Private schools continue to extract funds from Marion County Schools
'Look at last year's number, which was $400,000,' School Superintendent Donna Heston said Monday, referring to next year's charter schools allocation. 'And now you're over a million.'
The Board of Education went through next year's budget, as part of a supersized meeting that included the regular agenda. School treasurer Scott Reider said Marion County School's number of charter school students has grown to 134, more than double from last year's 60 total.
Heston called the loss in funds concerning.
Statewide, the state's education savings account program, the Hope Scholarship, will cost more than $100 million next year. The program cost $52 million this year. The state transfers $4,400 per student away from public schools toward an educational program of a parent's choice under Hope Scholarship. If the student returns to public school, the money does not.
As the West Virginia Department of Education shutters or consolidates schools across the state, school superintendents say the program is partly responsible for the closings, according to West Virginia Watch. Dwindling enrollment numbers are also responsible, since school funding is enrollment based. Marion County Schools has been losing students steadily over the past few years.
Board Member Donna Costello also brought up her concerns that support staff, such as custodial workers and bus drivers, weren't being paid enough compared to teachers and school administrators. The discussion began during a summary of pay equalization for principals in the school system.
Heston was explaining that there were assistant principals in the district who didn't see it as worthwhile to move up to principal if the pay was going to be the same as an assistant principal. She also pointed out pay for principals was not competitive with surrounding counties. While Costello didn't disagree with it, she brought up the equalization was a source of contention for the district's service workers.
'No disrespect intended to our principals, I know they and our assistant principals work hard,' Costello said. 'I just have a hard time wrapping my head around a cook making $23,000 and trying to live on that. I have a hard time wrapping my head around a bus driver currently living on a $500 paycheck with a wife and two kids.'
However, Heston pointed out that salaries are set by the state legislature. Board Member James Saunders asked if the board could perhaps use any excess funds it has to compensate those workers. Heston said the district already does, with a fall and spring stipend. Heston added if there was a pool of excess money in the budget, additional raises for all employees was possible for the board to provide.
Outside of that, however, Heston said the only way for significant changes to service worker pay is to lobby the legislature for it.
PEIA funding also increases next year. However, personnel beyond what the school funding formula provides for are not covered by the state, meaning PEIA for any personnel above that number has to be funded by the school's levy, leaving less money for other needs, Heston said.
Beyond that, the school budget for next year mostly looks the same, holding steady at around $110 million for FY26. Revenue will include $36 million from taxes, with $16 million and $20 million coming from regular taxes and the county's excess levy, respectively. The county will also receive $41 million from the state in school funding.
'We have worked proactively to address things with personnel and to be able to put more money into facilities improvements, so there wasn't anything that too drastically changed,' Heston said.
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