As a side-effect of legislation passed earlier this year, 41 percent of special education aides in the state have moved into first grade literacy aide positions.
As a side-effect of legislation passed earlier this year, 41 percent of special education aides in the state have moved into first grade literacy aide positions.
State Superintendent Michele Blatt told legislators during Monday’s meeting of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Educational Accountability that the shift is an unintended consequence of House Bill 3035.
The Third Grade Success Act is meant to address literacy and numeracy in early education by bringing more aides and specialists into first, second and third grade classrooms across the state. Implementation has begun this fall in first grade classrooms, with second and third grades to follow in the coming years.
Blatt said the data is based on a survey of 48 counties, and represents some 249 aides that have transferred out of special education.
Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, said legislation often creates unforeseen issues, but keeping special education aides needs to be addressed.
“We need to find a way that we can entice them to stay in those harder positions,” Grady said.
Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, asked how the special education aides were being replaced.
“Many of them have been replaced with people, new positions, people trying to get into the system,” Blatt said. “We can follow up and see how many of those are actually still shortages, but I do know, we still have some shortages and some day to day subs in those classrooms.”
The school’s planned academic department cuts and reorganizations are focused on increasing enrollment demand and building a state-wide workforce economy.
West Virginia University Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop told members of the Joint Standing Committee on Finance Monday the school’s planned academic department cuts and reorganizations are focused on increasing enrollment demand and building a state-wide workforce economy.
“We’re going to stop doing a few things, and we have to trim some of our majors,” Alsop said. “We’re doing so with a plan to not only balance our budget, but to allow us to invest in the programs that are going to remain and invest in the programs that are necessary for the growth of West Virginia’s economy.”
“We’re still going to offer over 300 majors in Morgantown,” Alsop said. “We’re going to continue to have significant Liberal Arts offerings and our students will have the opportunity for a well rounded education.”
Alsop said the school will key many current and future investments to its technological and industrial programs, all in an effort to grow West Virginia’s economy and workforce.
“If we don’t increase market share, and have programs that are relevant and driving enrollment, we could lose another 5,000 students over the next decade,” Alsop said. “We’re trying to position ourselves so that that does not happen.”
Alsop said seniors and juniors losing programs in liberal arts, humanities and others will be “taught out” in those courses. He said freshmen and sophomores can take another academic path or transfer to another institution.
He said dropping another 5,000 students would mean $72.5 million dollars in revenue loss.
“So we have to be attuned to the needs of our students,” Alsop said. “And what’s driving enrollment. As we work through this transition, I want you to know this transformation for our students is our priority.”
Alsip noted that WVU Medicine, made up of the WVU hospitals in Morgantown, and the WVU Health System has increased from 5 to 25 state-wide members over the past ten years.
“And so when we talk about a robust set of offerings for our students, I mentioned nursing, pharmacy medicine, occupational physical therapy and on down the line,” Alsop said. ”Not only do those kids have all of those academic programs to get at WVU, they now have an affiliated academic health system, where they can go anywhere they want to in the state and serve as part of the WVU network.”
The WVU Board of Governors will vote on the recommended cuts Sept. 15.
Following in the footsteps of current students, West Virginia University alumni came together in front of the university’s student union in Morgantown Saturday to rally against the proposed cuts to programs.
Following in the footsteps of current students, West Virginia University alumni came together in front of the university’s student union in Morgantown Saturday to rally against the proposed cuts to programs.
Logan Shamberg is a software engineer who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. He helped organize the rally and said he and alumni are done giving to the university.
“We want to educate alumni about where their money’s been going,” Shamberg said. “If WVU doesn’t have its house in order, why should alumni support it?”
Shamberg said financial pressure is a tactic to try and stop future cuts. The university Board of Governors will vote on the currently proposed cuts Friday. Shamberg believes that the board and administration will ultimately do what they want.
“But now they’re having to do it in full view,” he said. “These are people who are not used to scrutiny. We’ve got some very passionate alumni who are looking at this process. If they want to do this, they’re going to do this with the world watching, and we will be sure to announce to the world what they do. So maybe they will think twice next time they decide to try cutting whatever programs are on the chopping block next year.”
Cuts to Academic Support Units are expected to be announced next week, with program reviews set to take place at WVU’s Beckley and Keyser campuses early next year.
During the rally, third generation WVU alumnus Walt Auvil questioned why the West Virginia University Foundation he donated to wasn’t being used to bridge the university’s $45 million budget gap.
“We’re saving it for a rainy day,” he said. “The students and the professors that are affected feel like it’s raining. So if we’re not going to use it for this, what is it for?”
At the presentation of the university’s budget during the June meeting of the Board of Governors, it was outlined that the Foundation will contribute $33 million in “one-time-use resources.”
Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, leads attendants in renditions of “Solidarity Forever” and “Country Roads” at the alumni rally in Morgantown Sept. 9, 2023.
Auvil also questioned the role of debt and bonds issued for building projects in creating the budgetary deficit.
“What is the percentage of this debt that is debt service on the bonds that were very ill advisedly floated to build buildings that we didn’t need?” he said. “And what about the bondholders? Why is there never a discussion about the people that hold the bonds, the banks, the other financial institutions that hold the bonds that we’re being held over a chopping block for? Why are they not part of the conversation about who can take a cut, can stand to take a cut?”
Many of those present at the rally said that the cuts felt personal.
“First off, many of us have spent a lot of money already here in West Virginia University, on our degree programs, as well as donors, but we also have kids,” said Carisa Collins. She holds two WVU degrees and also helped organize the rally. Collins is concerned her child won’t have access to the same opportunities she had when she attended WVU.
“This is a watershed moment in higher education, where the sorts of cuts that are occurring will take away opportunities that made going to university so important,” she said. “Getting an education at a university like West Virginia University is an extraordinary gift, you have a chance to take courses that you never even dreamed of taking.”
Collins reiterated the unique position alumni have to put financial weight behind their opposition to the proposed cuts.
“We have the opportunity to stop giving and tell the foundation, tell the board of governors in a very unique way that we are done,” she said. “We are done donating to a university whose administration is so fiscally irresponsible, that it feels like our children don’t deserve the intensity of instruction in foreign languages, in mathematics, in creative arts, design, you name it. We deserve all of it and that’s the future we were donating towards. If the university isn’t willing to support that sort of a future we are done giving.”
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed, in a press release, that a middle school student was hit and killed by a vehicle this morning just before 7 a.m. in West Logan.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed, in a press release, that a middle school student was hit and killed by a vehicle this morning just before 7 a.m. in West Logan.
The youth, who was not identified, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Logan Regional Medical Center.
The driver of the vehicle told deputies they were unable to see the child while turning from 11th Street from Route 10.
In a letter to the community Jeff Huffman, superintendent of Logan County Schools, said “There is no greater tragedy than the death of a young person.”
The letter goes on to say counselors have been available at Logan Middle School throughout the day, and will remain in place for as long as necessary, as the community pulls together to process what has happened.
Hundreds of faculty members met to vote on the resolution of no confidence in President Gordon Gee, as well as a resolution to freeze the academic transformation process that has led to proposals to cut dozens of degrees and hundreds of faculty positions from the Morgantown campus.
With a vote of 797 to 100, the faculty of West Virginia University affirmed that they do not have confidence in President Gordon Gee’s leadership.
Hundreds of faculty members met in person in the Clay Theatre of the Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, with hundreds more from the university’s Beckley and Keyser campuses joining online. They met to vote on the resolution of no confidence in Gee, as well as a resolution to freeze the academic transformation process that has led to proposals to cut dozens of degrees and hundreds of faculty positions from the Morgantown campus. University administration plans to conduct similar program reviews and cuts at Beckley and Keyser next year.
The votes are non-binding, but librarian Jonah McAllister-Erickson says that voicing their concerns to the administration is one of the faculty’s only recourses.
“I think it says something that in a matter of days, we see hundreds, perhaps upwards of over 1000 faculty members in the middle of the day coming together to voice our collective concerns here,” McAllister-Erickson said. “That says that there’s something fundamentally wrong happening at WVU.”
Academic support units like libraries are up for their own review later this year. McAllister-Erickson said unlike academic programs, they do not have the right to appeal.
“We’ve seen several of the initial recommendations for the academic units appealed successfully and make positive changes to the proposals,” he said. “My fear is that in the end, the academic support units will be used to make up the difference between the amount of money the administration thinks they need to save, and what they have been able to cut from the academic units.”
Later in the meeting, the resolution calling for a freeze to the academic transformation process was also approved on similar margins to the vote of no confidence. The final tally was 747 for and 79 against the resolution.
Prior to the vote, Provost Maryanne Reed asked to address the assembly on the resolution. Not being a faculty member she needed to be formally recognized by the assembly, but was voted down 302 in favor to 406 opposed.
Christiaan Abildso, an associate professor in the School of Public Health, was excited by the results but understood that the decision was still in the hands of the Board of Governors. He said he felt proud to see the faculty come together.
“It stinks that it’s against something, but hopefully we keep this feeling of support for one another,” Abildso said. “Showing up every day to work is a traumatic experience right now, it’s brutal. Hopefully people stick together, support one another and get through this with without cutting and harming so many people’s lives as what has been pushed on us.”
As faculty members streamed out of the building, they were met by chants of “eight to one” from students protesting in support of the votes, a reference to the ratio of votes in favor over against the resolutions.
Jake Hough is a journalism major. He said although his program is not directly impacted, he and other students think it’s important for everyone to pay attention to what is happening.
“These professors are our family,” Hough said. “I look ahead, and we have to ask what’s next? This isn’t just a foreign language issue. This isn’t just an upper level math issue. This isn’t just a mining engineering issue. This is a campus wide issue.”
In a statement released shortly after the conclusion of the university assembly, Board of Governors Chair Taunja Willis-Miller said the board appreciated the faculty members who shared their perspectives and acknowledged the votes.
“The Board of Governors unequivocally supports the leadership of President Gee and the strategic repositioning of WVU and rejects the multiple examples of misinformation that informed these resolutions,” Willis-Miller said in the statement. “The university is transforming to better reflect the needs of today, and we must continue to act boldly. President Gee has shown time and again he is not afraid to do the difficult work required.”
The statement goes on to say the process is critical to ensure a strong future for the University.
As the faculty meeting was underway, Gov. Jim Justice held an administrative briefing. Asked if he had confidence in Gee, Justice said he did.
“Now we can say a whole lot of things about Gordon Gee, but I am telling you wholeheartedly that man is eat up with trying to do good stuff for West Virginia,” Justice said.
The university Board of Governors will meet twice next week: on Sept. 14 to hear public comment on the proposed program cuts and again Sept. 15 to vote on the proposals.
With the last hearings held this past Friday Sept. 1, West Virginia University has finalized its recommendations for cuts to academic programs.
With the last hearings held this past Friday, Sept. 1, West Virginia University has finalized its recommendations for cuts to academic programs. Tuesday’s announcement was the final of four covering the 19 units that chose to appeal the recommendations.
A proposal to cut the bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture was reconsidered.
In a press release, Provost Maryanne Reed said the School of Design and Community Development “made a strong case for retaining the major by demonstrating it could achieve efficiencies while addressing the needs of landscape architecture students who do not have a similar degree program to pursue here at the University.”
Efficiencies include reducing the number of faculty in the unit.
The Office of the Provost declined a proposal to develop the Master of Public Administration as an online degree and will maintain its original recommendation to discontinue the degree program and eliminate all faculty positions in the unit.
The first of the announcements Aug. 29 included an amendment to the recommendations for the World Languages Department, including retaining in-person Spanish and Chinese instruction while still closing the department.
On Friday Sept. 1 it was announced that the Department of English had successfully appealed the preliminary recommendation to discontinue the MFA in Creative Writing. The unit presented a plan to merge the MA in English with the MA in Professional Writing.
A recommendation to discontinue the Masters in Special Education was also overturned. All final recommendations can be viewed on the provost’s website.
The University Assembly meets Wednesday to vote on resolutions of no confidence in President Gordon Gee, as well as one calling for a halt of the academic transformation process.
The WVU Board of Governors will vote on the recommended cuts Sept. 15.
