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PCHS/Poc County Budget Cuts (March, 2024)
Background:
Last week (March 14/15) teachers at Pocahontas County High school were notified that, due to budget shortfalls next year two positions at the school were going to be eliminated , one math and one science position. The consequences of these cuts are not known, but it is highly likely that the cuts will result in the elimination of a number of highly successful programs at the school, including dual credit and AP math and science, anatomy, STEM engineering, surveying, nutrition, ACT/SAT prep, and a number of other courses. It is possible additional cuts are being considered – these are simply the only ones that have been announced to date.
The effect of these cuts has the potential to be extreme, ending programs which have taken years to develop, and will affect not only the students of Pocahontas County and their future, but will also take an economic toll on the county and the state, in its ability to attract new residents and businesses to the area.
Budget concerns are a part of every business, and the school system is, unfortunately, not immune to this issue. Unlike many businesses, though, changes in the school system affect everyone in the county, whether they have a student in the school system or not. As a result, making changes which can significantly alter the school system for many years to come need to be made carefully, with full consideration of the outcome and with ample opportunity for everyone affected to have a voice in the process.
UPDATE: We have extensively looked at the budget, and the only cuts we can find from the state for Pocahontas County is the end of the COVID relief funds. The loss of these funds has been known for a long time, so why the sudden need to let staff go without any public notice or discussion?
Concerns:
The reason behind the budget cuts remains unclear. Pocahontas County should not be subject to changes in funding due to a reduction of students in the county, due to the state funding process. Are these cuts due to a roll-back of COVID funds? If so, why was a plan not already in place to handle this issue, which had been made clear from the onset of that funding?
The cuts are being made with no public announcement or discussion. These changes will affect the entire community and this community must be heard when making the decisions.
Are there other cuts being made? If so, when will these be announced? If not, why is the highly successful PCHS STEM program being targeted?
Are there other options than these cuts, which can provide us with space to make better long-term solutions? Can the board offices close and move to schools? Are there also non-teaching positions that can be considered? Are there programs the teachers do not deem absolutely necessary? Are there consolidation of programs that can be considered? None of these are necessarily the right decision, but all should be considered.
What are the long-term effects of these cuts? Currently it appears they are likely to result in the end of many years’ work to develop a successful STEM program. Once ended, this program cannot simply be restarted.
The most likely outcome of these cuts is the removal or drastic reduction in courses in the college preparatory arena. Removal of dual credit and AP classes, honors classes, etc. WILL affect our children’s ability to attend college, both in terms of acceptance and scholarships. The external validation provided by dual credit and AP courses is necessary in a rural community such as ours, to show college and scholarship committees that our students have obtained the required knowledge to successfully attend college and technical training courses.
Cutting the courses the other way, and forcing many CHS students to take college preparatory course when their intent is to go directly into the workforce is an equally poor choice, as that would have a high probability of alienating those students from their coursework and significantly increasing the dropout rate at PCHS.
In any area, if a student is not challenged, behavioral and developmental problems are known to arise. Providing challenging course content to those students in all aspects of education is critical to the future of the student, the community, the school, and the state.
My Recommendation:
Personally, I believe the school system needs to take a step back before implementing these changes. An explanation should be given as to why the budget cuts are happening. The individual school and administration should be allowed to look across their budgets to determine what could be cut, and what the consequences of these cuts would be. Public meetings, advertised well in advance, should then be held letting everyone concerned hear the options and voice their opinions and concerns. Finally, a committee, staffed by school administrators, teachers, and members of the public, should be formed to oversee this process and the final decision that comes from it.
On a side, but related note – due to the process required for the removal of positions within the school system, putting this process on hold for a few months would necessitate the county superintendent handing out RIFs (Reduction in Force notices) to everyone who may be affected by this decision. In other words, to allow for a decision to be made, many teachers across the county may need to receive RIFs, even though the end result is only one or a few positions actually being eliminated.
I Care, what can I do?
ACT NOW! YOU CANNOT WAIT. RIFs, changes in the plan, etc. must be in place by APRIL 1, 2024
Tell your story!
Why do these classes matter to you? How has/will it affect your life?
Share this on public media, in your letters, and at the board meeting.
Contact the Pocahontas County Board of Education.
If you know board members, call them.
Write a letter to the Board of Education
Pocahontas County Schools, 404 Old Buckeye Road, Buckeye, WV 24924
The next BoE meeting is March 26, 4pm at GBEMS
Speak at the next BoE meeting as a delegate (please!!!) - you can even do this by calling in.
Ask to be on the agenda at the next board meeting (please!!!)
Just show up at the meeting and give us support!
You must ask Lynn Bostic or Sue Hollandsworth (contact below) to be on the agenda or you can just call in in advance to be a delegate
Location: 5917 Potomac Highlands Trail, Green Bank, WV 24944
Send a letter to the Pocahontas Times (it can be the same letter as the one to the BoE)
Digital (emailed) submissions are best
Send them to: Jaynell Graham – Editor – jsgraham@pocahontastimes.com
Call Allegheny Mountain Radio and let them know about your concerns (Scott Smith at or Tim Walker at tim@amrmail.org.)
Contact everyone you know and let them know about this; pass on this info! We need parents, students, grandparents, community members, and everyone else who cares to know!
When I contact them, what do I say?
Feel free to use ideas from the concerns (above) or any of the points below. And feel free to add to this list before you pass it on. But most importantly, speak from your heart!
Budget Cuts should be discussed in an open forum with ample opportunity to look at all possible choices before any decision is made.
Cuts in the teaching positions at PCHS should be made with full consideration of the effect these changes will have on the programs across the high school.
Programs take 5-10 years to build; Ending a program kills it for many years into the future.
Loss of dual credit and AP classes will severely limit the college choices for our PCHS students
If you have an example here, on how dual or AP credit has helped you, give it!
Dual credit courses allow college bound students to (1) save money on credit hours (this is huge!) and (2) take college courses they otherwise would not be able to afford, due to time and money, providing, e.g., a pathway to minoring.
The PCHS STEM program is excellent and should not be diminished.
If you have a personal example here about the advanced STEM classes and how it's helped you or anyone in your life, use it!
Our Robotics program crosses is one of the few programs that provided needed skills for college and workforce bound students, and has consistently won state-wide accolades since its inception
The Computer science program provides needed skills. Computer science is one of the fastest growing academic disciplines today, and it offers an excellent career pathway. Nationwide, there is strong demand for computer science experts in the government and public sectors, in corporations of all sizes, and in colleges and universities.
The provided medical courses allow for the many students going into medical fields to both be accepted into and succeed in excellent college and technical schools in fields ranging from pre-med through nursing, medical technicians, EMTs, etc.
Elimination of programs at PCHS affects our economy
A robust economy requires making Pocahontas County a desirable place to live.
It is extremely hard to attract new staff and new businesses to the county if the county school system is deemed inadequate to the needs/perceived needs of young families
Who Do I Contact?
Pocahontas County Board of Education:
President Sue Hollandsworth: drsue06@gmail.com
Member Becky Campbell: pocahontasfoec@hotmail.com
Member Sam Gibson: samhoward030@gmail.com
Member Jarrett McLaughlin: jmclaughlin@firsttracts.com
Member Morgan McComb: mmccomb@k12.wv.us
Running for BOE: Dawn Baldwin: dawn@brightsideacres.com
Poc County Schools Superintendent: Lynne Bostic: lbostic@k12.wv.us
Local Media:
Jaynelle Graham: (letter to editor for oPc Times): jsgraham@pocahontastimes.com
Suzanne Stewart (Reporter for Poc Times): sastewart@pocahontastimes.com
Tim Walker (Allegheny Mountain Radio): tim@amrmail.org
All of your friends & family
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