New schools superintendent: 'We have a lot work to do'

Jun. 23—West Virginia's newest superintendent of schools is a veteran teacher and administrator who has served public education here for 25 years.

Michele Blatt was named to the top post Friday by state Board of Education members, who took less than an hour to make it official during a special meeting.

Blatt will be the state's 34th schools superintendent at a salary of $230, 000 a year.

"She's a proven, known commodity that can take this job July 1 and move forward for the children of West Virginia, " state board President Paul Hardesty said of the hire.

"In talking to board members earlier this morning, the one word, the theme, seems to be 'comfortable, '" he said.

The board of late has been anything but comfortable, however, regarding matters of the superintendent — and the fiscal dealings of one district in particular.

An ongoing investigation of alleged mishandling of COVID relief dollars directed to Upshur County Schools has now attracted federal attention and Hardesty said he expects criminal charges could come the county's way for anyone involved.

David Roach, the outgoing state superintendent who had been on the job for less than a year, announced his retirement after a contentious meeting two weeks ago.

The lengthy session was marked by both intense questioning and chiding from Hardesty.

Hardesty wanted to know why Roach didn't immediately inform the board after the spending discrepancies were noted in a routine review last December.

The Upshur district had received some $16 million in federal relief dollars over the past three years — monies earmarked for an effort to help the district regain academic equilibrium after the pandemic.

Initial audits, though, quickly revealed that nearly $150, 000 of that outlay went to outside expenses, including restaurant outings, staff retreats and what were deemed "unauthorized payments " to district staffers.

With more audits to follow, the state Department of Education took over the district and installed Steve Wotring, who most recently retired as the top leader of Preston County Schools, to serve as interim superintendent of Upshur.

Wotring last week pledged continuity for the beleaguered district.

"We want the community to know that our top priority is to protect the learning environment for our children, " he said, "by providing stability and continuity, and ensuring resources are used appropriately by the county."

Accountability and priorities were on the mind of Hardesty two weeks ago.

The board president wondered aloud why Sara Lewis-Stankus, who was then Roach's deputy schools superintendent, took part in follow-up discussions and review sessions between the Department of Education with Uphsur officials after the discrepancies came to light.

That's because Lewis-Stankus, who has since retired, was previously Upshur's superintendent of schools — and was serving in that job, in fact, during the period when the alleged mishandling was said to have occurred.

Goodbyes — and beginnings After the formal acceptance of Roach's retirement Friday, board member Debra Sullivan praised him for leading new directions in academics — particularly in the flagging subjects of reading and math — while the state's 55 public districts are still emerging from the shadows of the pandemic.

"I have found him to be a person who cares deeply about West Virginia, " she said of the superintendent, whose retirement is effective June 30.

"Thanks to him, we now have a well-defined path to increase student achievement in reading, writing and math, " Sullivan said.

Blatt, who has been with the state Department of Education for 17 years and holds degrees from Marshall University, played an integral part during the pandemic.

She served on West Virginia's Joint Interagency Task Force, which helped oversee the shuttering and re-opening of state schools and other entities while COVID waxed and waned.

"I am an educator at heart and have dedicated my professional life to supporting the education community, " Blatt said.

"There are no words to express what it means to serve in this capacity, other than to say that I am deeply honored and am looking forward to continuing to serve the educators, students and West Virginia as a whole, " she continued.

"We have a lot of work to do, and I am ready to get to it."

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