Email: Chapter 18, Article 4
§18-4-1. Election and term; interim superintendent.
(a) The county superintendent shall be appointed by the board upon a majority vote of the members thereof to serve for a term of not less than one, nor more than four years. At the expiration of the term or terms for which he or she shall have been appointed, each county superintendent shall be eligible for reappointment for additional terms of not less than one, nor more than four years.
(1) At the expiration of his or her term or terms of service the county superintendent may transfer to any teaching position in the county for which he or she is qualified and has seniority, unless dismissed for statutory reasons.
(2) The appointment of the county superintendent shall be made between January 1 and June 1 for a term beginning on July 1 following the appointment.
(b) In the event of a vacancy in the superintendent's position that results in an incomplete term, the board may appoint an interim county superintendent:
(1) To serve until the following July 1 if the vacancy occurs before March 1.
(2) To serve until July 1 of the next following year if the vacancy occurs on or after March 1, unless a superintendent is appointed sooner.
(c) If the superintendent becomes incapacitated due to accident or illness to an extent that may lead to prolonged absence, the county board, by unanimous vote, may enter an order declaring that an incapacity exists in which case the county board shall appoint an acting superintendent to serve until a majority of the members of the board determine that the incapacity no longer exists. An acting superintendent may not serve in that capacity for more than one year, nor later than the expiration date of the superintendent's term, whichever occurs sooner, unless he or she is reappointed by the county board.
(d) Immediately following the appointment of a county superintendent or an interim county superintendent, the president of the county board shall certify the appointment to the state superintendent. Immediately following the appointment of an acting county superintendent or a vote by a majority of the members of the county board that an incapacity no longer exists, the president of the county board shall certify the appointment, reappointment, or appointment termination of the acting superintendent to the state superintendent.
(e) During his or her term of appointment, the county superintendent shall be a state resident and shall reside in the county which he or she serves or in a contiguous county. The county superintendent in office on the effective date of this section shall continue in office until the expiration of his or her term.
§18-4-2. Qualifications; health certificate; disability; acting superintendent.
(a) A county superintendent shall hold a professional administrative certificate endorsed for superintendent, or a first class permit endorsed for superintendent, subject to the following:
(1) A superintendent who holds a first class permit may be appointed for one year only, and may be reappointed two times for an additional year each upon an annual evaluation by the county board and a determination of satisfactory performance and reasonable progress toward completion of the requirements for a professional administrative certificate endorsed for superintendent;
(2) Any candidate for superintendent, assistant superintendent or associate superintendent, who possesses an earned doctorate from an accredited institution of higher education and either has completed three successful years of teaching in public education or has the equivalent of three years of experience in management or supervision as defined by state board rule, after employment by the county board shall be granted a permanent administrative certificate and shall be a licensed county superintendent;
(3) The state board shall promulgate a legislative rule in accordance with §29A-3B-1 et seq. of this code, to address those cases where a county board finds that course work needed by the county superintendent who holds a first class permit is not available or is not scheduled at state institutions of higher education in a manner which will enable the county superintendent to complete normal requirements for a professional administrative certificate within the three-year period allowed under the permit; and
(4) Any person employed as assistant superintendent or educational administrator prior to June 27, 1988, and who was previously employed as superintendent is not required to hold the professional administrative certificate endorsed for superintendent.
(b) In addition to other requirements set forth in this section, a county superintendent shall meet the following health-related conditions of employment:
(1) Before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties, file with the president of the county board a certificate from a licensed physician certifying the following:
(A) A tuberculin skin test, of the type Mantoux test (PPD skin test), approved by the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health has been made within four months prior to the beginning of the term of the county superintendent; and
(B) The county superintendent does not have tuberculosis in a communicable state based upon the test results and any further study;
(2) The commissioner may require selective testing of superintendents for tuberculosis when there is reason to believe that they may have been exposed to the tuberculosis organism or they have signs and symptoms indicative of the disease. The county superintendent should contact the local health department in instances where they have reason to suspect that they have been exposed to tuberculosis or have symptoms indicative of the disease. Positive reactors to the skin test are to be referred immediately to licensed health care practitioner for evaluation and indicated treatment or further studies;
(3) A county superintendent who is certified by a licensed health care practitioner to have tuberculosis in a communicable stage shall have his or her employment discontinued or suspended until the disease has been arrested and is no longer communicable; and
(4) A county superintendent who fails to complete required follow-up examinations as set forth in this subsection shall be suspended from employment until a report of examination is confirmed.
§18-4-3. Removal and suspension.
The board may remove the superintendent from office for official misconduct, insubordination, incompetence, neglect of duty, or immorality. The charges shall be stated in writing, and the superintendent shall be given an opportunity to be heard by the board upon not less than ten days' notice. The superintendent may be suspended by the board, with or without pay, pending final disposition of such charges.
§18-4-4. Compensation.
On or before June 1 of the year in which the superintendent is appointed, the board shall fix the annual salary of the superintendent for the period of appointment for the term beginning on the following July 1. The board shall pay the salary from the general current expense fund of the district.
§18-4-5. Payment of compensation.
The board shall pay the compensation of the superintendent monthly upon orders drawn in the same manner as other bills of the district.
§18-4-6. Evaluation of county superintendent.
(a) At least annually, the county board shall evaluate the performance of the county superintendent. The evaluation process to be used shall be one authorized by the state board. The West Virginia school board association shall maintain a catalog of evaluation instruments which comply with this section and shall make them available to county boards.
(b) At a minimum, the evaluation process shall require the county superintendent and county board to establish written goals or objectives for the county superintendent to accomplish within a given period of time. Additionally, the county board shall evaluate the county superintendent on his or her success in improving student achievement generally across the county and specifically as it relates to the management and administration of low performing schools.
(c) The evaluation also may cover the performance of a county superintendent in the areas of community relations, school finance, personnel relations, curricular standards and programs and overall leadership of the school district as indicated primarily by improvements in student achievement, testing and assessment.
(d) The evaluation of a county superintendent shall occur in executive session. At the conclusion of the evaluation, the county board shall make available to the public a general statement about the evaluation process and the overall result. Additional information about the evaluation may be released only by mutual consent of the county superintendent and the county board. The county board may use the evaluation results to determine:
(1) Whether to extend the contract of the county superintendent;
(2) Whether to offer the county superintendent a new contract; and
(3) The level of compensation or benefits to offer the county superintendent in any new or extended contract.
§18-4-7. Office.
The board shall provide a suitable office within the county for use by the superintendent and the members of the board. The board shall supply the office with janitorial service and with the necessary equipment and supplies.
§18-4-8. Clerical assistants; monthly salary from maintenance fund.
The superintendent, with the consent of the board, may appoint clerical assistants necessary for efficient operation of his office. Their salaries shall be paid monthly by the board from the maintenance fund.
§18-4-9. Reimbursement for traveling expenses; voucher.
The board may reimburse the superintendent from the current expense fund for all reasonable and necessary travel expenses actually incurred in the performance of his official duties. But no allowance shall be made except upon sworn itemized statements.
§18-4-10. Duties of county superintendent.
The county superintendent shall:
(1) Act as the chief executive officer of the county board as may be delineated in his or her contract or other written agreement with the county board, and, under the direction of the state board, execute all its education policies;
(2) Nominate all personnel to be employed; in case the county board refuses to employ any or all of the persons nominated, the county superintendent shall nominate others and submit the same to the county board at a time the county board may direct. No person or persons shall be employed except on the nomination of the county superintendent;
(3) Assign, transfer, suspend or promote teachers and all other school employees of the district, subject only to the approval of the county board, and to recommend to the county board their dismissal pursuant to the provisions of this chapter;
(4) Report promptly to the county board in such manner as it directs whenever any school in the district appears to be failing to meet the standards for improving education established pursuant to section five, article two-e of this chapter;
(5) Close a school temporarily when conditions are detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the pupils;
(6) Certify all expenditures and monthly payrolls of teachers and employees;
(7) Serve as the secretary of the county board and attend all meetings of the county board or its committees, except when the tenure, salary or administration of the county superintendent is under consideration;
(8) Administer oaths and examine witnesses under oath in any proceedings pertaining to the schools of the district, and have the testimony reduced to writing;
(9) Keep the county board apprised continuously of any issues that affect the county board or its schools, programs and initiatives. The county superintendent shall report to the county board on these issues using any appropriate means agreeable to both parties. When practicable, the reports shall be fashioned to include a broad array of data and information that the county board may consult to aid in making decisions;
(10) Exercise all other authority granted by this chapter or required by the county board or state board; and
(11) In case of emergency, act as the best interests of the school demand. An emergency, as contemplated in this section, is limited to an unforeseeable, catastrophic event including natural disaster or act of war and nothing in this section may be construed as granting the county superintendent authority to override any statutory or Constitutional provision in the exercise of his or her emergency power except where such authority is specifically granted in the particular code section.
§18-4-11. Other powers and duties.
The county superintendent shall:
(1) Visit the schools as often as practicable; observe and make suggestions concerning the instruction and classroom management of the schools and their sanitary conditions;
(2) Report to the county board cases of incompetence, neglect of duty, immorality or misconduct in office of any teacher or employee;
(3) Recommend for condemnation buildings unfit for school use;
(4) Call, at his or her discretion, conferences of principals and teachers to discuss the work of the schools of the district;
(5) Report to the county board the progress and general condition of the schools;
(6) Make reports as required by the state superintendent. In case the county superintendent fails to report as required, the state superintendent may direct that the salary of the county superintendent be withheld until an acceptable report is received; and
(7) Perform all other duties prescribed in this chapter or required by the county board or the state board.
§18-4-12. Exception to §18-4-4.
[Repealed.]