Ashton Marra Published

Morgantown Businessman Elected Head of W.Va. School Board

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The West Virginia Board of Education has a new president in retired Morgantown businessman Mike Green, but his nomination and subsequent election Thursday came with a small spark of controversy.

Green, the board’s current Vice President, replaces former First Lady Gayle Manchin as the body’s leader. Manchin completed her second term as board president Thursday, holding the post since July 2013. Her nine year term as a member of the board expires in November.

Green will be joined at the head of the table by former state Sen. Lloyd Jackson who was elected Vice President and Tina Combs who was re-elected to her seat as Secretary.

All three officers received only one nay vote which came from Dr. William White of Bluefield. White, who caveated his no vote by saying he still intends to work with the team in full cooperation, said he could not vote for board leaders who were nominated after private discussions.

White said a select group of the board’s nine members were included in conversations about the nominees for the posts before the meeting. He said he was not interested in one of the positions, nor did he believe the outcomes would have been different had an open conversation taken place.

“It’s about transparency,” he said after the meeting. “All nine members’ voices should have been heard.”

White said his first recommendation for the new president was to create a nominating committee for future votes.