MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Voters in Monongalia County passed the excess levy in a special election by a vote of 3,956 for and 888 against. Board of Education President, Nancy Walker came to WAJR’s Talk of the Town to thank voters and talk about some of the benefits for students and families.
The vote to renew the levy will extend about $31.8 million in revenue annually over the next five years.
“I want to say the biggest thank you to them (the voters), the biggest thank you to our committee and the biggest thank you to everyone that works with us in special education,” Walker said,” It’s the best thing ever that could have happened for our students.”
The levy has been in place since the late 1970’s and gives the district options when considering the best approach to enhance student outcomes. Programs are also influenced by student assessments, trends in industry, demands from local employers and emerging technologies like those opportunities in artificial intelligence at Morgantown-based DataRobot.
“You try to tailor a program to every students’ individual strengths and work on the weaknesses,” Walker said,” That is exactly what the excess levy lets us do. It lets us be able to have a wide variety of offerings.”
Many students have more timely needs that have to be met while instruction continues. In many cases, those situations can reveal slow or a lack of progress that educators must address to keep students at grade-level comprehension.
“We have interventionists and other staff that are able to work with small groups,” Walker said,” Core groups of children that might need extra support.”
Levy revenue is used to fund technology, instructional aids, supplies for mathematics and science along with extra curricular activities including field trip partnerships with 4-H.
“We have our media services, out librarians, our art teachers, music, band and sports enhancements,” Walker said,” There’s really something in it for everyone.”
Walker said renewing the levy required hard work by the levy committee and members of the public who asked questions to understand what is required to keep Monongalia County Schools one of the best districts in the state.
“I cannot thank your listeners enough and the levy committee that put all the work into this,” Walker said.
The vote will renew the levy from 2022 through 2026.