KINGWOOD — Preston is one of a handful of counties from across the nation picked for a one-year training program by education reformer Bill Daggett.
Preston Schools Superintendent Steve Wotring told the Preston County Board of Education about the selection at Monday’s board meeting. “Last year [Daggett] selected 20 counties across the nation to work directly with on school reform and improving student achievement, etc.,” Wotring said.
Wotring said he heard Daggett speak three times this summer, and all county principals went to hear Daggett when he was at Morgantown. Each time he heard Daggett, Wotring said, he went up and introduced himself. Maybe that’s why the county was picked, he said.
Daggett is the founder of the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) and creator of the Rigor/Relevance Framework. He presented the keynote address at the West Virginia Association of School Administrators’ summer conference.
The county will have to pay travel and hotel expenses for staff to attend two conferences as part of the training, but there will be no fee for the training. The conferences will be in Denver and Atlanta.
At the conferences, “we’ll be able to exchange ideas with these other districts, what’s workin,g what’s not,” Wotring said.
Daggett or a member of his team will come to Preston County to work with the central office and in schools. Wotring doesn’t yet know how often they will be in the schools.
“I think it’s an amazing opportunity that we’ve been given by the leading school reformer in the nation,” Wotring said.
Board Member “Mac” McCrum said it’s a “fantastic opportunity” to talk with educators from around the country.
Also at the meeting, the board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Preston County Commission and Preston County Sheriff for the county to provide a school resource officer at Preston High. The school board will pay the officer’s salary, while he or she is in the school, using levy dollars.
