Announced Education Performance Audits of Magnolia High School and Paden City High School were conducted March 9 and 10, respectively. The reviews were conducted at the specific direction of the West Virginia Board of Education, with the purpose of investigating the reasons for performance and progress that are low and declining at MHS and for the declining graduation rate and student achievement at PCHS. While much of the findings were of-the-norm for such reviews, there were some shocking discoveries and stern recommendations made by the Education Performance Audit Team, particularly to the administration of MHS.

For these audits, the Education Performance Audit Team reviewed the Five-Year Strategic Improvement Plans, interviewed school personnel and school system administrators, observed classrooms, and examined school records.

The most shocking report was that seven teachers told the auditors that MHS Principal Kathi Schmalz was bullying them and that bullying by teachers against other teachers was also reported. The report indicates some teachers wanted to speak on the bullying issues but did not out of fear of retaliation. They noted that Principal Schmalz is the sister of Board President Michael Blair. The auditing team believes that the toxic atmosphere among the staff at MHS is having a detrimental effect on the learning environment.

While the report said Schmalz was organized and had a great deal of knowledge, the auditing team had strong reservations about the school’s capacity to correct deficiencies given the issue of the bullying among staff.

Students and teachers also reported to the auditing team that discipline building-wide was inconsistently enforced and based on if the student was an athlete or not. Athletes reportedly received preferential treatment by the teachers and administration.

Schmalz commented that the report provided by the Education Performance Audit Team “doesn’t speak to who we really are at Magnolia.” She added the staff is upset by the misrepresentation of the report and that the MHS staff are working very hard. “They’re a fantastic group of people who care about kids and want the best for them,” Schmalz underlined.

According to MHS’s WesTest scores from 2008-2009, roughly half of the student body was proficient in mathematics and only 46.36 percent was proficient in reading/language arts. For the same testing period PCHS reported to be 63.07 percent proficient in mathematics and 74.84 percent in reading/language arts.

These scores went down for both schools in the 2009-2010 reports, which state 25.77 percent proficiency in mathematics and 31.95 percent in reading/language arts for MHS, and 47.14 percent and 52.85 percent, respectively for PCHS.

It was also reported that while both schools offer AP and honors courses, no classes were taught at PCHS due to lack of student interest and enrollment in these courses at Magnolia are down.

PCHS failed to achieve adequate yearly progress in student graduation, however to that end the auditing team noted the school’s Guidance Action Plan and Dropout Prevention Plan show promise. “In only his first year in administration, the principal at PCHS (Jason P. “Jay” Salva) has initiated programs and practices to increase the graduation rate and the auditing team believes the continued implementation of such programs will develop the school’s capacity to improve the graduation rate,” it stated.

Notably, according to the performance report, an area the staff at PCHS felt contributed to the dropout rate was the court system placed on some students in the school who later dropped out. With an enrollment of approximately 160 students in grades seven through 12, each student who does not graduate has a dramatic affect on the entire graduation rate.

Regarding curriculum, both schools were cited for allowing inappropriate games to be played in physical education. Both games involved throwing balls at classmates, which was deemed inappropriate due to the potential for physical and emotional injuries.

According to the auditing team, PCHS was below standard in the following areas: the school site is not 11 usable acres, the art facility does not have mechanical ventilation or a ceramic kiln, and the physical education facilities do not have a display case or provisions for two or more teaching stations.

It was also noted the health services unit at PCHS did not have curtained or small rooms with cots, a toilet, or a lavatory.

Additionally, the chemistry lab is not located with easy access to outdoor activities and isolated to keep odors from the remainder of the building. This notation also applies to MHS.

The auditing team summated that PCHS must continue to implement high quality staff development and programs to increase the student graduation rate. To this end the principal is taking an active role in this issue and has plans in place to correct this problem.

Meanwhile, citations against MHS included teachers not instructing the entire length of the class period and higher order thinking skills were not implemented, noting that worksheets and defining vocabulary words as the predominant strategies. The report further states AP and honors course students were interviewed and expressed they were not challenged in classes and did not feel prepared for college.

Due to the number of deficiencies found at MHS, the auditing team determined that assistance from the central office administration, the West Virginia Department of Education, and RESA 6 needed to be provided to assist the building administrator in the Magnolia High School’s operation. To this, former Superintendent Bill Jones stated the board is already working with these entities to put improvements into place. “This is something many schools go through,” he noted. “It’s a process whereby we’re made better.”

Schmalz also noted that, “in order to be successful in what you’re doing with the kids, you have to go through a lot of change. With change comes bumps. The kids are the focus here.”

The Office of School Improvement will be contacting both PCHS and MHS regarding the necessary revisions of their strategic plans and provide assistance through the West Virginia Department of Education State System of Support. Both schools and the Wetzel County Board of Education are encouraged to correct the findings noted in the reports by the next accreditation cycle.

The Wetzel Chronicle also contact newly appointed Superintendent J. Diane Watt for comment regarding these reports. She noted that all of the issues reported are items she feels the schools and board want to continually improve upon. Regarding the revised strategic plans for the schools, she said, “I’m really impressed with them. They are right on target with what we’ll be working on.”

The full OEPA reports for these schools and others can be found online at oepa.state.wv.us or on the Wetzel Chronicle Web site under this story at www.wetzelchronicle.com.