LOGAN, W.Va. — With much talk about education reform happening around the state and at the State Capitol, voters in two counties sent a strong message by reapproving school excess levies over the weekend.
Logan County Schools’ levy passed with nearly 90-percent of the vote while voters in McDowell County approved their school system’s levy with a total of 605 for to 75 against.
“We are very pleased and very appreciative to all of the voters that came out and supported the access levy for Logan County,” Patricia Lucas, the Logan County Schools Superintendent said.
“The citizens of Logan County are saying we are certainly in support of our school system and we want to make sure we are saying this by voting in favor.”
The levy in Logan County includes $500,000 to safety and security improvements. Lucas said that part of the levy is crucial.
The safety improvements include, but are not limited to, locksets for classroom doors, camera upgrades, visitor/access control, panic alert system for teachers, and more resources officers.
Other funds from the levy will be $600,000 to technology, textbooks, instructional supplies & equipment, contractual services, and travel, $270,000 to school allocation student insurance, over $550,000 to construction repair and maintenance, $215,000 in community services, nearly $3 million to professional salaries, $1.8 million to service personnel salaries, over $400,000 to substitute costs, and nearly $1.7 million to personnel taxes and benefits.
“It will allow us to continue with many items that are so vital to our students in the school system as well as our employees,” Lucas said.
The passing of the levy in McDowell County will include around $26.5 million to fund staff salaries, technology, athletics, extended year programs, 4H clubs, supplies, the McDowell Public Library, and other operations over the extension of the school for another five years.
McDowell County School Superintendent Carolyn Falin said the passage does not come as a surprise.
“We’ve had this levy since about 1942,” she said. “The community has always been very supportive of it. it’s a privilege to work in a place where they actually support the students and the things we are able to offer them through the levy.”