The development of the Dept. of Education began in 1870 when Dr. William H. Ruffner was elected by the General Assembly to be the first Superintendent of Public Instruction. At the end of its first 50 years, the Dept. had less than 20 staff members. In 1928, the Superintendent was first appointed by the Governor. Staff size was expanded to in order to meet the increased need for services including the purchase of textbooks, libraries, and general buildings services. The Dept. has responsibilities in adult education, teacher cerftification financial assistance, and administrative and advisory services to school divisions. The Department is operated by a superindtendent who is appointed by the Governor. The Department's activities are supervised by a Board of Education which consist of nine members appointed by the Governor. The Board prescribes standards and regulations for the public education provided by local school divisions. The Superintendent serves as Secretary of the Board. The commonwealth is divided into school divisions, each of which has a school board. Each locality appoints a division superintendent with criteria set by the State Board of Education.
From the description of Agency history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145411060
