The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) offers an attractive holiday and leave package to eligible employees.

Employees are granted paid time off in observance of the following official holidays.

  • New Years Day
  • Martin Luther King’s Birthday
  • President’s Day
  • Memorial Day
  • West Virginia Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day
  • New Years Eve
  • Primary Election Day (When a Statewide primary election is held)
  • General Election Day (When a Statewide general election is held)

Any other dates proclaimed by the President or Governor as official holidays

Full-time employees at the WVDE are eligible to earn annual leave. Annual leave is earned according to an employee’s total length of verified state employment, the county board of education employment and employment in other educational positions, including educational experience outside of West Virginia.

When an employee transfers to another state agency, all accumulated annual leave is transferred.

Full-time WVDE employees are eligible to earn sick leave at a rate of 5.2 hours per pay period.

In accordance with the West Virginia Parental Leave Act (PLA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee hired for permanent employment, who has worked for at least twelve consecutive weeks performing services for remuneration, is entitled to a total of at least twelve calendar weeks of unpaid family leave following the exhaustion of all his/her annual and sick leave during any twelve month period.

The Department of Education Leave Donation Program has established a leave donation program under which annual leave accrued by an employee may, if voluntarily agreed to by the employee, be transferred to the annual leave account of another designated employee if the other employee requires additional leave because of a medical emergency or prolonged illness.

The WVDE grants military leave in accordance with the provisions of state law §15-1F-1 and under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (“USERRA “). WVDE employees who are members of the National Guard or any reserve component of the United States Armed Forces may be granted paid military leave, without loss of status or benefits, for a period not to exceed 30 working days in any one calendar year. Check with the Office of Human Resources for further details concerning military leaves of absence (with and without pay) and associated benefits.

During any calendar year, a full-time State employee is eligible to receive paid leave for the purpose of making an organ donation. An employee is eligible to receive up to 120 hours of paid leave for the donation of an adult kidney or portion of an adult liver, and up to 56 hours of paid leave for an adult bone marrow donation.

An employee is eligible to receive paid leave for the time required to determine surgical fitness and compatibility as a potential donor, as verified by a physician or medical practitioner, even if subsequently found to be surgically unfit or incompatible, or if the organ donation does not occur.

Time off (without loss of pay or charge to annual leave) is provided to eligible employees who, in response to a subpoena or direction by other proper authority, are called to jury duty or to appear as a witness before any court, judge, legislative committee, officer, board, or other body authorized by law to conduct hearings or inquiries.