Bridgeport local named new president of WV Board of Education

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – Nancy White’s commute just got longer. White was named West Virginia Board of Education’s new president and will now have an office in Charleston with her name on it. Originally from Grafton, White currently resides in Bridgeport. She has 36 years of experience in the West Virginia school business, serving in Taylor, Lewis, Jefferson and Morgan County schools. White has been on the board since 2018, most recently as the vice president. But the newly appointed president knows some adjustments will need to be made and one focus is crystal clear.

“I want everyone to focus on the children, I really do,” said White. “It’s incumbent on us to do that because children can only thrive in an environment that supports their optimum growth and development and we all need to have that same focus, that same goal.”

White outlined problems in West Virginia schools like teacher shortages, relationships between schools and communities and student attendance, a problem she hopes to tackle as soon as possible. Since 2018, West Virginia schools have seen a decrease in attendance for full academic years. According to the West Virginia Department of Education, 18,794 more students were registered in 2023 than five years before, that’s over 3,000 students a year. Because of that, White hopes a new initiative can help find solutions to this statewide issue.

“There’s a direct correlation between children being in school and being successful,” White said. “There are so many wonderful teachers out there that create a family atmosphere in classrooms. I would like for this initiative that’s getting going, the West Virginia Attendance Collaborative (WVAC), that is going to be supporting counties on a regional level and try to find some strategies and resources to help address this chronic absenteeism, because when kids are in school, they aren’t getting into any other problems.”

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