Wetzel County board reviews proposed excess levy renewal ahead of May ballot

The Wetzel County Board of Education held a special work session to review a proposed renewal of the county’s excess levy that officials plan to place on the May 12 primary ballot. Chair opened the meeting and staff presenter Mr. Duke walked the board through the levy order and the proposed ballot language.

Mr. Duke said the proposal is a renewal — not a bond — and is intended to fund day-to-day operations rather than capital construction. “This excess levy has been passed since the fifties,” Mr. Duke said, and the levy currently supports textbooks and classroom supplies; a 1-to-1 device initiative (laptops and iPads); safety and security improvements; efforts to attract and retain qualified teachers and staff; transportation for academic and athletic trips; and student support services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy and psychological services.

The renewal would add several items to the current list of funded services, including after-school suppers for students, increased support for county public libraries, and free admission for Wetzel County residents to any school-sponsored events that currently charge admission. Board members said the free-admission policy is intended to ease family costs for households with multiple children and to increase community attendance; Mr. Duke and another board member estimated making admission free for residents would add roughly $100,000 to the allocation.

On nutrition, Mr. Duke told the board the proposed allocation for school meals has risen substantially in the plan, with the nutrition line described as having “almost doubled,” moving from about $500,000 to about $900,000 in the fiscal projections presented to the board. Staff member Deanna outlined logistics for summer feeding, saying the district plans to return to a seven-day delivery model with up to seven days of food delivered at once to homes and that a new procurement (bid) will be issued for those services.

Board members pressed staff on whether transportation costs for athletic trips were included; Mr. Duke said those costs — including driver pay and substitute coverage — are captured under an “extra duty wages” line item on the more detailed handout. Mr. Duke also emphasized that passing the renewal would not change tax rates: “This is not to increase taxes — these are existing taxes we have today,” he said.

The presentation noted the district’s revenue is sensitive to the oil and gas industry. Mr. Duke said the industry has been a significant source of county revenue since 2007 and that roughly 40% of the excess levy revenue is attributed to oil and gas receipts, with an approximate projection of about 100 new wells in the next four years. Board members and staff discussed how volatility in appraisal values and lagging collections (oil and gas taxes can be reported on a delayed schedule) could cause year-to-year swings in levy receipts; Mr. Duke said the district experienced a roughly 38% drop from fiscal 2025 to 2026 estimates and expects similar variability in the near term.

The board reviewed several staffing items tied to local and state requirements. Members noted the district has added about 25–27 classroom aide positions over the past three years and estimated the proposal could require an additional roughly 10–12 aides to meet projected grade-level needs if mandates expand.

No formal action was taken at the work session. Chair said the board will vote at its regular meeting on Tuesday on whether to place the levy order on the ballot; if the board approves, the county commission will also need to act before the levy proceeds. The board adjourned following a unanimous procedural motion to end the special meeting.

Next procedural steps: the board will consider a vote at its Tuesday meeting to place the renewal on the May 12 ballot; the transcript did not record a finalized effective date with consistent year notation, so the exact start date should be confirmed in the formal order or at the Tuesday meeting.