Federal Funds Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State Schools Eye Impact Of Government Shutdown

West Virginia schools rely on several federal grants, including child nutrition programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and special education funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

With the threat of a federal shutdown at the end of the week, the state’s schools are keeping an eye on the situation.

West Virginia schools rely on several federal grants, including child nutrition programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and special education funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

Melanie Purkey, the federal programs officer for the West Virginia Department of Education, oversees the grants for child nutrition, special education funds, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funding. She also works closely with colleagues in the career and technical office that receive federal funding.

Purkey said the programs work on a reimbursement process, with counties applying for reimbursement from the state who then request reimbursement at the federal level.

“Each fiscal year, we receive a grant award that is similar to a letter of credit from the federal government, and we have an allocation that says you have up to this much,” she said.

Purkey said that means the state has the ability to cover expenses for a time, but if the shutdown stretches into November there may begin to be cash flow issues.

“If we’re entering into November, we would start those conversations and anticipate that at month two or three, the counties and or the state would start to have some cash flow issues if we were covering these expenses,” she said. “I believe the state would probably try to cover county drawdowns from the state level until there was no more cash flow at the state that could float that.”

The 2018-2019 federal shutdown was the longest in U.S. history at 35 days. Purkey said during that time, reimbursement requests were still processed through the shutdown.

“The federal agencies do have the ability to keep essential staff on, and typically the people who process drawdowns are considered essential staff,” she said. “In past shutdowns of the federal government, we have not had any issue with drawdowns not being processed, because those agencies have considered those folks, essential staff.”

Over the past decade, there have already been three federal government shutdowns and Purkey said her office is familiar with the process.

“We’re not overly concerned, but Congress is very unpredictable,” she said. “We will just watch the news every day and see how they are coming with their negotiations, and hope that they can resolve whatever issues might get them into a shutdown quickly.”

Federal Funds Help Private Schools Expand Internet Access

Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission.

Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The largest individual award of $53,850 will go to the Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Kearneysville.

The other six awards are:

$37,600 – St. Patrick School, Weston
$6,926 – St. Michael School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Central Catholic High School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Our Lady of Peace School, Wheeling
$6,233 – St. Paul School, Weirton
$3,694 – Fairmont Catholic School, Fairmont

The funding is made possible through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and will help the schools purchase laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connections for students, faculty and staff.

The ECF was authorized as part of the American Rescue Plan to provide $7.17 billion to expand distance learning and connectivity around the country.

The most recent allocation last year went to Greenbrier, Nicholas, Wayne, Kanawha, Cabell and Lincoln County School Districts.

State Takes Control Of Upshur County Schools

A special circumstances review of Upshur County Schools by the West Virginia Department of Education revealed tens of thousands of dollars in misspent federal funds, among other financial misappropriations.

The West Virginia Board of Education has declared a state of emergency in Upshur County Schools.

A “special circumstances” review of Upshur County Schools by the West Virginia Department of Education revealed tens of thousands of dollars in misspent federal funds, among other financial misappropriations.

A preliminary report was presented to the board Wednesday by Jeffrey Kelley, accountability officer for the Department of Education. The findings Kelley presented included food and beverage charges for staff retreats at Stonewall Resort totaling $49,260 using funds designated for federal programs.

“(The) team also discovered an instance of a contract for a staff retreat at a bread and breakfast in Buckhannon totaling $1,415.94,” he said. “Overnight accommodation was provided at the bed and breakfast, which is located six miles from the board office.”

Nancy White, state board vice president, said the report is incomplete but concerning.

“I believe we have enough that tells us that these actions are very egregious, unethical and perhaps criminal,” she said.

However, there were questions from the state board about the timeline of the investigation, and why they were not notified sooner. State Superintendent David Roach told the board the special circumstances review was prompted after a routine review of Upshur County Schools in December 2022 that was completed in February 2023.

“I’m just trying to establish some baseline facts because my concern is, we’ve known about this since March,” said board president Paul Hardesty. “No action, no activity, no nothing, no correspondence with this board until May the 26th. I find that troubling on numerous fronts.”

The board went into executive session due to the incomplete nature of the report and the desire to delve deeper into its contents without compromising the personal privacy of subjects involved.

After close to four hours in executive session, Roach made 18 recommendations to the state board, including that a state of emergency be declared in Upshur County Schools.

“That the West Virginia Board of Education direct the interim and future Upshur County superintendent and the Deputy State Superintendent jointly develop and present to the state board at a future meeting a set of standards and or a strategic plan that must be implemented in order for the County Board of Education to regain control of the school system,” Roach said.

Roach also recommended the board grant the Deputy State Superintendent authority to take action necessary to correct the extraordinary circumstances in Upshur County.

The board unanimously approved the superintendent’s recommendations.

The office of the county superintendent of Upshur County Schools, along with positions of personnel who serve at the will and pleasure of the county superintendent, were declared vacant at the end of the business day.

Stephen Wotring, currently serving as superintendent of Preston County Schools, was named interim superintendent of Upshur County Schools.

The investigation is ongoing. One investigator told the board only 1 percent of Upshur’s total transactional data had been reviewed so far.

Hardesty said that West Virginia State Police were sent to secure the central office of Upshur County Schools effective until the West Virginia Department of Education can get their personnel on the ground.

CDC Funding Will Improve Healthcare Infrastructure

Millions of federal dollars are coming to the state to help improve healthcare infrastructure.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) was awarded more than $18 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen the state’s critical public health infrastructure.

The money will go to recruitment, retention and training of the public health workforce.

It will also be used for improving organizational systems and advancing public health data modernization efforts.

In a press release, Sen. Joe Manchin said he is pleased the CDC is investing in strengthening the public health infrastructure and workforce across West Virginia.

“Our healthcare providers continue to go above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this investment.”

The funding is part of the CDC’s Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant program.

It provides funding to public health departments and national partners to help ensure every community has the workforce capacity, services and systems needed to promote and protect public health.

State Receives Federal Funding For Healthcare Workers

Federal funding has been approved to support student loan repayment for healthcare workers in West Virginia.

Senator Joe Manchin, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced close to $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).

The DHHR’s Office of Rural Health offers a loan repayment program in exchange for service in a Health Professional Shortage Area in the state.

Healthcare workers can receive loan repayments of $40,000 after two years of service, or up to $90,000 after four years.

A similar program through the DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health provides loan repayment for clinical professions including counseling, psychology, and/or social work therapists.

Millions Announced For Crime Victims Support

Gov. Jim Justice announced millions of dollars in grants for Victims of Crime Act Assistance programs.

Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday evening close to $17 million in grants for Victims of Crime Assistance programs. The funding will go towards more than 80 public and private non-profit entities throughout the state.

The Victims of Crime Act or VOCA Fund was created by Congress in 1984 to provide federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime.

VOCA funds provide direct services like counseling, court advocacy and support services to victims of crimes including domestic violence, child abuse and elder abuse.

These funds from the U.S. Department of Justice are administered by the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.

In recent years, reduced deposits in the fund threatened victim support programs nationwide, but the passage of the VOCA Fix Act in 2021 ensured funding returned to pre-pandemic levels.