RD244 - Annual Executive Summary for the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium (“WVPEC”)


    Executive Summary:
    WVPEC’s fiscal year coincides with school years (July 1 through June 30). Unless indicated otherwise, the information contained herein pertains to fiscal year 2007-2008.

    Mission and Purpose of WVPEC:

    WVPEC is composed of nineteen school divisions in western Virginia that include Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Wythe County Public Schools; and Covington, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem City Public Schools. WVPEC’s goal is to support educational programming and student success in each of these school divisions and throughout the region, as a whole. School divisions support WVPEC efforts through student fees and through ongoing promotion of WVPEC projects and efforts.

    The nineteen school superintendents and representatives from Virginia Tech and Radford University form the Governing Board of this legislatively approved organization. An Executive Committee of six elected superintendents (listed below) oversees and supports the organization through monthly meetings in Radford. Day-to-day operations of WVPEC are overseen and supported by an Executive Director and an Executive Assistant, both of whom are part-time employees. WVPEC offices are located in Radford University’s Corporate Park, 6226 University Park Drive, Suite 2200, Radford, Virginia 24141 (phone numbers 540-831-6414 or 540-831-6399). WVPEC’s website can be accessed at http://www.wvpec.org , and WVPEC officials may be reached by email at jsellers@wvpec.org and trees@wvpec.org.

    Members of the WVPEC Executive Committee on July 1, 2007:

    Voting Members:

    Dr. Terry E. Arbogast, Chair (Floyd County)
    Dr. Anthony Brads, Vice Chair (Botetourt County)
    Dr. Donald E. Stowers (Pulaski County)
    Dr. K. David Smith (Bath County)
    Dr. Sharon D. Dodson (Henry County)
    Dr. Tiffany Anderson (Montgomery County)

    Non-Voting Members:

    Dr. Robert McCracken (Radford University)
    Mr. Carl Mitchell (Virginia Economic Bridge)
    Dr. M. David Alexander (Virginia Tech)

    July 1, 2007 — Amount of money in WVPEC accounts: $145,051.86
    June 30, 2008 — Amount of money in WVPEC accounts: $201,139.03
    WVPEC 2007-2008 audit was completed and results shared with the WVPEC Governing Board at its Fall Governing Board meeting held in Lynchburg, Virginia.

    Major WVPEC projects/initiatives completed this year:

    • The WVPEC Career Switcher Program. Approximately 15 students each year are enrolled in the WVPEC Career Switcher Program. This two-year program devotes its first year to intensive classroom instruction for candidates who already possess a bachelor’s degree. The second year of the program devotes attention to supporting and mentoring newly employed teachers through their first year of instruction with students.

    Career Switcher Program Level I participants: 13 enrolled and participated in the January 2008 program.

    Career Switcher Program Level II participants: 13

    • The Virginia School Leaders Institute (VSLI). A year-long institute, with participants meeting at the Hotel Roanoke for four 3-day workshops, the VSLI for Recently Appointed Administrators commenced in October 2005 and is a joint effort with Virginia Tech. Based on the ISLLC standards for school leaders, the School Leaders Institute is a researched-based professional development activity for newly appointed administrators.

    Virginia School Leaders Institute for Recently-Appointed Administrators participants: 37 of which 27 were WVPEC participants

    • The Virginia Principals Assessment Center (VPAC). The Virginia Principals Assessment Center uses the NASSP-supported principals assessment program as the basis for its work. Assessors are trained to assess, and superintendents then nominate school administrators-to-be for assessments. Generally, four assessment centers are held each school year.

    Virginia Principals Assessment Centers scheduled: April, May
    Virginia Principals Assessment Centers held: 2
    Number of participants assessed: 7
    Number of trained assessors to date: 22

    • High School Senior Exit and Graduate Follow-up Surveys. Each spring, high school seniors in the WVPEC region’s thirty-five high schools complete an online survey and data are then tabulated by WVPEC. Results are sent to each school superintendent detailing his/her graduating seniors’ perceptions of their high school experiences. This year, a new survey option, the WVPEC Graduate Follow-up Survey, was initiated.

    WVPEC High School Senior Surveys by participating schools: 19/35 (Spring 2007 results)

    • The WVPEC Regional Teacher Recruitment Job Fair. WVPEC holds a regional teacher recruitment fair each year which draws approximately 600 applicants. The February Job Fair is held each year in Salem, a central location in our region. Candidates often complete an on-line application that is used by Human Resource departments in WVPEC divisions.

    Teacher Recruitment Job Fair participants: 515

    • The Regional Key Leaders Initiative (RKLI). Bringing together key instructional leaders from throughout the region, this initiative strives to bring attention to regional curricular or instructional issues, and then focuses attention toward addressing those concerns. A joint project with the Radford University Professional Development Center, this effort commenced in the fall of 2005.

    Regional Key Instructional Leader meeting are typically held 9 times during the year in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

    WVPEC does not intend to submit a further report for publication.