ELKINS, W.Va. — The third time was not the charm for the Randolph County Board of Education in its third consecutive attempt to pass an excess levy Tuesday night.
The proposed levy failed by nearly 2,000 votes. The total votes for the levy were 4,457, or 41.23 percent, while votes against the levy totaled 6,379, or 58.77 percent.
Randolph County BOE member Amanda Smith said, “The failure of the levy call is disappointing. With that said, we do live in great communities with excellent teachers and students that will excel given whatever resources we can offer them.”
In the May primary election, the proposed levy failed by 544 votes.
That attempt came after a special vote in November 2015 when the proposed levy was defeated by 542 votes.
“The one positive we can take from this Election Day was the sheer quantity of voters. It’s good to have an opportunity to be heard,” Smith said Tuesday.
In response to a lack of funding in recent months and declining enrollment over the course of several years, Randolph County Schools have responded by proposing school closures and preparing for additional cuts.
“So far this school year, the biggest impact I’ve encountered minus a levy is the ‘What will we do if/when we no longer have excess funds for our almost 4,000 students?’ It’s daunting to think of what cuts that we will be forced to make and how that will impact our students, staff and administrators,” Smith said.
In response to the first two levy failures, the Randolph County BOE worked to create a third levy that was revised in an effort to make it more appealing to tax payers.
The purpose and approximate amounts for the proposed levy on the Nov. 8 ballot were as follows: $1,095,000 annually to curriculum and instruction, $540,000 annually to facilities, $180,000 to athletics, $765,000 annually to employee programs, $170,000 to community and student services, and $150,000 annually to capital improvements.
Each approximate amount was considered by the Board to be necessary for each of the purposes for four fiscal years, starting July 1, 2017, and continuing each subsequent month, day and year until July 1, 2016, in the annual sum of $2,900,000.
“Randolph County Schools must plan for our future. Declining enrollment and decreased funding at the county and state level necessitate change. The possible closure of two local schools will save our county funds, but how much more we’ll have to cut in the future remains to be seen. It’s going to be tough,” Smith said.
