CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Board of Education placed Randolph County Schools in a state of emergency Wednesday following the release of a report raising concerns about the financial situation in the county.

The state of emergency will remain in place for a six-month period. The state Department of Education will work with Superintendent Shawn Dilly and the Randolph County Board of Education to create a comprehensive plan to correct identified deficiencies, including a workable proposal for a balanced budget.

The Department of Education will receive an update on progress in December, with the state board taking action based on that update, including a possible extension of the state of emergency or immediate intervention in the operation of Randolph County Schools.

Members of the state Board of Education received a briefing at its monthly meeting in Charleston on Wednesday regarding the financial state of Randolph County Schools following concerns raised in April by Dilly.

The review’s purpose was to understand the reasoning behind recent county board decisions and its plans for significant operational issues, such as declining enrollment, aging facilities, and a projected budget shortfall.

“We were asked to go and interview board members just to sort of ascertain kind of what’s going on with some of the decisions, what’s the plan with some of the challenges that they were facing in Randolph County,” said Alexandra Criner, director of the Office of Accountability for the state Department of Education.

The report highlights several key findings, including the board’s reluctance to approve school consolidation due to transportation concerns, a lack of understanding regarding personnel decisions, and a deteriorated relationship with Dilly.

The department’s interviews with board members between April 30 and May 1 revealed a lack of cohesive decision-making, particularly regarding school consolidation and personnel actions, leading to financial instability and a projected $2.8 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2025.

In the fall of 2024, Dilly proposed a plan to close Harmon School, a K-12 school with an enrollment of 103 students; and Pickens School, a K-12 school with an enrollment of 29 students. The county board voted against the closure of Harmon School in January, with Dilly withdrawing his recommendation to close Pickens.

However, Randolph County Schools is staffed beyond the state school aid formula for professional, support, and service personnel. According to the Office of Accountability, Randolph County Schools is over by 4.51 for student support personnel, 12.06 over for professional educators, and 16.57 over for total professional personnel.

In April, Dilly recommended significant staffing cuts and transfers. While the board approved some of the superintendent’s recommendations, others were not approved. This resulted in some grievance filings from affected employees.

In May, the county board voted to rescind additional personnel actions which would have provided the county $1.6 million in potential savings. Neither Dilly nor Randolph County Board of Education members were present for Wednesday’s state board meeting.

“During interviews, board members acknowledged the need to consolidate schools, but stated they voted against the proposed plan due to the challenges associated with the transportation of those students in those rural schools,” Criner said.

“Some members reported voting against the superintendent’s personnel proposal because they did not have an adequate understanding of the rationale behind which positions were eliminated,” Criner continued. “Board members expressed that communication with the superintendent has been a barrier to collaboration, and although members expressed concern about the future of Randolph County Schools, no member of the local board articulated a clear path forward in the wake of the current challenges.”

The state board also voted Wednesday to immediately intervene in Boone County Schools following a special circumstances on-site review of the school system. The review, conducted in May, was initiated after a criminal investigation revealed a $3.4 million kickback scheme by a former maintenance director.

The review aimed to identify systemic issues, highlighting preliminary findings across four key areas: personnel and employment practices, including purchasing and payment irregularities; concerns regarding Boone County Board of Education members, such as conflicts of interest and outdated policies; issues within leadership and central office accountability, including nepotism perceptions and lack of oversight; and a need for review of student disciplinary practices under state Board of Education Policy 4373.

State board members were taken aback by the fact that no representatives of the Boone County Board of Education were on hand for Wednesday’s meeting.

“Is someone from Boone here,” asked state board member Paul Hardesty.

“I have not seen someone from Boone here today,” Criner said.

“Wait a minute…Boone County Schools is facing this, and no one from the county chose to show up here today,” Hardesty responded.

Former Boone County Schools maintenance director Michael David Barker pleaded guilty in April in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, Barker engaged in a scheme between November 2019 through December 2023 by ordering custodial and janitorial supplies for Boone County Schools from Rush Enterprises and owner Jesse Marks. Marks would overbill for these supplies, while Barker would approve invoices that included inflated numbers of products delivered to Boone County Schools.

When paid by Boone County Schools, Marks would write himself checks and hand deliver cash to Barker. Marks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in February.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com

From: Steven Adams

Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 1:41 PM

To: Christina Myer ; Jess Mancini ; News and Sentinel Editorial ; Wayne Towner ; Evan Bevins

Subject: BREAKING – W.Va. Board of Education takes action against Randolph County Schools

FILE NAME: Criner 06-11-25

Photo by Steven Allen Adams

Cutline: Alexandra Criner, director of the Office of Accountability for the state Department of Education, provided details Wednesday to West Virginia Board of Education members regarding issues in Randolph County Schools.

W.Va. Board of Education takes action against Randolph County Schools

Hears report on Boone County Schools

By STEVEN ALLEN ADAMS

sadams@newsandsentinel.com

DATELINE — The West Virginia Board of Education placed Randolph County Schools in a state of emergency Wednesday following the release of a report raising concerns about the financial situation in the county.

The state of emergency will remain in place for a six-month period. The state Department of Education will work with Superintendent Dilly and the Randolph County Board of Education to create a comprehensive plan to correct identified deficiencies, including a workable proposal for a balanced budget.

The Department of Education will receive an update on progress in December, with the state board taking action based on that update, including a possible extension of the state of emergency or immediate intervention in the operation of Randolph County Schools.

Members of the state Board of Education received a briefing at its monthly meeting in Charleston Wednesday regarding the financial state of Randolph County Schools following concerns raised in April by Randolph County Superintendent of Schools Shawn Dilly.

The review’s purpose was to understand the reasoning behind recent county board decisions and its plans for significant operational issues, such as declining enrollment, aging facilities, and a projected budget shortfall.

“We were asked to go and interview board members just to sort of ascertain kind of what’s going on with some of the decisions, what’s the plan with some of the challenges that they were facing in Randolph County,” said Alexandra Criner, director of the Office of Accountability for the state Department of Education.

The report highlights several key findings, including the board’s reluctance to approve school consolidation due to transportation concerns, a lack of understanding regarding personnel decisions, and a deteriorated relationship with the Superintendent Dilly.

The department’s interviews with board members between April 30 and May 1 revealed a lack of cohesive decision-making, particularly regarding school consolidation and personnel actions, leading to financial instability and a projected $2.8 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2025.

In the fall of 2024, Superintendent Dilly proposed a plan to close Harmon School, a K-12 school with an enrollment of 103 students; and Pickens School, a K-12 school with an enrollment of 29 students. The county board voted against the closure of Harmon School in January, with Dilly withdrawing his recommendation to close Pickens.

However, Randolph County Schools is staffed beyond the state school aid formula for professional, support, and service personnel. According to the Office of Accountability, Randolph County Schools is over by 4.51 for student support personnel, 12.06 over. For professional educators, and 16.57 over for total professional personnel.

In April, Superintendent Dilly recommended significant staffing cuts and transfers. While the board approved some of the superintendent’s recommendations, others were not approved. This resulted in some grievance filings from affected employees.

In May, the county board voted to rescind additional personnel actions which would have provided the county $1.6 million in potential savings. Neither Dilly nor Randolph County Board of Education members were present for Wednesday’s state board meeting.

“During interviews, board members acknowledged the need to consolidate schools, but stated they voted against the proposed plan due to the challenges associated with the transportation of those students in those rural schools,” Criner said.

“Some members reported voting against the superintendent’s personnel proposal because they did not have an adequate understanding of the rationale behind which positions were eliminated,” Criner continued. “Board members expressed that communication with the superintendent has been a barrier to collaboration, and although members expressed concern about the future of Randolph County Schools, no member of the local board articulated a clear path forward in the wake of the current challenges.”

The state board also voted Wednesday to immediate intervene in Boone County Schools following a special circumstances on-site review of the school system. The review, conducted in May, was Initiated after a criminal investigation revealed a $3.4 million kickback scheme by a former maintenance director.

The review aimed to identify systemic issues, highlighting preliminary findings across four key areas: personnel and employment practices, including purchasing and payment irregularities; concerns regarding Boone County Board of Education members, such as conflicts of interest and outdated policies; issues within leadership and central office accountability, including nepotism perceptions and lack of oversight; and a need for review of student disciplinary practices under state Board of Education Policy 4373.

State board members were taken aback by the fact that no representatives of the Boone County Board of Education were on hand for Wednesday’s meeting.

“Is someone from Boone here,” asked state board member Paul Hardesty.

“I have not seen someone from Boone here today,” Criner said.

“Wait a minute…Boone County Schools is facing this, and no one from the county chose to show up here today,” Hardesty responded.

Former Boone County Schools maintenance director Michael David Barker pleaded guilty in April in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, Barker engaged in a scheme between November 2019 through December 2023 by ordering custodial and janitorial supplies for Boone County Schools from Rush Enterprises and owner Jesse Marks. Marks would overbill for these supplies, while Barker would approve invoices that included inflated numbers of products delivered to Boone County Schools.

When paid by Boone County Schools, Marks would write himself checks and hand deliver cash to Barker. Marks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in February.