Recent editorials from West Virginia newspapers:
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Feb. 19
The Inter-Mountain on qualities the next state superintendent of schools should possess:
Some degree of continuity is needed in public school supervision at the state level in West Virginia. But at the same time, things need to be shaken up. A look at measures of school quality, some adopted by state officials, makes that clear.
Perhaps the most important job in the state’s public school system is that of state superintendent. The incumbent, Steve Paine, revealed recently he plans to retire on June 30.
Paine himself, working with the state Board of Education, has launched some reform initiatives. One involves teaching mathematics, an area where there is a clear and present need to do better.
State school board members have the authority to hire a replacement for Paine. A few days ago, board President Dave Perry commented to MetroNews on that.
Finding a new superintendent quickly is important, he said. Agreed. Perry said doing so is “very critical to the stability, the continuity and the transition needs to be as smooth as it can be.” Obviously.
But stability and continuity in one respect are the very last things schools in our state need. State board members should be looking for someone willing to take on the established interests that have blocked real reform for years. In some ways, we need a rebel - and board members should keep their eyes open for one.
Online: https://www.theintermountain.com
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Feb. 18
The Martinsburg Journal on concerns regarding the technology that’ll be used for the upcoming census count:
The once-a-decade collection of information about Americans may well go down in history as the first digital Census. Let us hope it also is not recorded as an electronic fiasco.
Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau will be utilizing tons of state-of-the-art technology in gathering information this year. For starters, this will be the first Census in which Americans are being encouraged to participate online, instead of with printed questionnaires. And, later this year, the small army of people going door-to-door to ask questions will be carrying smartphones using a new “app” to assist in collecting information.
Some observers worry about the new reliance on high-tech. They point out that by definition, it has not been tested. That is, we will not know how well a system used on this enormous scale works until we try to use it.
Right on schedule for the naysayers came the Iowa caucuses. As the first state where voters indicate their preferences for presidential candidates, Iowa has substantial power over the nominating process.
But Democratic Party leaders in that state tried their own high-tech experiment in counting and tabulating votes earlier this month - and it proved a dismal failure.
The two situations are very different, of course. Iowa Democrat leaders were cautioned in advance their “app” might not perform as advertised. They ignored the warnings. And, of course, their resources pale in comparison to those available to the Census Bureau.
Still, reliance on new technology can be risky. Here’s hoping the Census Bureau has a backup if its new system fails to perform accurately.
Online: https://www.journal-news.net
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Feb. 16
The Register-Herald on recently scrutinized comments made by Gov. Jim Justice:
We’re not sure what Gov. Jim Justice does not understand about “words matter,” but certainly, they do, as the governor’s own words this past week prove.
And before we go further, let’s make this clear: We do not believe for a second that the governor is a racist. We do believe he means well for all kids in this state.
But we are not convinced, even now, that the governor understands the underlying social issue that has led to a number of disturbing incidents in our neck of the woods this past year - especially in our high schools. And we hope he uses the power of his position to correct what has become a troubling trend.
It isn’t simply that he called a group of high school girls on the opposing team “a bunch of thugs” after tensions and emotions ran high in a tough and bruising game between Greenbrier East - the team Justice coaches - and Woodrow Wilson High School. It isn’t that Justice resorted to name calling at all, though we have to ask, who does that? While those frame grabs were a bad look for our state, the issue is bigger than all of that. Those incidents are merely the manifestation of the social sickness that is metastasizing beneath the surface.
In his apology tour last week, talking to several radio station outlets around the state and to The Register-Herald, the governor said he regretted using the term “thugs” to characterize the Woodrow girls. He begged forgiveness for his ignorance, saying he didn’t realize that the term, in many corners, is regarded as racially derogatory.
He maintained, however, that the Woodrow students caused all of the problems at the game.
“We can’t have student athletes fighting the police,” he told The Register-Herald. “We can’t have violence and bullying. We can’t have that stuff. We just can’t.”
Well, we have seen the video of the game and to fault any kid on the Woodrow team is just flat out wrong. And for the record, Woodrow’s assistant coach, Gene Nabors, has been cleared of any infraction by the state’s high school sports authority.
So, yes, one half step forward for the governor and one giant step back takes us all in one direction - backwards.
Enough of that.
Despite what anyone says, the word “thugs” to many is racially charged. Accept that and own it.
If it weren’t, we doubt that The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, ABC News and many other national news outlets would have spent as much digital ink on the story this week as they did.
John McWhorter, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, said in a 2015 NPR interview that the word “is a nominally polite way of using the n-word.”
“When somebody talks about thugs ruining a place, it is almost impossible today that they are referring to somebody with blond hair,” he said. “It is a sly way of saying there go those black people ruining things again. And so anybody who wonders whether thug is becoming the new n-word doesn’t need to. It’s most certainly is.”
Even closer to home, most everyone picked up on the racial slant.
Said Brandon Steele, a conservative from the governor’s own Republican Party: “I’ll be the first one to tell you that that’s how it struck me when I first read it.”
Beckley attorney Randolph McGraw, who is defending Nabors, told The Washington Post, “Thugs, that’s a modern day term for the n-word. At least around here it is.”
Additionally, police are investigating a racist and misogynistic call - to put it kindly - that was left on McGraw’s office voice mail, apparently aimed at the Lady Flying Eagles.
Isolated incidents?
Hardly.
Gov. Justice, if he took a closer look, would see that our schools would be a good place to start - first by hiring more minorities in teaching and administrative positions.
He could also make certain that there is sufficient security at athletic contests - especially those between noted rivals like East and Woodrow, or Wyoming East and Westside where a similar problem recently reared its ugly head. Any sign of a parent who is causing trouble would be ushered out of the building - immediately.
At some point we have to recognize that we have racial divisions in our communities and, as such, in our schools. And quite frankly, we are tired of apologies. Words certainly do matter, and such incidents have to be called out. But action is more credible.
Online: https://www.register-herald.com
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