[Nfbwv-talk] WV School for the Deaf and the Blind

[Sheri Koch]

Thanks for sending the article Charlene


Sheri





> On Nov 17, 2017, at 3:16 PM, Smyth, Charlene R via NFBWV-talk <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> I Am sharing two different news articles with all of you so you can be informed about what is going on with WVSDB.
> 
> I also want to thank Marcus for taking time off from work to represent us.  Well done, Marcus.
> 
> Charlene
> 
> FROM THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
> 
> WV state school board may fire superintendent of deaf, blind
> 
> The West Virginia Board of Education is meeting Friday to possibly fire the superintendent of the state Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
> 
> That possible discussion and action is one of only two items of substance on the agenda for the meeting, set to start at 9 a.m. in Room 353 of Building 6 of the state Capitol Complex in Charleston.  The other item is "Possible Employment of Administration(s)" of the schools, which are in Romney.
> 
> The agenda includes a section for the public to speak.
> 
> State school board Vice President Dave Perry said the board has discussed possibly firing Superintendent Martin Keller Jr. and "other topics around his employment" at least since Gov. Jim Justice appointed Perry to the board near the start of this year.
> 
> Perry said he couldn't publicly discuss why the board was considering this, saying "it's a personnel issue."
> 
> Kristin Anderson, the state Department of Education's communications director, said she had no comment late Tuesday afternoon on behalf of the department or the board.
> 
> The pre-Justice state school board hired Keller, in a voice vote with no nays heard, in August 2015 at an annual salary of $110,000. State education officials have said they believe he's the first deaf superintendent in the schools' history, which stretches back to 1870.
> 
> Keller said Tuesday he has no response at this time to what the board has placed on its meeting agenda.
> 
> "My lawyer has advised me not to say anything," he said. He said he hopes there will be a "positive result" Friday.
> 
> Last week, the board spent about two hours in closed sessions on separate days. After Thursday's closed session, called for an unspecified "personnel matter," the board ended its two-day meeting without further action.
> 
> 
> FROM METRO NEWS
> 
> State BOE makes change at Schools for the Deaf and Blind
> 
> 
> 
> By Shauna Johnson<http://wvmetronews.com/author/sjohnson/>
> 
> November 17, 2017 at 11:39AM
> 
> CHARLESTON, W.Va.
> 
> 
> 
> The state Board of Education voted Friday to fire state Schools for the Deaf and Blind Superintendent Martin Keller.
> 
> 
> WVSDB
> Martin Keller
> 
> 
> State Department of Education Executive Director of Communications Kristin Anderson released the following statement after the board's executive session:
> 
> 
> 
> "The Board voted unanimously to terminate the Superintendent for the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, Dr. Martin Keller. The Board also voted unanimously to appoint Mark Gandolfi and Jamie McBride-Vittorio to assume all administrative duties until such time that a new Superintendent is hired. Mr. Gandolfi is the current Chief Financial Officer and Ms. Vittorio is the current Principal of the School for the Blind."
> 
> 
> 
> No reason was given for the dismissal.
> 
> 
> 
> Prior to the vote, several of Keller's supporters, including former students of the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, addressed the Board.
> 
> 
> 
> "He's a wonderful man," said Keith Richardson, a graduate, who spoke in sign language via an interpreter.
> 
> "You can't beat this man. He's a wonderful man and I'm wanting you all to reconsider....Maybe he has made mistakes, I really don't know for sure, but I am asking all of you all to give him a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance."
> 
> 
> 
> Ruby Losh with the West Virginia Deaf Alumni Association agreed.  "I know there are children, as far as deaf and blind, that both work very well under his supervision," Losh said via an interpreter of Keller.
> 
> 
> 
> "We've had events, festivals, tournaments that involve and unite our communities and the Academic Bowl and we would never have that opportunity without his assistance."
> 
> 
> 
> Though there are challenges, she admitted, "There's a lot of things that are way more positive than negative."
> 
> 
> 
> Marcus Solsby is a 1991 graduate of the Schools of the Deaf and the Blind and now serves on the board of the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia.
> 
> "That sturdy leadership, that sturdy focus on the plight and needs of the students that is needed, you have that in Dr. Keller," he said. "You have someone who cares, someone who really wants to build something new, something greater, to give deaf and blind children a better education."
> 
> 
> 
> Several letters were also submitted to the board on Keller's behalf.
> 
> 
> 
> Keller was hired by the state board in August 2015 at an annual salary of $110,000. Most members of the board have changed since then. The current state board is dominated by appointments made by Gov. Jim Justice.
> 
> 
> 
> The Schools for the Deaf and Blind are located in Romney.
> 
> 
> 
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