Randolph County Students Call for Town Hall and Discussion of Educational Funding 

Cc: Governor Patrick Morrisey, U.S Senator Jim Justice, U. S Senator Shelly Moore Capito, U.S Representative Riley Moore, State Senator Bill Hamilton, and House of Delegates Members Jonathan Kyle, and Elias Coop-Gonzalez. 

Dear Federal and State Delegation, 

The students in Randolph County Schools are deeply concerned about the uncertainty facing our district due to funding cuts. The recent reduction-in-force and transfer hearings have heightened student concerns about the future of our schools, communities, and district. As student representatives for our schools, we insist on a Town Hall meeting in Randolph County in April after the West Virginia legislature session and during the U.S Congress recess. This meeting would provide the opportunity for our students and community to engage with you about the impacts of funding on our schools and other community services like Social Security, Medicare, veterans programs, USDA initiatives, and other federal and state programs that are essential to our county. We hope to address uncertainties and questions about some key issues:

● State Funding: There are uncertainties about how funding decisions impact our  schools, teaching positions, class offerings, staff, and programs that are vital to our  community and education. We also hope to hear your thoughts on the Hope Scholarship, its impacts on public education, and possible guardrails.

● Federal Funding: There are also uncertainties in programs that are crucial to our community like USDA initiatives that benefit our students, Title 1, and Medicaid. We would like to hear your thoughts on these programs and provide more clarity to our community and students.

● Unfunded Mandates: There are concerns and uncertainties from our students and community about how we will meet state and federal mandates without sufficient funding for our district.

● Long-Term Rural Education Support: We would love to hear your thoughts and plans to ensure stable and equitable educational funding to the students in rural districts like Randolph County.

This Petition Insists on:

●Passing a Rural Schools Funding Bill this session to protect our schools and prevent a loss in positions in our county

●Attending a Town Hall to discuss the short and long term solutions to the funding challenges our county is facing and address the uncertainties in our county

●Calling a Special Session if a rural schools funding bill is not passed during the regular session. 

We hope to foster a positive civic engagement with this meeting, ensuring our community is informed and its voice is heard in the decisions shaping our future. We appreciate and thank you for your time and commitment to the students, families, and communities of West Virginia.

Sincerely,

The Elkins High School Student Government Association