Dear Editor,
When you are last, change is often successful.
“EDUCATION”
The Greenbrier County Board of Education, (GCBOE), has printed their total distain and distrust of their employers, the Greenbrier County Voters, and their ability to elect responsible citizens to the WV Legislature, by printing their totally negative ideas of the proposed tax changes required by Amendment 2 to the WV Constitution, (WV Daily News of 21 Oct 2022), along with the authority of the GCBOE’s authority.
Proposed Amendment 4, LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULES MEASURE (2022) would give WV Legislators authority over West Virginia BOE “supervision of public education is subject to a requirement that its rules and policies must be submitted to the legislature for review and approval, amendment, or rejection according to a process determined by the legislature by law.”
HOWEVER!!!
GCBOE has 14 schools with 4,719 students, 333 teachers and revenue of $69,955,000 with $7,727.6 million included for instruction. Student: teacher ratio 14:1.
Currently, the Greenbrier County Schools math proficiency average in all schools is 38% and reading proficiency in all schools is 39% with a graduation rate of 92%. What academic skill are required to graduate?
The high and low math proficiency in elementary schools is 55% and 20%. The high and low reading proficiency in elementary schools is 80% and 35%. The high and low math proficiency in middle schools is 42% and 32%. The high and low reading proficiency in middle schools is 42% and 40%. The high and low math proficiency in the high schools is 26% and 15%. The high and low reading proficiency in the high schools is 61% and 40%. These County scores are in top 50% of WV scores but are at the bottom of the 50 States’ scores.
It is difficult to believe that legislators could be more disruptive to County Educators than the Teachers Union’s illegal dictations which the GCBOE “kowtowed” to during the pandemic even though GCBOE had the authority; Article XII, Sections 1-3 and 18-5-1 of WV Code to “supervise and control the operation of each county school district and maintain a thorough and efficient system of free schools.”
The taxes covered by Amendment 2 represent the success or failure of many WV businesses, particularly when small businesses are starting and have direct impact on the wages/salaries payable. West Virginians realize that wages need to be raised to retain talent and encourage new businesses to locate in WV. Amendment 2 needs to be passed.
The taxes covered by Amendment 2 may easily be transferred to County Schools in the beginning the same as in the past to all “free schools”, (that cost big bucks), as well as adjustments for funding of Private, Religious, Charter, and Home Schooled, with necessary adjustments for reduced students per classroom in the free schools.
There is a lot of room for positive change, for example, 1) Change WV law so Discipline can be enforced, without lawyers, 2) basic subjects have priority, and 3) facts provided on graduation rates from college, the cost of 6% interest on student loans, and successful careers in technical fields. Also, parents should be permitted to address and be addressed by the members of the GCBOE at their monthly meeting.
Sincerely,
Frank Tuckwiller
Lewisburg
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