FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Members of the Marion County School System are already working to adjust after-school programming as a result of the DOGE cuts.
A recent announcement that the AmeriCorps Flipside Afterschool Program would be a part of large-scale federal cuts has resulted in at least a 50 percent planned drawback of the number of schools that would be able to support the engagement-based program.
Marion County School Superintendent Donna Heston calls the recent decision a tough blow for after-school activities in the county that was received with very little notice and has led to immediate conversations with the Tygart Valley United Way, which helped support the program.
“We were presented with this problem late and with late notice, so in working with United Way and looking for solutions, we will have to reduce from four sites to two moving forward,” said Heston.
The AmeriCorps Flipside Program has been hosted at East Fairmont, West Fairmont, Mannington, and Rivesville Middle Schools for the 2024-25 school year and several years prior to that. In the program that has over 75 students participating, 30 minutes of targeted homework help is offered daily along with wellness activities and chances to participate in arts and science projects. According to Heston, the wide variety of opportunities for students to learn and interact will be considered a big loss for the schools that will have it discontinued.
“They do activities with our students with these after-school programming such as STEAM activities, enrichment, reteach, socialization, and mentorship, they operate that after-school programming,” said Heston.
Heston said the reaction was not only negative from members of the Marion County School Board but also from students who are participants in the Flipside Program. The school system was notified of the planned cut of the federally supported program on Friday, which was included as part of several large-scale program cutbacks related to AmeriCorps. The cuts in programming for the Flipside Program are expected to affect students from grades 5-8 who actively participate
“That was disappointing to a lot of the families that participate in this after-school programming, and it was most disappointing to the students because of the opportunities that are offered in it,” Heston said.
Despite the cuts, the Flipside Program is expected to be continued in its current capacity for the rest. Heston says the current plan for her system is to continue to be in conversations with the Tygart Valley United Way and explore alternative funding avenues to support the 22 AmeriCorps members who comprised over 80 percent off the after-school staff for the program.
With the decision made on a federal announcement with little to no notice, Heston expects there to be long-term effects in that aspect of after-school programs for county students.
“It’s really opened their eyes to opportunities that lend themselves to what’s done in our classrooms, so it is a loss for our students,” said Heston.