Boston charter school success spawns growth

Charter schools have played a significant role in improving outcomes of Boston public school students. And now, as reported in a Wall Street Journal editorial, a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER),* those advances can be replicated at new locations. Boston follows the “No Excuses” charter model, where the practices include

Where does all the public education money go?

Most debates about public education in West Virginia will eventually include the subject of money.  Is public education underfunded?  Should outcomes be better considering how much we spend?  How much more can we reasonably afford to spend?  How do we compare with other states? These questions and many others constantly circulate, and the answers depend

A break from Hoppy

I’m off for a couple of days.  The commentary will return on Wednesday. Best, Hoppy

Justice family companies’ non-payment of bills, fines are poor business practices and embarrassing to WV

Federal officials announced this week the government had filed a civil action to force 23 coal companies owned by Governor Jim Justice and his family to pay over $4.7 million in unpaid penalties for mine safety violations. “As alleged in the complaint, the defendants racked up over 2,000 safety violations over a five-year period (May

How undervaluing public education undermines results

I keep reading over the state Department of Education’s final report on what educators, parents and stakeholders said during the eight public forums. The more I read, the more obvious it becomes that improving public education is a complicated task, a heavy lift by any measure. There are many findings in the report which will

Employers need foreign temporary workers

The Trump administration has announced plans to allow another 30,000 seasonal workers to come to the United States this year.  That brings the total number of seasonal workers permitted this year to 96,000. The decision is controversial.  Opponents say the foreign workers take jobs that Americans should be doing and bring down wages for everyone. 

West Virginia’s opioid settlement with McKesson is best case scenario

West Virginia is one of the states hit hardest by the opioid crisis.  The American Enterprise Institute estimates the annual cost to the state is $8.8 billion annually. Criminal and civil investigations, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting by the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s Eric Eyre, have revealed how drug companies, with the aid of distributors, doctors and pharmacists,

Trump’s economic ace in the hole

Washington, and the media that cover the Capital, are currently obsessed with Attorney General William Barr’s Congressional testimony about the Mueller Report.  The political agendas of both parties played out during the Senate hearing, while House Democrats cried foul when Barr refused to show up for their questioning. If you follow the news, the Barr

Delegate’s relationship with intern costs him leadership position

There are two kinds of secrets under the State Capitol Dome: The ones that have already come out and the ones that will eventually come out. Tuesday, Republican Delegate Danny Hamrick announced he was stepping down as chair of the House Education Committee.  The news broke in a two-sentence statement, which said nothing about why

Long term flood recovery: Three years down, three to go

We are approaching the three-year anniversary (June 23) of the devastating flood that killed 23 people and caused an estimated $300 million in damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges. However, the grim milestone may mark only the halfway point of the flood recovery in West Virginia. West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General James Hoyer,

Ronald Turney Williams—from FBI’s Most Wanted List to prison janitor

One of West Virginia’s most notorious criminals turned 76 this month.  Ronald Turney Williams remains housed in the state’s maximum-security prison at Mount Olive in Fayette County where he will spend the rest of his life. Williams was already serving a life sentence at the old Moundsville penitentiary for the murder of Beckley Police Sgt.

A possible solution to stalemate on education reform

Governor Jim Justice, Senate President Mitch Carmichael and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw have met to try to find common ground on the most contentious issues heading into the special legislative session on education in a few weeks. Lawmakers and the Governor could not agree during the regular session on a comprehensive education reform bill, so

Should prison inmates be allowed to vote? (No)

Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders caused a stir this week when he said felons should have the right to vote even while they are in prison.  When pressed on whether sex offenders or even the Boston Marathon bomber should be able to vote from behind bars, Sanders held his ground. “Yes, even for

All roads (and repairs) lead to the Governor

  For Governor Jim Justice, all roads lead to… well, the roads. The condition of the state’s roads, especially the secondary roads, has become the biggest issue currently confronting the Justice administration. The Governor has promised to “fix the damn roads.”  That’s turning into a more difficult pledge for Justice to fulfill than when he

Manchin on Governor’s race: ‘I’m thinking seriously and solidly about it.’

Last January, I wrote that U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was once again considering running for Governor of West Virginia.  The column, subsequent reporting and interviews given by the Democrat fueled speculation that Manchin was willing to give up a plum Senate seat if he could successfully return to the Governor’s mansion. It’s been almost four

WVU offers employee buyout to cut spending

Earlier this month, the WVU Board of Governors approved modest tuition and fee increases for WVU students starting next year. The headline-grabbing angle was that the hikes were the smallest in at least 20 years. The less well noticed nugget out of that BOG meeting was about spending cuts.  “The Board plans to reduce salaries,

West Virginia needs immigrants

The debate over immigration in this country is now centered on issues of border security, sanctuary cities, Central American caravans and asylum.  These are hot button topics, but the arguments have drowned out the fact that this country needs immigrants. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that a growing economy combined with an aging

WVU’s decision to hold the line on tuition and fees should be the start of a trend

Last week, the West Virginia University Board of Governors approved increases in tuition and fees for next school year.  The changes are significant for their size—they are small. The charges for in-state students will rise by just 1.36 percent, or about $60 per semester, while out-of-state student tuition and fees are going up by 1.44

When the drug dealer is the doctor

Battling the ongoing opioid crisis is extremely difficult. The prescription drugs are highly addictive, and the newer wave of illegal synthetics are many times more addictive. The results are devastating.  A study by WVU released this week found that between 2015 and 2017, deaths from fentanyl were 122 percent higher than they were from 2005

Find out where your state income tax money goes

Do you ever wonder how your state income taxes are spent? Of course you do, and now there is a helpful tool on the website of State Auditor J.B. McCuskey that can show you. When you go to the website you will see the big headline: “Where Your State Income Taxes Go (Estimator).”  The link