West Virginia Department of Education image.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The newest member of the state Board of Education said he looks forward to the opportunity to again serve West Virginia students.
Paul Hardesty of Logan was named by Governor Jim Justice to the state board. Hardesty previously served in the West Virginia Senate–a position to which he was also appointed by Justice. Prior to his Senate service he was elected three times to the Logan County Board of Education.
“This is something I couldn’t turn down when the Governor approached me. This is something near and dear to me. I have a real passion for children and the education system in general,” he said.
Hardesty joins the board at a time when the strain of the pandemic is evidence in all counties of the state on the education system. Teachers and service personnel have been asked to do much more in the days of the pandemic. Hardesty said he realized the sacrifices of all working in the education system.
“It’s a tough dynamic and I hope to be an ear and conduit to where I can try to find some solutions and establish a dialogue of those in positions of power and those actually performing the work on the ground,” he said.
Hardesty believed his experience on the Logan County school board would serve as a tremendous asset as the state Board examined the needs of rural school systems around the state.
The most pressing issue for Hardesty will be to help guide broadband development in West Virginia–especially in the state’s most rural areas where virtual learning is impossible without the addition of such services.