New-look education funding group looks to get a lot done before special session resumes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An education funding group that includes state school board members and a group of state lawmakers roughly outlined an aggressive timeline at the new look panel’s first meeting Tuesday in Charleston.

Tom Campbell

The group, officially called the West Virginia Board of Education’s (WVBE) committee on school finance and funding, began meeting last year and it’s added three members each from the state Senate and House of Delegates. Committee chair, state school board member, Tom Campbell said the committee wants to tackle a lot before lawmakers resume their special session on education, which many expect will be in late May.

“There are some different opinions here but the only things I’ve heard is that we need to change and this is why. We can agree on that we just don’t always agree on the how. I think we’re headed more in the same direction than we thought we were,” Campbell said.

Six recommendations agreed on last December by the state Board of Education were forwarded to state lawmakers for consideration during this year’s regular session and several were part of Senate Bill 451. Campbell said the committee decided Tuesday to focus the coming meetings on two general areas that will be discussed by two subcommittees.

“Both are statute driven,” he said. “One based on the (school aid) formula statutes and the other based on other (education) policy statutes which of course still have a major financial impact,” Campbell said.

The committee, which includes new members Senate Finance Committee Chairman Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, Senate Minority Leader Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, and Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, along with Delegates Jason Barrett, D-Berkeley, House Education Committee Chairman Danny Hamrick, R-Harrison, and House Finance Committee Chairman Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, plans to meet next week, April 30, in Charleston followed by a May 7 meeting in Morgan County, May 14 in Morgantown and May 17 back in Charleston.

Campbell admitted it’s a tight timeline to get recommendations to the legislature but he said that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“I think deadlines are good, they can force you to get your work done,” Campbell said. “I don’t there are too many people that think the status quo is what we need, I haven’t come across very many and I think that’s good.”

Six funding recommendations adopted by the state BOE last December include:

The WVBE approved the following six recommendations

–Increase compensation/funding for Step 1 and Step 2. This should include an increase in the number of funded positions and increased compensation for professional educators and service personnel to meet the needs of West Virginia students.

–Provide adequate funding for Step 6a to adequately maintain school facilities.

–Reestablish leave incentives for employees to reduce the need for substitutes and improve retention and recruitment rates. Increased funding for Steps 6b and Step 6c would alleviate some funding issues. This problem has progressively worsened as more employees enter the workforce without the ability to bank leave days and convert them for benefits such as pension credit or health care costs at retirement. Receiving some pension credit for unused sick leave was successful previously and should be reauthorized.

–Increase the supply reimbursements above the current amount of $200 per professional educator. This funding has not changed for many years. The funding has not kept up with rising cost of materials and is inadequate for today’s classroom needs.

–Increase county funding and flexibility to address the growing severity of our students’ physical and mental health needs. Increased funding would support response personnel and include but not be limited to additional mental health counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and psychologists. Additional funding for alternative education (as defined in §18-2-6) is needed for those students who have limitations that make it difficult for them to attend school during the traditional public-school day.

–Increase funding for career technical education (CTE). There is great demand in today’s economy for students that possess expertise in technical skills such as construction, plumbing, electrical and computer-related technology.





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