CHARLESTON — At the same meeting last week in which the West Virginia Department of Education voted unanimously to officially place Randolph County Schools in a state of emergency, the Randolph school system was also discussed as a negative example of how the state’s voucher program works.

During the June 11 meeting in Charleston, Tamia Brower, Education Policy Researcher with the West Virginia Center of Budget and Policy, requested that the state BOE release the up-to-date numbers on the voucher program in the state.

Brower said Randolph County Schools represents a clear example of what happens to the public schools when voucher programs are able to operate without restrictions.  

“Superintendent (Dr. Shawn) Dilly pointed to declining enrollment and the loss of pandemic relief funds as the reasons for the major budget shortfall that led them to consider closing two schools and resulted in more than 30 terminations of service personnel, educators, social workers and counselors,” Brower said.

“Randolph County faces some unique challenges that other school districts across our state do not. As a rural county and the largest county in our state by land area, they face challenges that often test their ability to maximize funding and resources.”

Brower said that $200,000 in public funds were diverted from Randolph County Schools because of the 40 students in the country who took advantage of the voucher program.

Neither Dilly nor any Randolph BOE members were present in Charleston for the June 11 meeting.

During the meeting, it was determined that the Randolph County Schools state of emergency will remain in place for six months, with the state Department of Education working with the Randolph County Board of Education and Dilly during that time on various issues, including creating a balanced budget.

In December, the state Department of Education will receive a progress update, and the state BOE will decide on extending the state of emergency for Randolph County Schools, or intervening in the operation of the school system.

At a special meeting in May, the Randolph BOE voted unanimously to approve a budget for the next school year including a “negative contingency” of $434,388.

Earlier in May, the BOE had decided to report to the state that the county school system will not be able to balance its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.