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Raleigh County School District, West Virginia, elections

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Raleigh County School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 10,604 (2023-2024)
Schools: 27 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Raleigh County School District is a school district in West Virginia (Raleigh County). During the 2024 school year, 10,604 students attended one of the district's 27 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Raleigh County School District, At-large

General election

General election for Raleigh County School District, At-large

Incumbent Jack Roop and incumbent Rick Snuffer won election in the general election for Raleigh County School District, At-large on May 10, 2016.

Candidate
Jack Roop (Nonpartisan)
Image of Rick Snuffer
Rick Snuffer (Nonpartisan)

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Raleigh County School District, At-large

General election

General election for Raleigh County School District, At-large

Incumbent Larry D. Ford, incumbent Charlotte Hutchens, and incumbent Cindy Jafary won election in the general election for Raleigh County School District, At-large on May 13, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Larry D. Ford
Larry D. Ford (Nonpartisan)
Charlotte Hutchens (Nonpartisan)
Image of Cindy Jafary
Cindy Jafary (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in West Virginia are held on the date of the statewide primary election on the second Tuesday in May every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: January 31, 2026
  • General election date: May 12, 2026

Election system

School board members in West Virginia are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6 and Section 3-5-1

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in West Virginia are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. West Virginia Code says that school board members must be "nominated and elected by the voters of the respective county without reference to political party affiliation."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 18-5-1

Winning an election

In West Virginia, the school board candidate that receives the most votes is elected to office provided the requirement that "no more than two school board members can be elected from the same county magisterial district" is met.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6, Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Term length and staggering

School board members in West Virginia have four-year regular terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6

West Virginia Code does not require specific election staggering for school board members. In most districts, however, as close to half of board seats as possible are up for regular election every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6, Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

West Virginia Code does not say whether school board members must be elected at-large or by sub-district. It does state that no more than two school board members can be elected from the same county magisterial district. Each county is divided into at least three and no more than 10 magisterial sub-districts. As of 2023, six school districts in West Virginia elected board members by sub-district and the other districts elected board members at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 18-5-1

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The deadline in West Virginia for school board candidates to file certificates of announcement declaring candidacy is on the last Saturday in January in the same year as the election (even-numbered years). The filing must be received or postmarked before midnight on the day of the deadline. Certificates of announcement must be sword statements before public notaries and must contain the election date, the office sought, the legal name and ballot name of the candidate, the candidate's residential address, and a good faith statement.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-7

School board candidates in West Virginia can begin filing certificates of announcement when the filing window opens on the second Monday in January in the same years as the election (even-numbered years).

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-7

Newly elected school board members in West Virginia officially take office on July 1 following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6 and Section 3-5-1

 


About the district

School board

The Raleigh County School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Larry D. Ford
Marsha Smith
Marie Hamrick2017
Charlotte Hutchens2014
Rick Snuffer2003

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $32,721,000 $3,031 19%
Local: $50,171,000 $4,647 29%
State: $89,143,000 $8,256 52%
Total: $172,035,000 $15,934
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $161,415,000 $14,949
Total Current Expenditures: $140,511,000 $13,013
Instructional Expenditures: $82,997,000 $7,687 51%
Student and Staff Support: $11,937,000 $1,105 7%
Administration: $11,831,000 $1,095 7%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $33,746,000 $3,125 21%
Total Capital Outlay: $17,108,000 $1,584
Construction: $13,050,000 $1,208
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $2,645,000 $244
Interest on Debt: $0 $0

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 29 60-79 14 10-14 PS 20-24 31
2018-2019 37 60-69 21 25-29 PS 30-34 39
2017-2018 37 50-59 23 35-39 PS 30-34 38
2016-2017 36 26 35-39 >=50 35-39 37
2015-2016 34 50-59 21 20-24 >=50 30-34 35
2014-2015 28 50-59 15 20-24 PS 25-29 29
2013-2014 40 70-79 28 25-29 PS 30-34 42
2012-2013 49 70-79 30 35-39 PS 40-44 51
2011-2012 54 70-79 37 30-34 >=50 45-49 56
2010-2011 45 80-89 31 30-39 >=50 30-34 46

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 42 60-79 19 25-29 PS 30-34 44
2018-2019 45 70-79 29 30-34 PS 40-44 47
2017-2018 44 60-69 30 30-34 PS 35-39 46
2016-2017 48 37 45-49 >=50 40-44 50
2015-2016 50 50-59 37 35-39 >=50 45-49 51
2014-2015 44 60-69 29 45-49 PS 45-49 46
2013-2014 48 70-79 35 40-44 PS 45-49 50
2012-2013 52 60-69 40 50-54 >=50 45-49 53
2011-2012 52 70-79 37 40-44 <50 45-49 54
2010-2011 53 70-79 41 40-49 >=50 45-49 54

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 88 PS 70-74 >=50 >=80 90
2018-2019 87 >=50 80-89 >=50 PS 60-79 87
2017-2018 85 PS 75-79 PS PS >=80 85
2016-2017 87 >=50 80-84 >=50 PS >=50 88
2015-2016 87 >=50 90-94 PS PS >=50 86
2014-2015 83 >=50 80-84 >=50 PS PS 83
2013-2014 83 >=50 75-79 PS 83
2012-2013 81 >=50 70-74 PS PS 83
2011-2012 82 PS 80-84 PS 82
2010-2011 79 >=50 80-84 PS 79

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 10,604 -2.5
2022-2023 10,867 0.6
2021-2022 10,797 -0.7
2020-2021 10,869 -5.4
2019-2020 11,461 -2.1
2018-2019 11,701 -3.1
2017-2018 12,068 -0.7
2016-2017 12,149 -1.5
2015-2016 12,328 -0.8
2014-2015 12,428 -1.1
2013-2014 12,568 -0.1
2012-2013 12,580 1.0
2011-2012 12,456 0.7
2010-2011 12,372 0.3
2009-2010 12,340 0.2
2008-2009 12,316 1.3
2007-2008 12,153 1.8
2006-2007 11,930 1.9
2005-2006 11,703 0.2
2004-2005 11,684 -1.7
2003-2004 11,881 -0.2
2002-2003 11,903 -0.1
2001-2002 11,917 -0.7
2000-2001 11,998 -2.0
1999-2000 12,234 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Raleigh County School District (%) West Virginia K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.0 0.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 0.7
Black 7.9 4.2
Hispanic 1.3 2.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 5.8 4.5
White 84.1 88.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Raleigh County School District had 796.00 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.32.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 22.00
Kindergarten: 49.00
Elementary: 364.00
Secondary: 358.50
Total: 796.00

Raleigh County School District employed 24.84 district administrators and 43.50 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 24.84
District Administrative Support: 60.84
School Administrators: 43.50
School Administrative Support: 14.83
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 166.80
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 20.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 34.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 13.50
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 21.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 3.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 63.00
Other Support Services: 310.66

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Raleigh County School District operates 27 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Academy Of Careers And Technology08-12
Beckley Elementary282PK-5
Beckley-Stratton Middle School6346-8
Bradley Elementary School338PK-5
Clear Fork District Elementary99PK-5
Coal City Elementary386PK-5
Cranberry-Prosperity Elementary246PK-5
Crescent Elementary292PK-5
Daniels Elementary540PK-5
Fairdale Elementary School399PK-5
Ghent Elementary219PK-5
Hollywood Elementary246PK-5
Independence High School5929-12
Independence Middle School4446-8
Liberty High School4599-12
Mabscott Elementary218PK-5
Marsh Fork Elementary156PK-5
Maxwell Hill Elementary210PK-5
Park Middle School4116-8
Ridgeview Elementary437PK-5
Shady Spring Elementary420PK-5
Shady Spring High7869-12
Shady Spring Middle School6066-8
Stanaford Elementary School224PK-5
Stratton Elementary328PK-5
Trap Hill Middle School3476-8
Woodrow Wilson High School1,2659-12


About school boards

Education legislation in West Virginia

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics West Virginia
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External links

  • Office website
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  • Footnotes