As Kanawha County students reach the end of their school year, at least one principal is moving on.
Johnny Ferrara, the principal of Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary, in Charleston is taking a new position with Kanawha County Schools. The Kanawha school board could decide Monday on his replacement.
Leaders in the black community of Charleston's West Side are advocating for a particular candidate, according to the Rev. Matthew Watts, who helped lead the creation of the West Side Community Development pilot project that seeks to improve the area's four schools and their surrounding community. The area, which has a relatively high black population for West Virginia, struggles with poverty, drug-related violence and other issues.
Carol Hamric, the school system's human resources director, said there are six applicants who are deemed qualified and that Kanawha Superintendent Ron Duerring can recommend anyone from the top four ranked candidates. Duerring did not return calls Wednesday.
Hamric said the qualified applicants are John Adams Middle Curriculum Assistant Principal Cathryn Carena, Mary C. Snow teacher Katrina Helm, retired Dunbar Intermediate School principal Cheryl Plear, Weberwood Elementary teacher Kimberly Posey, Cross Lanes Elementary teacher Destiny Spencer and Mary C. Snow Assistant Principal Polly Stevens.
Watts said he, Charleston NAACP leader Kenny Hale and others want Plear to get the job. Watts said she's helped out with the West Side pilot project and probably has worked in the school system for more than three decades, and he said Mary C. Snow doesn't need someone with a "learning curve" to lead it now.
Jim Withrow, the school system's general counsel, wrote in an email that the candidates' ranking "is an internal memorandum not subject to release."
Hamric said she helped interview the candidates, along with Jane Roberts, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, Bob Calhoun, executive director for elementary education, Sharon Brooks, principal of Grandview Elementary, another West Side school, Michael Brohard, a Grandview Elementary teacher, and Kareena Garner, an intervention specialist.
Watts forwarded the Gazette-Mail an email he'd sent to state schools Deputy Superintendent Cindy Daniel and at least some state school board members, thanking them for a recent meeting. He wrote that he hoped the meeting conveyed "our concerns, disappointments and frustrations with the lack of engagement and support for this project from the State School Board and the State School Superintendent's office over the past three years."
The email also requested specific things from the state superintendent's office, including an analysis of the impact of the year-round school calendar on Mary C. Snow and an analysis of the impact the school's suspension and expulsions are having on black students and why black students are being expelled at a much higher rate than white students.
Daniel said the requests will be discussed in more detail with state education officials and that she's willing to collaborate with the West Side community and provide it additional information.
School board members voted unanimously last month to name Ferrara as Kanawha's "eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment and attendance specialist" for Head Start and pre-kindergarten.
Hamric said the new Central Office position, with an annual salary of about $66,600, will report to Calhoun. She referred other questions about Ferrera's role to Calhoun, but neither Calhoun nor Ferrara returned requests for comment Wednesday.
According to a written job description, Ferrara will, among other things, work "directly with social workers to pursue legal measures in accordance with laws in the state of West Virginia relating to attendance," "make site visits to assist social workers, office staff and staff with application, enrollment and attendance procedures," "assure that children and families that are most in need of an integrated setting and of special assistance are served," "provide services and individualized and/or group consultation/counseling to students, families and school staff," "make home and agency visits for the purpose of gathering and disseminating information" and work "cooperatively with community agencies to provide appropriate extended services to students and families to meet their special needs."
The school year ends today for most Kanawha public school students, and it ends Friday for the two year-round-calendar schools: Mary C. Snow and Piedmont Elementary.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1254, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.