Putnam County Schools

Putnam County Schools Superintendent Harold L. "Chuck" Hatfield is a 33-year veteran of Putnam County Schools. In those years, he has served in a variety of professional roles within the system. Mr. Hatfield first joined Putnam County Schools as a substitute teacher in 1973. He later taught at Hurricane Elementary School. After he entered administration, Mr. Hatfield was assistant principal of Winfield Elementary and principal of Eastbrook Elementary. On the central office staff, Mr. Hatfield has served in a number of positions, including Director of Early Childhood Education, Assistant Superintendent of Personnel and Pupil Services, and Deputy Superintendent. He was named Superintendent of Schools in 2004.

Mr. Hatfield's knowledge of education - and of Putnam County Schools - has both depth and breadth. His focus on student achievement makes him an excellent leader during the era of accountability and No Child Left Behind.

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Superintendent's Message

Dear Parents and Community Members:

These are exciting days in the field of education, and I am pleased to be at the helm of one of finest school districts in the state of West Virginia. With the advent of No Child Left Behind and West Virginia Achieves, West Virginia educators face unprecedented challenges. In Putnam County, we view these challenges as opportunities.

Putnam County Schools is an excellent school system; we are proud of our accomplishments and the successes of our students.

Our assessment data shows that our students are well above state averages in every subject at every grade level for total students. Because of our 2004-2005 achievement data, twenty-one of our schools garnered recognition from the West Virginia Department of Education this year.
Nine of our schools were named Exemplary, while twelve were named High Achieving.
More than half of our schools have been named West Virginia Schools of Excellence or National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Our teachers and central office staff are sought as presenters at state and national conferences and win prestigious awards for their teaching.
Our athletic teams and musical performance groups consistently win state titles and awards.

While we are extremely proud of the things we have accomplished so far, we continue to keep academic improvement at the top of our priorities. We want every child to achieve, and we will not rest until all students have achieved mastery and beyond. To that end, we are concentrating much of our academic improvement efforts on early childhood education. Research supports these efforts, showing that early intervention in reading, language, and mathematics can prevent later learning difficulties. With the nation's attention turning to high school reform, the district is spotlighting secondary programs and practices, as well. We are concentrating, too, on improving the achievement of our students with disabilities. A determination to close the achievement gap for this group of students is fueling much of our professional development.

Besides student achievement, I personally wish to bring focus upon providing quality support services for students and families, keeping open communications with the community, adhering to data-driven decision making, and ensuring fiscal responsibility within the system. All of these elements together will ensure that our students have a school culture where they feel safe, welcome, respected, and able to learn.

I know that as we keep our expectations high, provide a well-articulated curriculum and quality instruction, and promote positive partnerships with our community, together we can ensure the success of all students in Putnam County.

Harold L. "Chuck" Hatfield

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