WAR, W.Va. — The national president of the American Federation of Teachers union says the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts to education are “cruel” and would be “catastrophic” for West Virginia schools, particularly in rural McDowell County.
Randi Weingarten toured the Southside K-8 School in War Monday where she told school officials “we’re going to make a big fight” against cuts that would eliminate school services the community needs.
President Donald Trump is proposing $10.6 billion in cuts, about a 15 percent cut, to federal education initiatives. If approved, Southside would take a big hit.
During a press conference inside the school’s media center, Weingarten criticized U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for supporting the plan.
“I cannot believe that anyone who works with children would put forward a budget that cuts the programs that work here,” she said.
The school, located in War, is the first community school in the state to offer wrap around services through the Reconnecting McDowell initiative.
The program is designed to provide academic support through a variety of services at the school including an after-school program, mentoring, dental cleanings, mental health counseling, free meals, robotics coding and yoga classes.
The after-school program runs four days a week for two hours per day.
Jokingly sitting in a dental cleaning chair, pretending to work out on gym equipment used at a refurbished gymnasium across from the school building or talking to students who showed her how to program a robot, Weingarten would often say to herself on the tour, “Wow. This is amazing.”
Christine Campbell, president of AFT-West Virginia, joined Weingarten on the tour.
“All of these little pieces, when you put them together, it’s a whole support system for a child. Every bit increases their ability to improve their achievement and to succeed,” Campbell said.
Southside Principal Cheryl Cruey said kids need these services because there simply aren’t any available in the county.
“We’re not just a school that opens their door in the morning and closes the door at 4 o’clock. We have services all through the evenings. Some of them are kid-focused and some of them are family-focused. There’s not a lot of opportunities here for families to do things together, so we want to provide those opportunities,” Cruey said.
McDowell is one of the poorest counties in America with a 100 percent poverty rate, according to Cruey. Student enrollment has dropped significantly.
“In the last year, the county has lost over 200 children,” she said.
Weingarten said a lot of that has to do with the loss of jobs due to the downturn in coal.
“You see what’s happened with no coal manufacturing left in this county. There’s nothing to do in the afternoon or in the evening. Kids have an after school program. Parents are assured that they’re safe. There are STEM teachers. There’s activities. This is what the federal funding goes for,” she said.
Weingarten said DeVos toured a rural school in Ohio, yet education cuts are still on the line.
“This is no longer a matter of that she doesn’t understand it. We showed her these programs in Vanwert, Ohio — it’s that she doesn’t care,” she said.
West Virginia currently receives $6 million for after-school programs through 21st Century Learning grants, which the Trump budget would eliminate. McDowell County receives two grants through the program.
According to the AFT, the Trump budget would eliminate more than $19 million to West Virginia. The loss of funding to McDowell County would mean cutting 13 teacher positions or ending professional development programs for nearly 100 teachers.
The proposed cuts also mean less West Virginia students will get financial help for college. Just this year, more than 6,000 West Virginia students received $4 million in tuition assistance.
At the end of the school tour, Weingarten wrote a check to Southside to pay for school utilities, but she said that money alone is not enough.
“There’s only so much that little check like Leah and I just did, quietly to the principal for utilities, can go. This has to be funded in a way that’s predictable — that can keep the lights on, that can keep these services,” she said.
Trump is expected to release his budget proposal Tuesday.