He grew up old school.
Memorization of times tables, frog dissection, nails on a chalkboard, and bad pizza in the cafeteria … that sort of old school.
But these days, Corey Murphy sits on the cutting edge of public education as the deputy superintendent of Brooke County Schools. The husband and father of four has served under Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Crook since he was hired in March 2019, and Murphy is nearly finished with preparations for the 2024-25 academic year at Brooke County’s seven schools and learning center.
“It’s a juggling act that we try to do because we have so much that is required for us to teach our students for the tests they have to take, but we also work with our teachers to find that happy medium,” Murphy explained. “Those requirements are coming from either the federal government or from the state, and the majority of it is solid educational topics, and there has to be some checks and balances in place for what’s being taught.
“But the tests don’t tell everything about what our students are learning, and that’s very frustrating,” he insisted. “Sure, we got away from the West Test, but now it’s the SAT and that’s not the best either because of the material it covers and what’s taught here in our state. But if you come into Brooke County Schools, you’ll see hands-on approaches from our teachers who really love what they do.”
Murphy is “matter-of-fact” when discussing standardized testing, and he’s not afraid to tell you what he believes.
“That’s because I think the kids get a bad rap when it comes to the testing because everyone is different when it comes to those tests. They are pretty high-stakes tests for the school and where they’re rated in the state, but to a student, there’s nothing high stakes about it,” Murphy reasoned. “A student who is a motivated individual is going to take it seriously, but some of the kids don’t take seriously at all.
“That’s one reason why Dr. (Jeffery) Crook put together an incentive program for our kids. Any student who achieves proficiency on certain levels get to go to a Pirates game for free. We have gaming systems and other incentives,” he explained. “But I do feel it’s all measured by a tool that I don’t necessarily think measures truly what these public schools are offering.”
Success Rather than Failure
Murphy began his career as an educator, administrator, and athletic director at Wheeling Central Catholic before moving on to Marshall County Schools as a principal at John Marshall High and as an assistant superintendent.
From his very first day, Murphy’s focus has been on the students, their parents and guardians, and the surrounding community and taxpayers. It’s for those reasons why he feels it’s important to communicate with the public about the school system’s initiatives and goals before each school year.
For example, Dr. Crook and Murphy have concentrated on improving not only the curriculum district-wide, but Brooke County Schools also has ramped up recruiting new students since West Virginia expanded open enrollment policies in 2023.
“We believe we’re doing a lot of great things in our schools here in Brooke County, and that’s why we’ve advertised our school system to students and parents in the northern panhandle,” he said. “One example is the fact we always want to give our educators the chance for creativity in the classroom because they get frustrated. That’s why we feel in Brooke County it’s very important that our teachers have time for what they want to do with students.
“I grew up at a different time here in the valley because these days there are a lot more grandparents raising kids, and there’s a difference in the behavioral problems we deal with, too,” he said. “It’s the public school system so there’s always a wide variety, so you have to be able to evolve as educators.”
An important portion of adapting to the ever-changing business of public education involves the “The Bruin Bridge,” a facility located on Main Street in Wellsburg that serves as the county’s alternative learning center.
“We’ve worked on the state’s individualized learning plan and that means we’re looking at each student now and working on their strengths and witnesses on that individual basis. Plus, we now have a very large alternative learning center in Brooke County, and we have a lot of people from the state coming to visit it.
“And we’ve taken steps to make sure our students have food options thanks to the citizens of Brooke County who have blessed us by passing the operating levy,” he said. “It’s important for the school system to have the community on its side and that’s why we love seeing those green and gold flags going up along our streets in Brooke County each year. That tells us our community is with us.”
So, despite all of the educational requirements, the technological advancements, and the social changes that have taken place since his days at West Virginia University, Murphy’s goals as an educator and administrator remain as old school as those old chalkboards at Wheeling Central in the mid-1990s.
“It is always a challenge, and I know a lot of people are very negative about public education, but I’d put Brooke County Schools against anyone in what we offer our students,” he added. “From there, it’s up to the student as far as what they take advantage of while they’re here, but I do everything I can to make sure they experience more success than failure.”
