Tag: School Closings

State Board Of Education Hears Hope Scholarship Concerns, Approves School Closures

Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, has raised concerns that Hope Scholarship funds are being spent in public schools in other states.

Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, raised concerns at the May meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education that Hope Scholarship funds were being spent in public schools in other states.

The Hope Scholarship allows K-12 students to receive state funds that can be used for tuition at private schools, homeschool curriculum, and other qualifying expenses. 

On Wednesday, Lee again raised the issue, claiming 29 out-of-state schools are receiving West Virginia taxpayer dollars including a public school in Steubenville, Ohio.

“At the end of the fiscal year I’ll have more information about where everything goes, but this is alarming to me,” Lee said. “Hopefully we can keep taxpayer dollars in West Virginia for our kids.” 

Lee said he received the information from the Hope Scholarship Division of the state Treasurer’s office.

In an email to WVPB, the state Treasurer’s office said spending Hope Scholarship funds in out-of-state school systems is permissible and consistent with the “money follows the student” intent behind the Hope Scholarship.

“It should also be noted that West Virginia public schools charge tuition to Hope Scholarship students attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities,” the email said. “Like West Virginia, most other states require public schools to charge tuition to any out-of-state students wishing to access their curriculum or other services.”

On Thursday, Lee told WVPB he understands that the out of state spending is permissible, “but I still question why West Virginia taxpayer dollars are going to fund schools out of state of West Virginia.”

“We believe that parents have the right to homeschool or private school their children,” he said. “But our constitution provides for a thorough and free public education and they choose not to accept that, and I don’t think taxpayer dollars should be used to fund that.”

School Closures

The West Virginia Board of Education also approved the closure of three elementary schools in Kanawha County during its Wednesday meeting. 

Marmet Elementary School, Grandview Elementary School and George C. Weimer Elementary School were all approved for closure at the end of the 2023-2024 school year and will be consolidated with existing local elementary schools.

These are the first school closures to be approved by the state board since Senate Bill 51 went into effect on June 5. The new law requires impact statements including transportation time of the affected students be written in certain instances of school closing or consolidation.

The application for the closure of all three schools carried the following impact statement:

The consolidation of these schools will enable Kanawha County Schools to operate their schools more efficiently. 

The Kanawha County Board of Education voted to approve the closures in May, before the law went into effect.

Funding Approved For School Construction Projects In 7 Counties

Board members for the West Virginia School Building Authority approved Monday almost $75 million for school construction projects.

Twenty nine counties applied for construction funds, but just seven counties made the cut.

“For the last year, the staff has worked extensively in many counties to gain an understanding of the severity of need with each project submitted,” said Ben Ashley, director of architectural services for the authority.

The state funds will help pay for seven new elementary schools, a new middle school, and renovations at nine other buildings. Counties will also contribute their own money in every county but Summers.

Projects that were not approved must be resubmitted for another round of funding in December.

Counties Receiving Funds

Greenbrier County received ​$8 million to relocate ​Alderson Elementary School.

​Jefferson County received $7.5 million to build two new elementary schools.

​​Mercer County received $9.6 million for the construction of ​new Bluewell-Brushfork PK-5 Elementary School

Mineral County received ​$9.6 million for the construction of a new Frankfort PK-4 Elementary School

​Ohio County received $18 million towards renovations to a half dozen schools.

Roane County received almost $14 million to build ​a new Spencer Middle School

​Summers County received ​$8.2 million for additions and renovations on its middle and high schools.

View the full list of funding applications here

McDowell County Under State of Emergency, Several Southern Schools Close Amid Flash Flooding

Update 2/6/20 8:34 p.m.:

 

Rainfall across the southern part of West Virginia has led to multiple road closures, and at least one community in Raleigh County has been evacuated. 

According to a press release from the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, McDowell and Raleigh counties are reporting the most serious impact from Thursday’s rainfall.

McDowell County has declared a State of Emergency and water continues to rise in the War and Coalwood areas. An Emergency Operations Center has been established in Welch to coordinate rescue efforts and aid to residents. The West Virginia  National Guard has dispatched two high water vehicles to McDowell County and maintains coordination with DHSEM for any resource requests. Swift Water Rescue Teams are on standby for quick deployment.

In Raleigh County, Violet Street in Beaver was evacuated due to high water and runoff in roads and around homes. The access road to the Raleigh Center in Daniels washed out and residents are sheltering in place. The Center can be accessed by foot and a contractor is creating another access road.

Fayette and Greenbrier counties report localized flooding and some roads impassable due to high water. Monroe, Summers and Wyoming counties report nuisance flooding but require no assistance.

The Department of Transportation reports many roads in the southern counties remain closed due to high water or mudslides. 

 

According to the National Weather Service, flooding will continue along creeks and streams in southern West Virginia. There will be some flooding along the Tug Fork and Bluestone Rivers, and notable rises along Guyandotte and New Rivers. Most rivers are predicted to crest tonight into Friday. Rain will begin changing to snow across the state overnight and may impact the morning commute, especially in the mountainous areas and northern counties. There is a slight chance for higher snowfall with this system. Please continue to monitor weather updates for your area.

Governor Jim Justice has directed the state Emergency Operations Center to remain at partial activation status, which means emergency responders are monitoring flooded areas and coordinating response efforts across multiple state agencies and local jurisdictions.

 
Updated 2/06/20 4:25 p.m.

Heavy rain is leading to high waters across the southern region of the state, and several side roads have become impassable. McDowell emergency management leaders issued a local state of emergency this morning. Officials say the Red Cross is on site at the local emergency operations center in Welch, and the West Virginia National Guard is sending a heavy duty vehicle to assist.

The department of natural resources has also dispatched a swift water boat to Welch to work alongside the Sherriff’s office in case the high waters get worse and people need to be evacuated from their homes.

The Department of Transportation says eastbound traffic at the Interstate 64 bridge over the Kanawha River near Nitro was rerouted Thursday as crews assessed the damage to a failed expansion joint and made plans for repairs.  The eastbound side of the bridge will be closed until at least Friday morning.

Original Story:

McDowell County leaders issued a local state of emergency Thursday morning, freeing up state resources for local emergency management officials to use as they address flooding.

On Thursday morning, spokeswoman Lora Lipscomb for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said a couple state officials were on the way to McDowell County to help facilitate local responses. Should McDowell County request it, the West Virginia National Guard will also send assistance.

As of 11 a.m. Lipscomb said she was not aware of any other counties issuing their own state of emergency. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties on Thursday. 

The NWS issues flood warnings for areas where hazardous weather conditions are active or imminent. The agency also issued a flood watch, meaning conditions are possible, for Boone, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Logan, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas and Raleigh counties.

Schools in Clay, Greenbrier, Hampshire, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming announced early closures as of Thursday morning at 11 a.m., according to the West Virginia Department of Education’s website.

Gov. Jim Justice called on the state to partially activate its State Emergency Operations Center on Thursday. That includes the West Virginia Division of Highways, the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center, the West Virginia National Guard, the Red Cross and the National Weather Service.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

AC, Power Issues Cause Closures of 7 West Virginia Schools

West Virginia’s largest public school district was forced to close seven schools on Friday for problems with its air conditioning and power systems.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the closings add another set of problems as the district struggles to recover from a devastating flood in June that destroyed two schools and damaged others.

Maintenance Director Terry Hollandsworth said “multiple issues” contributed to the problem.

American Electric Power spokeswoman Jeri Matheney said the company’s systems were not the cause for all but one of Friday’s closings.

Two schools, Herbert Hoover High and Clendenin Elementary, were destroyed in the flood. Students at those schools will share facilities at the damaged Elkview Middle and Bridge Elementary. School officials were working furiously to make repairs before the school year began this week.

Hancock County Only Schools Open Friday

Public schools are closed in all but one West Virginia county due to the recent winter storm.

The exception Friday is in Hancock County.

While the temperature dipped to record lows, Hancock County schools Superintendent Sue Smith says the roads were clear and dry, and bus drivers had no trouble getting around Friday morning.

Hancock County missed three days of school earlier this week due to bad weather. With 13 missed days already, the school year isn’t scheduled to end until June 16 in order to fulfill the state’s minimum mandate of 180 days in the classroom.

Smith says that was a concern because some parents have already made summer vacation plans.

She says officials wanted to get students back into the school setting again.

Schools, Businesses and Agencies Close for Storms

Students are getting another break from classes across West Virginia as a late-winter storm pummels the state.

Public schools in all 55 counties were closed Thursday. At least 18 counties had sent students home early on Wednesday after heavy rains sent creeks onto roads.

Several higher education institutions also canceled classes, including West Virginia University, Marshall University, Fairmont State University and Bluefield State College.

But WVU went ahead with student elections. Voting was held Thursday as scheduled in the Mountainlair in Morgantown.

The state Supreme Court and more than a dozen county courts were closed due to heavy snow. The state Legislature was in session.

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