Monongalia County Schools warn $4.2M property-tax shortfall, report widespread special-education and aide vacancies

Monongalia County Schools officials told state legislators during a Sept. 23 legislative meeting that the district faces a roughly $4.2 million reduction in local property-tax revenue and is already feeling the effects in staffing and programs.

The superintendent said the district "serve[s] a little over 11,100 students" across 18 schools and nearly 1,600 staff, and that the board recently "had to go cut 10 people" to align personnel with budget realities. The shortfall, the superintendent said, stems largely from declining natural-resource valuations and creates difficulties because the district must set budgets on a timeline that does not always align with state revenue updates.

The warning came as several lawmakers attended the meeting—Sen. Mike Oliverio and Delegates Joe Statler, David McCormick, Evan Hansen, Mike DeVault and Gino Shrelli—and discussed statewide education policy and funding.

Why it matters: Monongalia County officials said about $35 million of the district’s roughly $200 million annual budget comes from an excess levy—about 20 percent of operating revenue—making local property-valuation declines especially consequential. The superintendent told legislators that, because levy revenue can swing with property valuations, the district must make difficult personnel decisions and may face pressure to reduce support positions such as nurses, psychologists and other staff who handle student medical or mental-health needs.

Staffing shortages and program risks

District leaders described persistent vacancies that they said are already affecting services. The superintendent reported 13 unfilled special-education teacher positions at the start of the school year and said aide vacancies routinely exceed a dozen per day, sometimes reaching 20 to 25. "We're short aids to begin with," the superintendent said, adding that some days principals must reassign staff from other classrooms to cover special-education needs.

Legislators and district staff discussed causes and potential remedies. Delegate Statler and others noted the Third Grade Success Act (state legislation supporting early literacy) has drawn aides into first-, second- and third-grade classrooms, contributing to the migration away from special-education assignments. Sen. Mike Oliverio said the legislation's rollout carried significant annual costs: "It costs over $30,000,000 a year to roll out that Third Grade Success Act," and acknowledged the program’s intent while warning about budgeting consequences.

Oliverio and other lawmakers also addressed an implementation issue the district raised: approximately $11.3 million in training funds tied to literacy programs did not carry over because of how the bill was written, and the state returned that money to the general fund rather than holding it for future training. Oliverio said he will seek to address that drafting gap.

Capital needs and grant competition

District officials urged lawmakers to increase state investment in school facilities. The superintendent said the School Building Authority (SBA) had nearly $180 million in requests statewide in the current needs cycle but had less than $45 million to distribute. The district cited Suncrest Middle School as an example: the new school required a 50/50 split between the district and the SBA to be built. The superintendent said the excess levy revenue cannot, by itself, fund major new construction.

Legislative priorities and behavioral supports

District leaders provided lawmakers with a brief list of five legislative asks, including a K–12 stabilization approach to ensure more predictable funding, continued support for competitive teacher and service personnel pay, sustaining funding for the Third Grade Success Act, and funding to implement Senate Bill 199 (behavioral supports). The superintendent said the district values the behavioral-support provisions of SB 199 and asked for funding for training, counselors and behavior specialists to help address aggressive or disruptive behaviors that can affect entire classrooms.

Summer programming and student outcomes

Lawmakers and district staff discussed how to support students identified as behind in reading before third grade. The superintendent said the district begins identifying struggling students "before Christmas" and meets with parents "in January" to discuss interventions. Legislators urged expansion of summer programming and retesting options for students who do not meet third-grade literacy benchmarks.

Community levy planning

Board members said the district is preparing an excess-levy committee but lacks a volunteer chair. The superintendent said the district needs a chair or co-chair to lead community outreach; board members said staff will circulate the committee list and continue outreach.

Votes at a glance

The board approved a series of routine and contract items during the meeting. (Where the transcript did not name a mover or give detailed vote counts, the board adopted motions by voice vote with "aye" recorded and the chair confirming the motion carried.)

- Early graduation request, University High School — approved by voice vote. - LSIC waiver for Morgantown High School — approved by voice vote. - Audit contract award to Tetrick and Bartlett PLLC for fiscal years 2025–2027 — approved by voice vote. (Cost figures in the transcript were inconsistent; specific annual amounts were not provided in a verifiable form in the meeting record.) - New contracts and memoranda of understanding (Gotham Artist event contract for staff development; Mohawk Bowl sponsorship memorandum of understanding with Hope Gas; Raptor Technologies security contract) — each approved by voice vote. - Accounts payable addenda (general and training reimbursements) and consent agenda items (including Head Start reports and a WVU collaborative pre-K contract) — approved by voice vote. - Multiple policies listed for second reading and adoption (policy numbers and titles read on the record) — adopted by voice vote. - Personnel lists and personnel addenda — adopted by voice vote.

What officials said next

Lawmakers encouraged continued communication with the district and pledged to consider the requests described on the district’s legislative brief. Sen. Oliverio and Delegate Statler both emphasized the legislature's interest in supporting public education and in addressing implementation and funding gaps identified by local districts.

The meeting closed after brief board-member updates and a reminder that the next board meeting is Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.