State Board Of Education Urges School Funding Formula Update 

School districts under a state-imposed state of emergency are making progress. But some education leaders are pointing towards more systemic issues. 

The West Virginia Board of Education received largely positive reports from three of the school districts currently under state control at their regular meeting Wednesday.

Boone, Randolph and Roane counties all reported marked improvements since their state of emergency declarations over the summer.

Acting Roane County Superintendent Michelle Stellato was appointed in July to help right the school district. A financial report on Roane County Schools presented at the July board meeting led board member Gregory Wooten to declare the district was “absolutely bankrupt.”

Stellato reported significant changes have been made to immediately effect changes on the district’s financial situation, including the closure and consolidation of two underutilized schools, staff downsizing as well as the implementation of budget controls and financial oversight.

“I’m pleased to report that’s probably the place that we’ve made the most significant improvements. Correcting the systematic budgeting failures required a cultural shift toward discipline and transparency,” she said. “To highlight a few of the accomplishments over the past six months, every budget line and expenditure has been closely monitored and scrutinized, with department heads and principals being held accountable for their budgeting, their spending and their future planning.”

The board voted to extend the state of emergency for Randolph and Roane county schools by six months.

Board President Paul Hardesty thanked Stellato for her work in improving Roane County School’s financial outlook and culture.

But Hardesty also acknowledged the financial limitations the county and others are working under given the existing state school funding formula.

“We’ve got to find a way to do something to blend this system, whether it be a sliding scale or something,” he said.

Hardesty and other education leaders have been sounding the alarm for years now that declining enrollment has fundamentally broken the formula. 

With the 2026 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature now underway, Hardesty expressed willingness to work with lawmakers to find a solution.

“I don’t have all the answers, but we can figure this out a little bit,” Hardesty said. “If we got a lot of people, we’ll sit down and roll up our sleeves across the way, and we’ll do what we can to work with them to find a solution. But we got to get all the people to the table and get everyone to buy into the concept.”

Teacher, Service Personnel Of The Year Celebrated

On a lighter note, the board opened its meeting by celebrating the state’s 2025 teacher and service personnel of the year.

“To our service personnel: thank you for what you do every day. Without the custodians and service personnel, we can’t operate our 618 schools,” Hardesty said. “To our teacher of the year: special education teachers are special people. The general public has no idea the challenges you face in our classrooms, and we are grateful.”

Both School Service Personnel of the Year Brandon Kelley, a custodian from Upshur County, and Teacher of the Year Tiffany Barnes, a special education teacher from Ohio County received their titles during a ceremony in September 2025 but their one-year terms began this month.