Education Chairs Offer Public Schools Flexibility for Funding

At The Legislature Today, although the budget has been the top priority for lawmakers this session, it’s implications trickle down into all areas of state government, including education.

Del. Paul Espinosa and Sen. Kenny Mann, chairs of the House and Senate Education Committees, say even though there may be less money for schools, they are working through bills to give counties more flexibility in how they spend that funding. Members of the Senate react to Gov. Jim Justice’s announcement Tuesday that the state’s bond rating had been downgraded by the third national agency in a year. Republican leaders maintan they’ll stick with their plans to cut the size of government and change regulations to create a better business climate while Democratic leaders are looking for new revenue to balance the state’s budget.

The chamber also approves a bill to make workers on strike ineligible for unemployment compensation, a bill state union leaders are already pushing back on.

Both the governor and members of the House seem to be on the same page when it comes to state vehicles: they want fewer cars and a better system to track them. That’s what a House bill discussed in committee today would do.