What Happens when Parents Voice Their Opinion?

Nothing yet.

The Calhoun County Board of Education met at the Calhoun Middle High School on Monday evening in the commons area to accommodate what was expected to be a larger than normal School Board Meeting. Following last week’s Calhoun Citizens for Accountability meeting, where Superintendent Kelli Whytsell presented the plans for implementing the Pathways Empowerment Program in Calhoun Middle School, a great outcry began on social media by parents and other concerned community members. Of those concerned, several spoke during delegation time.

The empowerment collaborative is a partnership between the Mountain State Education Cooperative, Edventure Group and the Southern Regional Education Board. It is a school-wide program that not only focuses on teaching content through strong instructional practices, but it also provides career exploration for students through community-based, student-driven projects.

According to an article by Associated Press on U.S. News, Midland Trail and Calhoun County will utilize a set of nine instructional protocols to direct their planning and, with guidance from the WVDE and its partners, they will redesign their learning environments. The goal is to empower students to experience a range of careers and problem-solving opportunities that “strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset and increase their interest and engagement in the learning process,” according to the WVDE.

The focus on careers, problem solving and entrepreneurial mindsets is the the issue with parents. If that is the focus, what happens to the fundamentals that are needed in future education endeavors.

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The first to speak was Lee Evans, retired school teacher, former school board member and grandparent of a current middle school child. Through his research Mr. Evans discovered the disadvantages of a program such as Pathways: The program is potentially for poor performances on test, student unpreparedness, teacher unpreparedness, time consuming assignments and varying degrees of relevancy. He also researched skills necessary for 6th grade: writing skills, grammar skills, word meaning and their math skills. Mr. Evans informed the board that he was concerned about the project based curriculum that his grandson would have because of previous struggles in math that required tutoring from Mr. Jim Morgan to get his grandson through. Evans explained that middle school students required math skills such as abstract and complicated math as well as history, and science; and that 5th through 8th grades are considered to be the most crucial of years in a child’s education. It takes countless hours for a student to grasp the basic concepts, and if they don’t they’re behind and will constantly struggle. When they reach the age, they’ll drop out. We’ve got to keep our kids directed toward college. “A student with a 3.5 GPA has only a 50% chance of graduating college” Evans said. If they cannot grasp the basics of education they’ll drop out. These programs are not mentioned on any SAT or the ACT test or is Project based learning.

It was at this point that Board President Jenna Jett informed Mr. Evans that his five minutes of time was up. Even though Mr. Evans had requested to be on the evening’s agenda, not as a delegation and was denied. He was however allowed to finish with the remaining boards approval, as were all others who followed and also were interrupted by Mrs. Jett and informed their 5 minutes was up.

Mr. Evans reminded Mrs. Jett that he too used to be in her shoes as Board President. He continued by saying that he respectfully asks the board members to reconsider the curriculum implementation. “You do have a choice,” he said. This is not a state or federally adopted program. This is something extra that the school is trying to do. He advised the board that he knew that it could be frustrating being a board member and that he coined a phrase when he served in their capacity saying “The only thing you can really do as a board member is hire and fire the superintendent. Three votes will hire and three votes will fire. Nobody wants to fire a superintendent but sometimes that the only thing you can do. Don’t sell our children short. Don’t use them because you need money to pay a debt. He closed by asking the board how much money they’ll receive if you adopt this project based learning?” Mrs. Jett responded by saying “we are not allowed to answer any questions that you have.”

Evans then replied “I wanted to be above board, I don’t agree with cigar smokin’ politics, hiding behind doors and keeping everything private. I like it right out in the open and everyone should have a say in it. Nobody has had a say in it. Mrs. Jett then said, “There will be a meeting on the 25th of May.” To which Mr. Evans asked, “Before it’s adopted or after?” He departed saying “Our students are more valuable than money.”

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Shannon Waldron informed the Board that she had asked her daughter who was in the program if she liked it to which her daughter said, “One student will excel and the rest of the students let that student do their work for them. It flustered her. Waldron shared her concern about the difference in learning styles that the students would have to face when moving from middle school to high school. She listed other matters of concern telling them “You need to look at what’s going on in the inside. We have students who cannot make a 2.0 GPA to enable them to play sports, and you have coaches who have to tutor them and that should be the teachers job, not the coach. Our children need to be allowed outside. They’re not allowed out during lunch because the school is understaffed. The use of phones in the class room, and the failure of teachers to get information into live grades to allow parents to know what’s going on with their children’s schooling. She complained that she had scolded her son because of bad grades only to discover he had the grades, they just hadn’t been entered into live grades.

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CMHS Senior Zinna Zwoll:

“All I’ve ever heard since growing up was “do it for the kids,” and I agree that we should care about their education and their safety. However, Calhoun County Schools has not proven to me that they truly care about the kids.” Regarding Safety, Miss Zwoll cited her concerns with the school entrance doors being broken. They sometimes close and lock and other times they do not.

Regarding Education: Miss Zwoll told the board that she had two siblings she was concerned about. Teachers do not use their time wisely, especially in the middle school. She said that as she ran an errand that took her to the middle school side, she noticed that 20 minutes after classes should have began, students were still lined up in the hallway waiting for their teacher to end a conversation. “It wasn’t a one time thing” she said, “it happens 3 to 4 times a week. Even the students are fed up with this type of behavior.

Students wellbeing: When it comes to students needing guidance or counseling that department is outstanding. But when it comes to students needing help with reading, or to calm down, select teachers are rude and degrading toward students needing help. Miss Zwoll personally heard a student being yelled at by a teacher because they were having trouble reading an article. The student was brought to the counselor crying with the article. The teacher said “I don’t know what’s wrong with them, but they won’t stop and I’m not going to slowly read this article with them.” As a senior and a leader in this school it is extremely concerning to me,” Zwoll said and suggested that perhaps the teachers need counseling.

School Nutrition:

We are blessed to receive free breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, I am under the impression that we receive money from somewhere for the number of kids who eat the meals. We eat the same five meals each week and it’s truly not that nutritious, especially when pizza and burgers are microwaved in plastic bags and fresh vegetables are served in plastic bags. Then kids are told to go through the line and collect three things. If they don’t want it they are told to lay it on the table. If kids don’t take it they throw it away. All kind of food is wasted. There are seldom ever a warm option for breakfast, pop tarts, super donuts and cereal if there is any milk that’s not expired.” She acknowledged that the kitchen staff did their best, but the money concerned her most of all. Why is it so important that 300 kids eat breakfast she asked, how much money do we get for that and more importantly, where does that money go? She had even asked administration where the money went and received no answer. She decided to ask the administration at the board office but was told she could come over and they’d run reports for her that perhaps would show her what she wanted to know. Her closing comments were to give accolades to Principal David Gaul for his care and encouragement. She asked the Board “Are we really doing it for the kids, or because we get paid for it?”

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Senior, Lindsey Schoolcraft

Lindsey had a list for which she had compiled since her freshman years of issues in Calhoun Middle High school for which she gave copies to each board member. A list of things broken or needing addressed:

• Black mold in certain classrooms being suspected. Lindsey has asthma and had to transfer from a class because she couldn’t breathe in the class room.
• Students drinking from the water fountains meant to fill water bottles because the drinking fountains no longer are in use.
• Broken desks, desks that do not fit larger students or not enough desks
• Bathrooms. For two weeks in the upstairs girls bathroom, 3 of 4 commodes were broken with bags over them and only one worked.
• No soap or papertowels
• Exit signs are broken
• Ceiling tiles leak because of HVAC
• Mold on Commons area columns from gum being stuck to them
• Teachers answering phone calls and FaceTimes during class instructional time
• Administration admonishing staff in front of students
• Students being disrespected by staff
• Staff ignoring student emails
• Refurbished laptops that work 75% of the year
• We need more electives
• If students have to get randomly drug tested why does staff not have to?
• Why do we not have a libarian?

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Mia Houchin

Miss Houchins’ concerns were for the lack of attention given to foreign languages and the reduced numbers of students involved because it is no longer required. She expressed her concern for the Pathways program and students not learning the basics necessary to continue on through school.

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Crystal Mersh

Crystal came back to Calhoun 18 months ago for the express purpose of supporting Calhoun kids, because she was a Calhoun kid who had a lot of people who supported her. She credited Lee Evans for her love of science and others who invested into her life.

She addressed two topics:

The Pathway Program as presented by Mrs. Whytsell at the Citizens for Accountability meeting and the need for better communication with parents.

The Pathway program was presented as a new program for the upcoming school year. The program had been piloted for two years as the Empowerment Academy for which Mrs. Mersh served as an advisor on the sponsorship team participating in the training. Children and adults both do best when their academic training can be applied in the real world. Mersh herself has extensive experience in the development of such programs, launching an experiential educational tech platform for manufacturing and microbiology in the biotech sector. She stated that she is a huge fan of this learning model if it is appropriately designed and prepared for. The concerns she has for the Pathways program are:

• The protocol does not require learning objectives. This was a question that she brought up during her training time and the facilitator could not provide an answer.
• A mapping of the relationship of projects to the curriculum would be typical, a very structured and considered approach to selection of projects is critical. Without that there is no assurance that curriculum is fully covered. This type of work could take months and years to plan so appropriate lessons and projects are available.
• The Academics are not in place for the necessary foundation for such a project based learning. It will lead to projects without learning. Context is needed and without it, it will just be going through the motions. What did the children learn from the Christmas light project? They accomplished a beautiful project but how did it relate to curriculum.
• Resources are limited. Physical resources, local partnerships and staff. It will require more staff than traditional.
• The Community engagement is so very poor that finding sufficient resources to support this will be an issue.
• Communication on this transition is a perfect example of how broken public relations is with the school and the community.
• The lack of transparency, openness and honesty that Crystal herself has experienced in trying to support the local school system which she engaged very early in her return to Calhoun County. She has heard consistently how parents fear retaliation against their children for speaking up, as well as staff fears in speaking up.
• Three of the five Board members were not well informed of the details of the program, status of implementation and the timeline. Some were not even sure whether or not it was voted on, or would be voted on or if it was the Superintendent’s decision alone. One board member supported the program, another needed more information before deciding.
• Mrs. Mersh pleaded with the Board to do their job, whatever it takes, to insure that the future of Calhoun kids was not sold out to pay the base bills.
• If you look at the dichotomy between the board as you opened the meeting and what you’re hearing from the community, it should be taken to heart. The scores have been seen and need improved but it’s hard to improve if you can’t accept that you need to make changes. Mrs. Mersh concluded stating that the future of this project, should it proceed, will certainly be monitored.

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Shari Johnson

I want to first acknowledge that I’m representing multiple rolls 

1. As Ridgeview News
2. As Noni to three Butler’s and three Roberts children
3. As a Defender of the underdogs

As Ridgeview News I do the very best I can do in human form to keep my opinions out of the news.  I’ve been accused of being bias because more often than not, the articles on the Ridgeview look very one sided. They’re one sided because the government agencies for which I cover have no desire to allow me on the inside of their decision processes or anyone else outside the school system. 

I began Ridgeview News to give people a voice and the information they needed to make sound decisions with relation to county government. I also wanted to encourage people to be proud of what we have here. That has been my greatest task. The parents are frustrated, the children are negative about school and have very little hope or ambition. Something has to change in this system.

When covid hit I knew we were in trouble. I watched my youngest grandson’s  online class in order to help him, there was zero teaching. And that is not an exaggeration. He failed that year and broke his heart and mine. I watched as my granddaughter struggled with a teacher who when told she didn’t understand something the teacher told her to look it up on you tube until she figured it out. 

I’m not a fool, I don’t always believe my grandkids one hundred percent of the time. But every time I’ve looked into what they told me, it was true. 

Every evening when anyone of my six grands get in my car, we have a conversation starting with “what did you do in… and I go through their subjects. Their common responses are, we played on our phone, the teacher didn’t have a lesson prepared today, we watched a movie. This of course isn’t every day, except the played on my phone comment. That’s been every day for weeks.

Neither of them received the pathway they wanted. They received their third choice. And of the pathway they received, one no longer is being taught that choice because the teacher changed and the new teacher  doesn’t know the subject, so they’ve just been playing on their phone every day. The other didn’t do anything today, but he couldn’t play on his phone because his mom locked him out of it. 

Last thursday one of my grandchildren got in the car and was obviously upset. When I finally got out of her why she was upset she began to tell me about the field trip Calhoun schools were given because another school dropped out. She spoke of how certain kids, all of her friends mainly, were asked to go on the field trip, but nobody was told the selection process. Only you can go, and you can not. Oh and by the way, the field trip you were told you could go on as a reward, it’s been postponed. It all sounds petty. Unless you’re twelve. 

In addition to the random field trips for some of the kids, the kids watched two movies last week, and with the phone time and other issues I now know why ambition is gone. If the teachers have no desire to teach, how can children have a desire to learn. Yes I know there are exceptions to the rule. I know there are some good teachers here. But you have issues with faculty that need addressed. 

I and the others who speak tonight have no desire to create trouble, We have a desire to create hope for our children. And it starts with holding people accountability for the money we’re investing in them.

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Following the last commentary the regularly scheduled board meeting resumed. No discussion, merely votes of acceptance of items A through Z, moving on to Executive sessions and closing.

The community participation wasn’t acknowledge or noted as appreciated. The remaining board meeting can be viewed on Facebook, or you can go to the agenda posted prior to the meeting and see the bullet points of votes.

While the commentary of the citizens may not have been appreciated by the School Board, the School Board’s self applause of their wonderful teachers wasn’t appreciated by the community. Scores to follow in a separate article.

Ridgeview News did reach out to the State Board of Education to request the information of how much Calhoun will receive for implementing the Pathways Program, but the staff member in charge of that information was out of the office. When the information is provided it will be posted accordingly.