Bruce (Brew) School staff urge board to address 'step seven' shortfalls and zero operating budget

Rebecca Stump, a math teacher who identified herself as faculty senate president for Bruce (Brew) School, told the Preston County Board of Education that the school is operating without a dedicated operating budget because it did not receive a separate step-seven allocation this year. "Bruce School is currently operating on a Z budget based on not receiving any step seven funding," she said, and told the board Brew historically received roughly $17,500 annually from step-seven funds for building operational needs.

Stump said district documents she reviewed indicate step-seven funds were overspent by about $51,000 this year and asked whether an unrestricted county account could be used to cover the overage or to provide targeted operational support to Brew. She raised concrete examples of line-item needs — $1,600 for a Character Strong program and $1,400 for needed teacher accounts for a K–3 phonics curriculum — that staff say they cannot fund without fundraising.

Why it matters: Classroom…