During last week's State Board of Education meeting in Charleston, President Paul Hardesty deviated from protocol by addressing those in attendance immediately following delegations. He passionately highlighted the urgency for state lawmakers to address the issue of accountability for local county boards of education during the upcoming 2024 Regular Legislative Session.
“I have asked the Legislature to enact and take up the Local Accountability Act of 2024 that will hold local boards accountable in this manner. When a superintendent makes a recommendation, if the board arbitrarily overrides that based on Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, what have you, and not on sound doctrine, they’re held accountable,”
President Hardesty emphasized his commitment to ensuring county boards of education are held accountable for meeting essential benchmarks and fulfilling their financial responsibilities.
“We are a board of policy. Until board members decide on a local level to hold their people accountable and put student achievement first, we’re not going to do any better,” President Hardesty said.
President Hardesty provided a broad overview without delving into specific details about the proposed legislation. However, he did touch upon pressing concerns, including the challenge of teacher shortages.
“We have a chronic absentee rate with our employees that is embarrassing,” he said. “The Legislature is going to have to make their days worth some value in order for them to want to save them.”
Furthermore, President Hardesty conveyed that 637 schools are currently functioning at only 51 percent capacity, thereby exacerbating the existing challenges related to teacher vacancies.
“Until the madness stops and we focus on core instruction in the classroom, and we focus on accountability, we can sit up here and make whatever policies known to man. Nothing is going to happen,” he said.