As written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on July 19, 2024
JEFFERSON COUNTY — Dr. Chuck Bishop has finished his first year as superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, and with many big projects underway as another school year approaches, Bishop shared his thoughts and the district’s plans moving forward.
Bishop came to Jefferson County in 2023 after serving as superintendent of Clarke County Public Schools in Virginia. Though most of the day-to-day work has been the same, Bishop shared that there were two main pieces that he had to learn as he transitioned to working in West Virginia: personnel and finance.
West Virginia has teachers' unions and employee unions, which was different from his experiences in Virginia. The funding formula was also different compared to Virginia, but Bishop took the time to learn so he could best serve the schools.
“Overall, it’s gone very well,” Bishop said. “I’ve learned a lot and continue to learn more about the system here. I’ve also found that the staff and community here in Jefferson County value education and are hardworking and dedicated to doing the right thing.”
Bishop shared his thoughts on several upcoming projects, including the new school buildings for Ranson Elementary and Shepherd Elementary. Ranson Elementary is currently on track to move students to the new building in early 2025.
Though he’s been given several ideas by people in the community and staff members, there has been no decision made on what will be done with the old Ranson Elementary School building. One idea was to relocate the MedEd students there to have a more centralized location for both Washington and Jefferson high school students. Bishop hopes to begin that conversation before the end of the summer.
There have also been talks about possibly closing North Jefferson Elementary. Though they are still very early in the process, Jefferson County Schools staff members are currently researching to see if this is the best choice for the community.
North Jefferson Elementary has experienced a decline in enrollment for the past several years, and the building is old and difficult to maintain. The district plans on putting together a public forum sometime in the fall to get feedback from faculty and community members.
“No decision had been made,” Bishop said. “Right now, we’re just collecting information so we can make an informed decision.”
Jefferson County Schools’ student enrollment has been steady for several years, but like many school districts around the nation, it has struggled to find qualified teachers.
Bishop described this as a “fierce competition,” as schools try to attract and retain teachers. He shared that there are three things that help bring teachers to the area, including offering fair pay, creating a culture where people want to stay and creating opportunities for growth.
“Part of creating that culture is listening to our teachers and their feedback,” Bishop said. “Our teachers are in the classrooms with their students every day. Providing them with the opportunity to provide input, to be a part of the decision and process, is a part of that culture building.”
Though JCS still has openings for several positions, including teaching positions and administrative positions, it’s successfully filled all building-level administrative positions. Bishop shared that last year, JCS wasn’t able to fill an assistant principal position at one of the schools, but it continues to work hard to fill all vacant positions.
Bishop is proud to serve Jefferson County and looks forward to another year. He hopes to serve the students the best he can and prepare them for a bright future.