Deputy State Schools Superintendent Jorea Marple believes pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education in West Virginia hasreached a pivotal point, and the state's current direction forschools is just beginning to show benefits.
Mark Manchin, executive director of the state School BuildingAuthority, wants to develop policies that help provide a "high-quality, 21st Century education" for children. He also promises tohelp support teachers and school administrators, provide safe and up-to-date school buildings and work with state lawmakers and thegovernor to ensure the state Board of Education's agenda isadvanced.
Carolyn Long, chairwoman of the West Virginia University Board ofGovernors, believes her experience in both higher education andother public schools could help bring "these two cultures together"to serve the needs of West Virginia.
The three are finalists to become the next state Superintendentof Schools. They agreed to let the state Department of Educationrelease their resumes, cover letters, references and relateddocuments.
Carolyn Long
After getting her bachelor's degree in elementary education fromFairmont State College, Long was a fifth-grade teacher at BigChimney Elementary in Kanawha County from 1970 to 1975. She thenbecame a Title I teacher at Braxton County's Little Birch Elementaryuntil 1981.
She was a bookkeeper after having her first child in the early1980s, and completed her master's degree in educationaladministration at WVU's College of Graduate Studies. In 1986, shebecame principal at Little Birch - where, she wrote in herapplication, the school consistently achieved "the highest countytest scores despite having the highest number of students receivingfree and reduced lunches."
Long became Braxton County's assistant superintendent in January2001, and served just a few months before becoming countysuperintendent.
During her eight years there, she wrote, Braxton County becamethe first rural West Virginia school system to provide, through an"innovative grant," high-speed Internet connections to all countyschools.
All six Braxton elementary schools received Title I exemplarystatus during her last six years as superintendent.
"Academics were the main focus of our system," she wrote.
In 2006, Long "embarked on a second career of sorts" as a memberof WVU's Board of Governors. In July 2008 she became chairwoman ofthe board, which controls, supervises and manages WVU's financial,business and education policies.
She wrote that she "learned a great deal about how highereducation works and, perhaps, most importantly, how it can work withK-12 education to serve the needs of our students and our state."
Long is also president of her family's private business, ProductDistributors Inc. of Little Birch.
Mark Manchin
Manchin, a former state senator from Kanawha County andsuperintendent in Webster and McDowell counties, told state schoolboard members that public service has been a calling.
"I know of no other profession, perhaps, short of the medicalprofession, that can positively impact the quality of life in WestVirginia as education and being an educator," he wrote.
Manchin taught in two junior high schools in Greenbrier and Woodcounties from 1976 to 1982. He also taught educational leadershipcourses at WVU and a business studies course at West Virginia StateCollege in 1993.
At one of the state's Regional Education Service Agencies inKanawha County, Manchin provided supervisory management training forcompanies in West Virginia and also worked on training with countyschool boards of education.
While in the state Senate from 1988 to 1992, he was a member ofthe Education and Finance committees.
As Webster County superintendent, he helped increase AdvancedPlacement classes at Webster County High School, eliminated a$130,000 deficit within two years and helped increase studentachievement, according to his resume.
In 2001, state school board members took over the McDowell Countyschool system and appointed Manchin as superintendent. He wrote thathe closed old schools, introduced a summer reading program forstruggling students and "rewired" a high school and middle school toreceive interactive learning.
Manchin's cousin, then-Gov. Joe Manchin, appointed him in 2006 asexecutive director of the state School Building Authority, whichhands out state money for county school projects.
While there, Manchin has led efforts to sell bonds on WallStreet, using excess lottery funding to free up millions to helpbuild new schools across the state. He also has worked witharchitects, SBA staff and other state officials to build moreenvironment-friendly schools.
Manchin earned a bachelor of arts in education from FairmontState in 1976, a master's in educational administration from WVU in1980 and a doctoral degree in educational administration from WVU in1986.
Jorea Marple
Marple's application is the lengthiest and most detailed of thethree candidates. She cites her 36 years of experience in theKanawha County school system and the state Department of Education,and her teaching experience in higher education and other countyschool systems.
As a student teacher in Marion County, Marple taught students atMannington Elementary shortly after the Farmington mine disaster,where 78 miners were killed. There, she taught children who were"overwhelmed and coping with lives that had been tragicallyaltered."
"It was in this setting that I learned the first rule to being aneffective leader - establish an environment where the teacher is acaring, engaged leader who constantly interacts with children bylistening, talking and encouraging their expressions of thought,"she wrote.
She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education atFairmont State in 1969 and a master of arts in reading from WVU. Shewas a teacher in Monongalia County and a reading specialist inGreenbrier County after completing her master's degree.
Marple arrived in Kanawha County in 1971, where she first workedas a reading consultant and taught at Morris Harvey College (now theUniversity of Charleston).
She earned a doctoral degree in education administration from WVUin 1987. Two years later, she became principal at TiskelwahElementary School on Charleston's West Side. While there, she helpedthe students significantly improve their standardized test scores,which earned Tiskelwah a National Blue Ribbon School distinction.
Marple, who is married to state Attorney General Darrell McGraw,began her five-year tenure as Kanawha County superintendent in 1993.During her tenure, she wrote, the school system also sawimprovements in several student test scores.
But she abruptly resigned in 1998, saying she refused to workunder an "abusive" school board. At least two other top countyadministrators also had serious disagreements with board members.
Seven years ago, Maple was named assistant state superintendentof schools for school improvement at the state Department ofEducation. She became deputy state superintendent last year.
Other achievements
In her application, Marple cited evidence of her work experienceand education as they relate to each of the state Board ofEducation's 13 "essential criteria" for state superintendent ofschools.
In large part, she highlights several years of experience inhelping to create the state's "Global 21" initiative, a newdirection for schools that former state Superintendent Steve Paineled in recent years. Global 21 calls for more hands-on learning inthe classroom and an understanding of technology, critical thinking,multicultural issues and communication skills.
"Although much has been accomplished, this initiative is at apivotal point, just beginning to reap benefits," Marple wrote."Without appropriate leadership, knowledge and skill, progress couldbe diminished."
Manchin, like Marple, also cited the state's move toward what isgenerally known as "21st Century Skills."
"I believe you will find that my experiences are broad and variedand meet the unique and complex needs that would enable me tosuccessfully lead the West Virginia school system into the ever-changing global society in which our children must be prepared tocompete," Manchin wrote.
Marple lists 12 references, including Supreme Court JusticeThomas McHugh, Capital High School Principal Clinton Giles, WestVirginia Education Association President Dale Lee and West VirginiaFederation of Teachers President Judy Hale.
Long lists six references, including WVU Board of Governorsmembers Ray Lane and Charles Vest, Braxton County school boardPresident Ernest Moore and former WVU interim president C. PeterMagrath (whom she cited as "Peter McGraph" twice).
Manchin listed three references: former state Superintendent ofSchools David Stewart; Paul E. Chapman, interim associate dean atWVU's College of Human Resources; and Louise Hamrick, an assistantvice president of United Bank of West Virginia and former presidentof the Webster County school board.
Reach Davin White at
davinwhite@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.
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