Mr. Joe Paxton, who has been appointed Principal for the Fall of 2024 School Year contacted Ridgeview News regarding yesterday’s article about his appointment to Calhoun Middle High School Administration. Information that was partially pulled from a WSAZ story which stated there had been an incident with Mr. Paxton in Middleton, Idaho was an erroneous statement from that article. WSAZ news contacted Ridgeview News as well and said that the mention of Idaho was due to a stock photo being used, and the city having been left on from another article. They have since removed it from their story. Paxton’s second issue with Ridgeview’s article was that it did not clarify that he had left Clay County Board of Education by a mutual agreement with the School Board, not by removal. He noted that there had been three new Board Members elected in Clay and he and they did not see eye to eye.
Ridgeview News Publisher, Shari Johnson, explained that there is currently great concerns from many in the County regarding the Administration of Calhoun County Schools. The hiring of a new Principal with a questions around his release from contract did not offer any confidence in the school’s decision for hire. It needed to be addressed.
A second article relating to Clay County was posted today (Link here) that says, regarding Mr. Paxton’s release from his contract, “Additionally, the former superintendent had been removed from that position abruptly during the November 2, 2022, meeting of the local board.” With the current state of affairs in Calhoun County Schools it is important to have Central Office and principals with strong leadership qualities in and have an understanding of the WV DOE College and Career Readiness Standards (WVBE Policy 2510, Section 2.5) and a written plan to get our students meeting these goals. Does the new program meet WVBE policy goals and objectives? Questions such as this should be addressed at the May 25th meeting of parents and staff.
Ridgeview News offered to meet with Mr. Paxton to discuss his goals and objectives for our School which will hopefully take place this summer.
Calhoun School’s released the following information on Mr. Paxton’s new appointment on Social Media:
Mr. Joe Paxton is honored to be appointed as the Calhoun Middle High School Principal for the upcoming school year. He has obtained valuable experience serving in various positions throughout his respective career in education over the past 28 years. Most notably, he served as a Superintendent of Schools, Assistant Superintendent, and Associate Superintendent. His career in education also includes several other positions such as Middle and Elementary School Principal, Assistant Principal, and Alternative Learning Center Coordinator. Mr. Paxton is a graduate of Marshall University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Elementary Education, and a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing. Mr. Paxton is ecstatic to serve the students and parents of Calhoun County. He understands the important role our school plays in providing our students with limitless possibilities and working together as a team. Mr. Paxton is looking forward to being a part of the Red Devils family.
