio County Board of Education member Andy Garber addresses those attending Monday night’s board of education meeting.

WHEELING — Ohio County Board of Education member Andy Garber suggests the West Virginia Legislature took no actions to help better educate school students during their just ended regular session, and that lawmakers aren’t the ones best suited to make decisions about public education.

Garber spoke about what he believes is a lack of legislative concern regarding education during Monday’s board of education meeting. After, he was asked what most gave him heartburn about the last 60 days in Charleston.

“I think it’s the lack of substantial assistance for public education,” he said. “If I was to say what was going to help our kids in the future, I can’t put a finger on it. I can’t see it.”

He cited two specific education bills passed this session that are presently awaiting the governor’s signature.

House Bill 2755 requires the State Board of Education to establish legislative rules and for these to be authorized by the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability.

The rules then must be submitted for review by the Legislature.

House 2548 requires the State Superintendent to report annually to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability regarding implementation of state board rules in each county school district, and establishes consequences for failure to follow state board rules.

Garber indicated this gives the Legislature considerable say in what will be taught in classrooms.

“They aren’t educators,” he said of lawmakers. “They are not people who do that for a living. How do they know more (than educators). Some of those guys down there … they’re lucky they can read and write. And yet these people are going to make decisions about what’s best for our kids? That needs to be done by experts.

“There is no way they understand the science of reading. They have no clue. They don’t know anything about that. How are they going to find out about that? They’re going to have to have somebody explain it all to them. It’s a complicated thing.”

During the board meeting, Garber told board members he had gone to Charleston last week to lobby on education matters, and that in his opinion the Legislature did nothing to better education in the state or assure the future of young people.

He noted there were no pay raises, or attempts at stabilizing the Public Employees Insurance during the session.

The board meeting on Tuesday took on a different look as neither Superintendent Kim Miller or Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones were present. Instead, Susan Nolte, director of human resources for Ohio County Schools, joined board president David Croft in facilitating the meeting.

The board is set to next meet briefly at 8 a.m. today in the board office, 2203 National Road, Wheeling, to vote upon a proposed excess levy rate of 95.5% for the next fiscal year.

The next regular meeting is set for 6 p.m. April 28 at the board office.