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MARTINSBURG -- Berkeley County Director of Special Education for grades six through 12 Michele Tost recently represented West Virginia after receiving a Special Education Legislative Summit scholarship.
Tost was one of six educators from across the country selected to advocate for students with disabilities during the summit in Washington. The scholarship provided her with the opportunity to meet with elected officials and discuss issues including funding, mental health and teacher shortages in special education.
A Weirton native, Tost is a 1982 graduate of Weirton Madonna High School.
The summit, hosted by the Council for Exceptional Children and the Council of Administrators of Special Education, brings together educators from across the country to network, learn and explore ways to better serve students.
Tost began teaching in 1986 as a special education teacher before joining Berkeley County Schools' Special Education Office in 2013. As a member of the Council of Administrators of Special Education, she regularly attends conferences and receives information about professional opportunities. When she learned about the scholarship, she saw it as an opportunity to represent both her county and the state.
"I got an email and they asked if I was willing to go down as someone from West Virginia," Tost said. "So, of course, I said yes, because I know that Berkeley County is very unique in West Virginia as far as the school districts. There are many districts that are closing schools and losing a lot of enrollments for many reasons. Berkeley County is very different, and we are opening new schools and our population is just getting more and more."
During her visit to Washington, Tost discussed the unique challenges facing Berkeley County. While many students transfer into the district from neighboring Virginia and Maryland, some still must be placed outside the county to receive specialized services because local schools cannot accommodate their needs.
She said increased funding and support for specialized programs could allow more students to receive those services closer to home.
Although she highlighted Berkeley County's needs, Tost said she also represented the entire state. She was the first West Virginia educator in several years to participate in the program and hoped her participation would encourage more educators to become involved.
In addition to funding, Tost said one of the biggest challenges facing special education is recruiting and retaining certified teachers.
With Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio all within commuting distance, many educators choose to work across state lines where salaries are higher, making it more difficult for West Virginia school systems to fill positions.
While locality pay could help, Tost said mentoring and supporting new teachers also are critical.
"I do recruiting for our county and one of the questions I'm asked, no matter what state I go to, is what support do you have for new teachers," Tost said. "So I think that the support and the follow-up is imperative to prepare these teachers and then sustain and retain the teachers. It's not always about money. It's also the support."
During the summit, Tost visited Capitol Hill to meet with elected officials and discuss issues affecting special education.
Looking ahead, she hopes more West Virginia educators will participate in the program and have the opportunity to share the challenges and successes of their own districts.
She said she is only one voice and believes it is important for educators from across the state to have a seat at the table when decisions affecting special education are made.