The West Virginia Board of
Education has named a new superintendent of schools, but again, not a permanent
one.
With Dr. James Phares’ planned
retirement coming June 30, the board voted Tuesday to employ Deputy
Superintendent Charles Heinlein as State Superintendent beginning July 1, until
the search process is completed and a permanent State Superintendent is hired.
The reason for giving the official
title to Heinlein is because, under current state law, it is illegal for the
state to not have a superintendent or have an interim superintendent.
Heinlein will be the second
superintendent to serve on a temporary basis. In 2012, after the firing of
Jorea Marple, the board searched for a temporary replacement and reached out to
Phares, then-current Superintendent of Randolph County Schools to fill the void
while a national search was conducted. Phares began serving in the position on
January 2, 2013.
The national search is still
ongoing but progress has been made.
Ray and Associates, Inc–the search
brought in to assist—said it engaged with 248 individuals regarding the
position.
From that pool, some 64 candidates
spanning 43 states submitted applications.
Tuesday, the board engaged in
interviews with three state superintendent candidates. No decisions were made
at the close of the session today. However, according to a press release, when
a decision is made, the board will share the information with the public.
