Saxe accepts Berkeley superintendent job as Cabell County gears up for second levy vote

Ryan Saxe, superintendent of Cabell County Schools, has accepted a position as superintendent of Berkeley County Schools. (Cabell County Schools photo)

Amid an ongoing struggle between the board of education and community members who want to see increased funding to support libraries and parks, Cabell County Superintendent Ryan Saxe was hired Monday as the new superintendent for Berkeley County Schools.

Saxe, a graduate of Cabell Midland High School who began serving as Cabell’s superintendent in 2017, was also named Tuesday as the state’s Superintendent of the Year for 2024, according to MetroNews .

Saxe will start in Berkeley County on July 1 under a three-year contract. Members of the Berkeley County Board of Education unanimously approved his hiring following discussions during an executive session at their Monday school board meeting.

According to his contract , Saxe will receive $198,000 for his first year serving as the county’s superintendent. That will increase to nearly $204,000 in his second year and to about $210,000 for the third year. The school district will also pay Saxe a $10,000 relocation stipend as well as reimburse him for certain moving expenses.

Under his contract as Cabell County superintendent — which was not set to expire until June 30, 2025, according to documents from the state Department of Education — Saxe made about $184,000 in salary for the 2023-24 school year in Cabell County. That would have increased to about $192,600 for the 2024-25 school year.

Saxe’s departure comes as the school district is hoping to put together and pass an excess levy proposal in the general election to secure school district funding into 2030.

In May’s primary, voters struck down a levy over concerns that the school board was pulling funds from the Cabell County Public Library system as well as the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District.

The levy’s failure came, at least in part, due to organizing by community members and advocates who rallied for “no” votes unless previous funding levels were returned for the organizations.

The board, in August, initially approved a levy that would have dropped library funding down to $195,000 — a dramatic decrease from the $1.7 million allocated in the 2018 levy — and zeroed out funding for the parks.

Under May’s proposal — which totalled about $30.5 million over the next five years — the libraries would have received $1.4 million while parks would have seen $200,000 in its budget from the school district.

That proposal came from discussions between residents and school board members following a decision from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, which ruled that the school district was under no obligation to fund the parks and libraries.

During the levy saga, Saxe was a vocal proponent of the proposal to cut funding for parks and libraries. Leading up to May’s vote, he said it was unlikely that, were it to fail, a different proposal would be approved for the November election, which is the last time until 2026 that a levy can be brought for a vote.

School board members now have until August to approve a new levy proposal. A special meeting is scheduled in Cabell County at 1 p.m. Wednesday, where school board members are set to consider the  hiring of a new superintendent under a one to four year contract, according to the meeting’s posted agenda.

The post Saxe accepts Berkeley superintendent job as Cabell County gears up for second levy vote appeared first on West Virginia Watch .