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Hardy County board orders May 12 special election on five-year excess levy to raise $1.3 million annually
Summary
The Hardy County Board of Education voted 4-0 Jan. 20 to place a five-year excess levy before voters May 12, 2026; staff told the board the levy would raise about $1.3 million annually to stabilize staffing, fund interventionists, offset employee insurance costs and eliminate admission fees for local athletic events.
The Hardy County Board of Education voted 4-0 on Jan. 20 to issue an order directing a May 12, 2026 special election on a proposed five-year excess levy that staff said would raise about $1.3 million a year.
District staff told the board the levy proceeds are restricted by the ballot language to specific uses: approximately 20 positions (estimated split of 10 professional and 10 service), an annual $720,000 allocation for academic interventionists (one full-time per building plus one part-time), $115,500 to cover in-county athletic-event admissions, $400,000 for employee compensation stipends to help offset rising PEIA costs, and $25,000 for facilities maintenance and small capital items. The order the board approved cannot be altered for the five-year term if voters approve it.
“Everything that’s in here, the money that’s raised can only be spent on those items,” the superintendent said while briefing the board on levy details and community outreach plans. He later added, “It’s a win win,” when explaining that removing gate fees for local athletic events could make the levy more attractive to voters.
Board members and staff framed the levy as a response to limitations in the state funding formula, which the superintendent described as last substantially updated in 1993 and built on per‑1,000‑student personnel allocations. The superintendent noted Hardy County Schools currently uses enrollment and staffing to calculate funding and that special-education and English‑learner staffing needs—25% special education and a high EL concentration, he said—create staffing demands not fully recognized by the formula.
Staff described outreach plans: a levy committee meeting scheduled for Feb. 3, the creation of voter calculators that show likely tax impacts by assessed value, and the legal constraint that district employees may educate voters but not advocate for or against the levy.
Board procedure: the motion to order the election was moved, seconded and approved on a 4-0 roll call. Board members asked staff to prepare clear, example-based cost calculators for residents and noted that while many West Virginia counties levy school taxes, the district has not run an excess levy in decades.
Next steps: the board established the levy framework, set the election date, and will form a public committee to provide voters with impact examples ahead of the May 12 ballot.
