October 6, 2026
Legislative Delegation:
The Marion County Board of Education speaks for our students, families, staff, and towns. We ask state lawmakers to make public schools a top goal in 2027. We see these needs each day.
Our goals match many goals of the West Education West Virginia, WV School Board Association, and the W Association of School Administrators. These groups speak for school leaders, teachers, school service staff, and board of education members. We also support the work to build one state plan for support of public schools.
We ask you to discuss and act on these six areas:
- Fully and fairly fund public schools.
The school funding formula should be steady and fair. Counties must be able to plan around it.
Please use the RAND study when you review the formula. Give aid and enough time to counties that lose funds when enrollment drops. Raise state aid as costs rise. Protect funds for buses, special education, school safety, buildings, and other basic needs. Please review the local-share rule too. This can help local funds do more for students and staff. - Recruit, keep, and support good school employees.
Make a long-term plan to raise pay for teachers, service staff, and school leaders. Their pay should match pay in nearby states. Give PEIA steady state funding and control health care costs. Higher premiums, copays, and drug costs should not wipe out pay raises. Protect retirement benefits. Help retired school workers who live on fixed incomes. Make it easier to hire substitutes and fill jobs with worker shortages. Please also fund training and mentors for new school leaders through WVDE. - Keep schools safe and give students the help they need.
Give more state aid for school resource officers, counselors, nurses, mental health staff, social workers, other learning programs, and behavior support. Give every county fair access to funds for safer buildings. Any new safety or staffing rule should come with enough state money. Do not push the cost onto county boards. - Give students more paths to success.
Add more career and technical classes, Advanced Placement, dual-credit courses, STEM, computer science, early learning, reading and math help, and mental health care. Let high schools build paths that fit a student's plans for college, the military, or work. Keep strong rules for every path. - Make school ratings fair and useful.
Measure how much students grow, not just whether they reach one test score. This gives families a better view of each school. Give teachers test results in time to help students. Let districts try new teaching plans that may help children learn. Every program that gets public money should report how it spends the money and how its students perform. - Protect public funds and local control. Do not let growth in the Hope Scholarship or other state-funded choices harm county schools.
Set clear rules for spending and public reports. Check that each provider follows the rules. Do not pass new duties without funds to pay for them. Let elected county boards meet local needs. Remove state rules that add paperwork but do not help students.
These needs are linked. Better pay will not fix staff shortages if health care costs keep rising.
Students need enough staff, safe schools, and steady funds to reach high goals. County boards cannot plan well when state aid changes without warning. They also need funds to pay for each new duty.
We ask each Marion County lawmaker to work with us before and during the 2027 session. We are ready to share local facts and examples. We can also help review how bills may affect students, staff, taxpayers, and our schools.
The Board also cordially invites the members of Marion County's legislative delegation to attend our regular Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Marion County Schools Central Office. We hope to discuss these goals with you and begin an ongoing talk before the 2027 session.
Thank you for serving Marion County and for reviewing these requests. We look forward to working with you for strong public schools and successful students.
Sincerely,
James Saunders, President
Kevin Rogers, Vice President
Donna Costello, Vice President
Sam Brunett, Member
Tom Dragich, Member