Friday, November 30, 2012

New Dollar General Store in Cowen Expected to Open Today

This brand new Dollar General store is expected to open on November 30.
According to the local store manager, the new Dollar General store in Cowen (located just past the Cowen Volunteer Fire Department going towards Camden on Gauley) is expected to open its doors for business sometime on Friday, November 30, 2012.

The Commentator had an opportunity to take a sneak peak inside the store on November 29, 2012. This store is at least twice as big as the Dollar General store in Webster Springs, with twice an many goods and products offered. Even the parking lot is expansive, with approximately 24 parking spaces. There was a flurry of activity inside the store, as employees and vendors were busy completing the stocking of the shelves and cleaning up.

According to the store manager, all of the employees hired to date are local residents. More positions need to be filled, and job applicants can still apply at the store.

An official grand opening is set for December 8, 2012. Given its size and offerings, this store will likely become the "mini-Walmart" of Webster County.

The large parking lot at the new Dollar General store in Cowen.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Update: New Go-Mart to Open in Early February of 2013

Construction on the new Go-Mart in Webster Springs progresses despite the recent cold weather.
The new Go-Mart on Baker's Island in Webster Springs is expected to open its doors and gas pumps for business around the first week in February, 2013, according to Go-Mart General Manager Paul Gaughan.

In a brief interview with the Commentator on November 29, 2012, Gaughan provided more details about the new store. The store will have 10 gas pumps, offering three grades of gasoline as well as diesel fuel. Dispelling rumors, Gaughan said the store will not offer kerosene fuel.

The store is twice as large as the present Go-Mart store on Main Street.  The current store will be closed, with no plans at this time for its future.

The new Go-Mart will continue to offer PiZZA PRiMO! products, but will not include the Sub Express foods. The store will offer its own food service, such as fried chicken, and hot and cold sandwiches, as well as a breakfast menu. Inside seating will allow customers to eat their foods on the spot. A "beer cave" will also be featured in the store, which is a walk-in cooler that will keep all beer products cold, rather than the warm beer that is usually stocked in aisles.  And, yes, there will be public bathrooms in the store.

Gaughan hopes that the new store will have more employees than the current store depending on how much business it attracts. 

Signs of Protest Increase in Diana

Concerned citizens in Diana have been putting up signs in support of the
Diana Elementary School at the intersection of Routes 15 and 20 in Diana.
This sign is located across from the Hometown Diner in Diana.
Community organizers are hoping for a big turnout at the upcoming public
hearing at the Diana school now scheduled for December 17, 2012, at 6 p.m.



A Gift for All: The Addison Visitors Center & Gallery



For a lot of folks, one of Webster County's best kept secrets is the immense variety of unique products that can be found at the Addison Visitors Center and Gallery located on Main Street in Webster Springs, just a stone's throw away from the Courthouse.

Opened in May of 1995 with grant assistance, the Gallery has evolved into a self-sufficient operation, according to Gallery manager Evon Snyder. Owned by the City of Webster Springs, the Gallery was initially funded by the City, which bought the items on display and paid the payroll and other operating costs. "That was several years ago," Snyder said.  Now, while some of the items are bought by the Gallery, most are consigned for sale.

"We have over 200 artisans with items here, with at least 75 percent of the items either made by West Virginians or about West Virginia," Snyder added. Snyder is one of two paid employees at the Gallery, but she credits the volunteer helpers with keeping the Gallery going.

Big sellers at the Gallery include primitives, flower arrangements, candles, books, and recently, the new addition of consigned antique furniture. Working at the Gallery is a "labor of love" for Snyder, and she credits mostly locals and some tourists with the Gallery's financial success.

In this gift giving time of year, a shopper would be hard pressed not to find an item to buy at the Gallery given its wide variety of offerings (as shown in the video accompanying this article). Yes, they even have "ramp salsa" for sale, along with everything else imaginable made with ramps.

The Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. The Gallery can be contacted at 304-847-5404.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Laws on Vehicle Length Limits in Webster County Ignored


Most residents of Webster County at one time or another have been crowded onto a berm or forced partially or even fully off the road by those long tractor trailer trucks. It is a simple fact of life on our curvy roads here in the County.

What most folks may not realize is that all roads in Webster County have certain length limits imposed by West Virginia law and Department of Transportation regulations. These laws and regulations in most cases, if enforced, would prohibit those long tractor trailers from being on the County's roads.

If the laws were enforced, a lot of business in the County would grind to a halt.  Because of that consequence, the length limit laws are rarely enforced.  When they are enforced, it is usually because an over-length vehicle was in an accident, a cause of which was the length of the vehicle.

While we do not advocate to shut down business in the County by the enforcement of these laws, we do believe that some truckers of these over-length vehicles need to exercise more caution in the curves.

Simply view the above video for an example of why caution is needed. In the video, the tractor trailer on more than one occasion crosses the center line. Near the end of the video, the tractor trailer comes around a blind curve up a hill and was more than halfway across the other lane. Because of the guardrail, any oncoming traffic would have either smashed into the tractor trailer or at least hit the guardrail. Just a mere five seconds after the video ended, a line of three cars crested this hill and would have faced this very dilemma. Five seconds meant the difference between an accident and going about your business without any clue of what could have happened.

The specific weight, width, height, and length limit regulations can be found at the following link:
http://www.transportation.wv.gov/employees/DOHAdminProcs/DOH0314.pdf

To view a map of the length limits on highways in West Virginia, click on this link:
http://www.transportation.wv.gov/highways/programplanning/preliminary_engineering/Documents/vehiclesize.pdf

To view a map of the weight limits on the highways in West Virginia, click on this link:
http://www.transportation.wv.gov/highways/programplanning/preliminary_engineering/Documents/Gross%20Weight%20Limit.PDF

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Winter Wonderland on Point Mountain Continues

Although Winter does not officially arrive for another three-plus weeks, Webster County residents up on the higher parts of Point Mountain have been seeing a constant view of white on the ground since the October 29, 2012 "Frankenstorm".

To add insult to injury, just this past weekend, most of the snow from the Superstorm was just about gone when Old Man Winter, well, actually, Old Man Fall, dumped a few inches of more snow on Point Mountain, followed by another inch or two today (November 27, 2012). These unrelenting Fall snows have Point Mountain folk wondering how bad Winter will be when it actually begins on December 21, 2012. Are the Mayan predictions coming true?
Snow and heavy fog on Point Mountain at about 4:00 p.m. on 11-27-12.
A few inches of snow cover the Point Mountain reunion grounds.
The November 27, 2012 snow on Point Mountain "frosted" the trees,
making for a scenic drive.

School Consolidation Plan Poll

What is your opinion of the proposed school consolidation plan?
  
pollcode.com free polls 



Monday, November 26, 2012

Keep Up to Date on an Inmate's Status by Being on the VINE

The West Virginia Division of Corrections offers a service that will notify you of an offender's release from prison or other change in custody status.

The West Virginia automated Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) is a free anonymous telephone service that gives victims of crime information and notification about an offender's current custody status in the prisons. The VINE program will also alert you by email of any such changes.

Registration is simple.  Access the West Virginia VINE program at this link:
First, click on the State of West Virginia on the map. Then click on the "search and register" tab near the top. Then enter the inmate's last and first names or offender ID number. Once the inmate is located, click on the inmate's name, and then register your telephone number and/or email address. You will then receive notifications of changes in that inmate's status.

Please read the disclaimers on the home page of the VINE website and please also note that the VINE program works only for Division of Corrections' offenders.  The photo above is how the "search and register" page will look.

Questions About the Proposed School Consolidation Plan


As many readers know, the Commentator has published a series of articles about the Superintendent's proposed school consolidation plan. Like a mole burrowing about in the ground, we have dug up as much information as possible so that our readers will be fully informed of the facts prior to the upcoming public hearings.

After writing these seven articles (see links below), we still have questions which the proponents of the consolidation plan should answer.  Here are some of our questions:
  • What are the main justifications for closing the Diana Elementary school?  
  • If a main justification for closing Diana is financial, what is the financial position of the County's schools that supports closing the Diana school as the only option?
  • Have all other cost cutting measures been taken, and if so, what were those measures?
  • What are the justifications for sending all 7th and 8th grade students to the high school?
  • If a justification for sending all 7th and 8th graders to the high school is "curriculum enrichment," then why are the 7th and 8th graders at Hacker Valley not included in this plan?
  • Are there any anticipated negative consequences to sending 7th and 8th graders to the high school?
  • Why does the Superintendent fear a State takeover of the Webster school system if the consolidation plan is not adopted by the Board of Education?
  • What impact do the recent standardized test scores (showing the County's elementary schools perform better than the middle and high schools) have on the consolidation plan, if any?
The Commentator is respectfully requesting that readers submit their own questions so that we can keep digging for answers. Either post your question as a comment to this article or send us an email at: wvcritic@gmail.com. Comments and emails can be sent anonymously.

Here are links to our prior articles in the order they were published:

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Is State Takeover of Webster Schools a Real Possibility?


In her initial report to the Webster County Board of Education on October 25, 2012, Superintendent Martha Dean stated that "we run the risk of state takeover because our financial resources will not support our current system."

This article will address whether that risk is real and will discuss the conditions that must exist before the State will take over a local school system, particularly considering that the State Board of Education has previously intervened in the school districts of Gilmer, Hampshire, Lincoln, Logan, Preston, Grant, Fayette, McDowell, and Mingo counties. We realize that this article may appear lengthy and complex, but when a County official like Superintendent Dean suggests the threat of a State takeover, the issue must be taken seriously and examined thoroughly.

Under what conditions will the State take over a county school system?

According to West Virginia law (*see link below), county school systems are annually reviewed by the State Board of Education.  School systems must meet certain performance criteria, including meeting standards for (1) curriculum; (2) workplace readiness skills; (3) finance; (4) transportation; (5) special education; (6) facilities; (7) administrative practices; (8) training of county board members and administrators; (9) personnel qualifications; (10) professional development and evaluation; (11) student performance and progress; (12) school and school system performance and progress; (13) a code of conduct for students and employees; and (14) indicators of efficiency.

The State has auditors which review whether school systems meet the above performance criteria as set by the State Board.  Auditors can perform on-site reviews to determine if the information provided by the school system is accurate.

Annually, the State Board reviews all of this information for each school system and issues one of the following approval levels to each county board: full approval, temporary approval, conditional approval, or non-approval. Whenever non-approval status is given to a school system, the State Board shall declare a state of emergency in the school system.

Once a state of emergency is declared, the State Board will make recommendations to the school system to correct its problems.  If progress is not made within six months, the State Board shall intervene (i.e., takeover the school system).

A takeover by the State can have these consequences: 

(1) Limiting the authority of the county superintendent and county board as to the expenditure of funds, the employment and dismissal of personnel, the establishment and operation of the school calendar, the establishment of instructional programs and rules and any other areas designated by the state board by rule, which may include delegating decision-making authority regarding these matters to the state superintendent;

(2) Declaring that the office of the county superintendent is vacant;

(3) Delegating to the state superintendent both the authority to conduct hearings on personnel matters and school closure or consolidation matters and, subsequently, to render the resulting decisions and the authority to appoint a designee for the limited purpose of conducting hearings while reserving to the state superintendent the authority to render the resulting decisions;

(4) Functioning in lieu of the county board of education in a transfer, sale, purchase or other transaction regarding real property; and

(5) Taking any direct action necessary to correct the emergency.

Why were other school districts taken over by the State?

Gilmer County is the most recent system to be taken over by the State in 2011. According to an article from West Virginia MetroNews, the reasons for the takeover included: "State auditors found that county board members were in discord; the county board operations were dysfunctional; and meetings were unproductive and resulted in the board being incapable of following State Code and West Virginia Board of Education policies. County school board meeting minutes reflect that the school board is trying to micro-manage, essentially replacing its administrators' and county superintendent's recommendations with their own, leading to a flawed hiring, transferring and reduction in force system. Numerous questionable and irregular decisions are being made by the county board prompting distrust and suspicion." Just as important, some schools in Gilmer County were inadequate and in need of dire repairs, and the system experienced "a dwindling student population." Only this last reason appears to apply to Webster's school system, and that alone would not justify a takeover.

Fayette County was taken over in 2010 after the State cited the system with an inability to pass any type of school consolidation plan after attempts to raise taxes to support the school system failed, resulting in continued school budget deficits, as well as an inability to consolidate several high schools into a new high school. The State also noted weak student test scores and sub-standard facilities as reasons for the takeover. The Fayette County experience seems to mirror some of Webster's current problems.

Citing "serious county board leadership problems as well as personnel and curriculum issues," the State took over schools in Grant County in 2009. The State noted that schools failed to make adequate yearly progress in test scores for the last five years as a main justification for the takeover.

In 2009, the State also took control over Preston County schools, citing problems with facilities, finances, leadership, and personnel. Preston County has made progress to fix its problems in light of the voters' support of a levy and bond to improve facilities. However, ongoing budget problems are among the reasons noted for continued State intervention.

In 2006, Hampshire County schools fell under the supervision of the State. Reasons listed for the takeover included: widespread personnel and financial problems at Hampshire County's school board office; top Hampshire school administrators hired employees illegally; and administrators misspent state grants.

Is the risk of State takeover real for Webster schools?

First, the County's problems are primarily financial due to declining student populations. The experience of other school systems taken over by the State suggests that financial and student population issues may lead to State takeover.  It is not clear whether Webster's experience with those issues rises to the level of State intervention.

Second, the Webster school system is certainly not under any "state of emergency" as might be declared by the State Board of Education. As such, there is no imminent fear of a State takeover.

Third, as of July, 2009, the Webster County school system was granted the highest level of approval (i.e., "full approval status") by the Office of Education Performance Audits ("OEPA") of the State Department of Education. See: http://oepa.state.wv.us/documents/91-WebsterCoCentralOffice-Final.pdf  This is the most recent audit listed on the OEPA website. If Webster County's status has dropped from such high level down to a lower level, then the Board and Superintendent need to answer why the approval status has declined.  We do know at present that the approval level is not currently in a "non-approval" status that would trigger State intervention.   

Whether rejection of Superintendent Dean's current consolidation plan would place Webster in a lower approval status is subject to debate. Failure to consolidate coupled with continued budget deficits may likely catch the eye of OEPA auditors. On the other hand, given its prior "full approval status," it is hard to accept that a State takeover of Webster schools would occur at any time in the near future.

*If you wish to read the full West Virginia law on a State takeover of a local school system, please follow this link:
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/wvcode/ChapterEntire.cfm?chap=18&art=2E&section=5#02E
This is West Virginia Code Section 18-2E-5; you will need to scroll down to lower case "p" to find the specific law on the conditions when a State takeover may occur.

Friday, November 23, 2012

County's Elementary Schools Outshine Middle and High Schools in Recent Test Scores

A review of recent standardized testing for Webster County's schools reveals that students at the County's four elementary schools test better for their grade levels than do students at the County's one middle and one high school.

For purposes of this article, only the most recent 2011-12 Westest2 data was considered. Students are tested in four areas: reading, math, science, and social studies. Results are grouped into five categories of proficiency on the tests: novice, below mastery, mastery, above mastery, and distinguished. Students are considered proficient in the subject matter if they score in the mastery, above mastery, and distinguished categories.

Here are the county-wide proficiency averages in each test area:

Reading:             39.84%
Math:                  41.38%
Science:             32.10%
Social Studies:   25.10%
*For example, county-wide, 39.84% of the students are proficient in reading, meaning they scored in the mastery, above mastery, or distinguished categories.

Here are the percentages of how each individual school scored in each test area:

                                Diana           Hacker Valley
Reading:                  58.68            50.00
Math:                       67.37            50.00
Science:                  35.54            52.50
Social Studies:        20.44            25.00

*Both Diana and Hacker Valley beat the county-wide averages in 3 of the 4 tested subject categories.

                                Webster Springs     Glade Elem.
Reading:                  47.56                      43.74
Math:                       55.54                      52.07
Science:                   34.79                      28.41
Social Studies:        25.60                       37.89

*Glade Elementary beat the county-wide averages in 3 of the 4 tested subject categories, and Webster Springs Elementary School beat the county-wide averages in all 4 tested subject categories.

                                 Glade Middle        High School
Reading:                   32.40                     34.79
Math:                        32.85                     30.11
Science:                    34.85                     15.23
Social Studies:          18.79                     26.25

*Both Glade Middle School and the High School beat the county-wide averages in only 1 of the 4 tested subject categories.

As parents and other concerned citizens ponder the proposed school consolidation plan, these recent standardized test scores may have some impact on the debate.  Readers who wish to view all types of test scores, including the results included in this article, can access the West Virginia Department of Education website at the following link: http://wveis.k12.wv.us/nclb/pub/index.cfm  [select a county, select a school, then select a data report: "Westest2 2011-12 overview" was selected for the statistics in this article].

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Deer Season Helps Taxidermy Business

Unemployment in Webster County Increases

Webster County remained second in the State in highest unemployment rates, at 12.2% for October, 2012. Webster County's rate increased from September, 2012.  Only neighboring Clay County had a higher rate, at 13.5%. Monongalia County had the lowest rate at 4.3%. For the first 10 months of 2012, Webster's unemployment rate has ranged from a low of 11.2% in June to a high of 12.8% in February. Statewide, unemployment ticked down one-tenth to 7.5%. To read the complete report released by WorkForce West Virginia, please follow this link: http://workforcewv.org/lmi/datarel/cnty_PR.pdf

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Four McCourt's Remain in Regional Jail on Felony Charges; Jail Bill to Webster County Surpasses $16,000

Cole Shannon McCourt is charged with eight felony counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance,
and two felony counts of Conspiracy.  Bond on each charge was set at $30,000.00, for a total bond of $240,000.00.

Keith Odell McCourt is charged with one felony count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  Bond was set at $25,000.00.

Shane Edger McCourt is charged with five felony counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substances,
and two felony counts of Conspiracy.  Bond on each charge was set at $30,000.00, for a total bond of $210,000.00. 
Tracy Lynn McCourt is charged with one felony count of Conspiracy.  Her case is now bound over to the Circuit Court.
As of November 22, 2012, these four McCourt's have been at the Regional Jail for about 82 days each (an actual combined 328 days), at a cost of $48.80 per day, for a total bill to the County of Webster of $16,006.40, and growing $195.20 day by day. Many counties in West Virginia are struggling to pay their jail bills, even the capitol county of Kanawha.  Read about Kanawha's jail bill problems at this link:  http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201211210237

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: Murder Conviction for Julia Surbaugh Set Aside by WV Supreme Court; New Trial to be Scheduled

Julia Surbaugh will receive a new trial
after the WV Supreme Court reversed
her first degree murder conviction
on November 20, 2012.
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals today (November 20, 2012) reversed the first degree murder conviction and life sentence without mercy of Julia Surbaugh, sending the case back for a new trial.

On May 20, 2010, a jury returned a guilty verdict on the charge of first degree murder. The jury did not recommend mercy and made a specific finding that a firearm was used in the commission of the incident, giving Surbaugh a life sentence.  She filed her appeal citing four major errors that occurred during her trial before Circuit Judge Richard Facemire.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals basically reversed her conviction because the trial court failed to give a jury instruction on how the jury should consider the impact of the evidence of Julia's good character and how, if at all, it  might cast doubt as to her guilt.

Of her four different grounds for appeal, the Court rejected the first three grounds discussed below and reversed the conviction on the fourth ground. Surbaugh will remain incarcerated pending the new trial.

Surbaugh first argued that her husband's statements (that Julia shot him) to various medical and law enforcement personnel violated her right of confrontation, since she could not obviously cross-examine her deceased husband, Michael Surbaugh. The Court found that these statements were not made for purposes of later testifying at trial, but were made and considered to be "excited utterances" by the decedent. To qualify as an "excited utterance" the statements had to have been made when Michael experienced a starling event or condition, that he reacted while under the stress or excitement of that event and not from reflection and fabrication, and his statements related to the startling event or condition.  The Court found that the statements met this test and did not reverse Julia's conviction on this ground.

Surbaugh next argued that her third statement to law enforcement (in which she admitted shooting her husband) should not have been admitted at trial because she was in custody and was not properly advised of her right to remain silent. The Court rejected this ground because the officer who was actually questioning her at the time of her admissions was not aware that an arrest warrant had been obtained, and therefore she was not in custody.

The third and fourth grounds of her appeal deal with the Circuit Judge's refusal to instruct the jury on what is commonly referred to as the "battered woman's syndrome" and an instruction on how her good character could be relied upon to cast reasonable doubt of her guilt.

On the battered woman's syndrome instruction, the Court rejected this argument, stating that "while there was certainly evidence of marital discord, there was not sufficient evidence of the alleged threats and abuse requiring the giving of this type of instruction. The petitioner herself, when on the stand testifying on direct examination on her own behalf, did not discuss prior or present day abuse. She presented a case for self-defense, which was argued to the jury, instructed to the jury and eventually rejected by the jury when it returned a guilty verdict against the petitioner."

Surbaugh requested an instruction that said:  "Julia Surbaugh has introduced evidence of her good character. Good character is a circumstance to be considered by the jury with all other facts and circumstances in the case on the question of the guilt or innocence of Julia Surbaugh, and can, alone, give rise to a reasonable doubt of her guilt on your part; but if you believe Julia Surbaugh is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, her good character cannot be taken into consideration to mitigate, justify or excuse the commission of the crime."

Judge Facemire did not give this instruction to the jury.

The Supreme Court found that the instruction as offered was in error since it allowed a jury to consider good character alone to ignore the evidence offered by the State (emphasis added).  However, even though Surbaugh's proposed instruction was in error, the Judge failed to give any guidance to the jury on how to consider evidence of a person's good character.  The Court said that "there was no guidance to the jury via specific instruction or by the general charge on how to interpret evidence of good character. Therefore, the instructional error is sufficient enough to warrant a reversal of the conviction and a remand for a new trial. Upon retrial, the petitioner is entitled to an instruction on good character, if such evidence is introduced."

Here is a link to read the entire opinion of the Supreme Court, including a good summary of the facts presented at the trial:
http://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/fall2012/11-0561.pdf

Financial Reason for Webster County School Consolidation Plan Appears Necessary

A review of the Webster County Board of Education's most recent budget appears to supply the justification for at least part of the proposed school consolidation plan.

In our last article (see links to all prior school consolidation articles below), we left readers to ponder what financial reasons justify the closing of the Diana school (as well as questioning from an academic standpoint whether 7th and 8th graders should be sent to the high school).  After a brief visit to the Board offices this morning, we received some answers to the concerns raised.  This article will focus mainly on the financial condition of the Board.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, the Board had total revenues of $17,172.581.00 and total expenditures of $17,721,922.00, for an ending deficit of $549,341.00. Readers will recall from our last article that the closing of the Diana school will result in an average savings of $649,011.00.  Although this savings may be in excess of what is needed to cover the $549,341.00 deficit, the excess will likely be consumed by the additional teachers that will be needed at the Webster Springs Elementary School due to the influx of the Diana students. The excess will also be needed to cover additional personnel and renovation costs should the part of the plan calling for the transfer of the 7th and 8th grade students also be approved.

In addition to running a $549,341.00 deficit in the past fiscal year, the Board's other assets and surpluses from prior years were not enough to cover the yearly deficit, leaving the Board with an ending funds balance of a negative $288,608.00.  

According to sources with the Board, last year alone, the Board cut as many as 10 personnel posts in an effort to reduce costs. It is believed that further workforce reductions can not occur due to State law requiring certain numbers of personnel for the students. As such, other cost cutting measures short of closing the Diana school will not come close to covering the current and future deficits.

Regarding the total deficit of $549,341.00 discussed above, that figure includes special revenues and special expenditures which change from year to year. Excluding those special revenues and expenditures, the Board still experienced a deficit of $319,047.00.

Of the Board's $17,721,922.00 in expenditures during the last fiscal year, $9,165,967.00 was spent for salaries, including salaries for the Board members and the Superintendent, salaries for teachers and other service personnel, salaries for other professional personnel, and salaries paid for student work performed.  The Board also expended $8,555,955.00 in non-salary expenditures, including $3,396.350.00 in itemized expenditures in excess of $250.00 each (as shown in the four photos below).

Here are the links to our prior articles on the school consolidation plan, in the order we printed them:

Board of Education expenditures (non-salary) over $250.00 each:




Erbacon Arson Investigations Continue

Over the past few months, several house and building fires of suspicious origin have occurred in Erbacon, West Virginia.

According to Assistant State Fire Marshall Mark Lambert, "there are some ongoing investigations in that area of the state. Some arrests could possibly be made before the end of the year. I cannot comment on any specifics of those investigations. I would stress to your readers that if they have any info on any fires we offer up to a $5000.00 reward for such information that leads to arrest and conviction of those involved. All they need to do is call 1-800-233-3473 (FIRE)."

Monday, November 19, 2012

Sharp's Tunnel on the Greenbrier River Trail Offers Quick "Day-cation"



How many times have you heard "there is nothing to do around here?"

Once again, neighboring Pocahontas County offers a variety of "day-cation" ideas.  Our last article featured some free and unusual scenic sites to see in southern Pocahontas County:  http://webstercommentator.blogspot.com/2012/11/pocahontas-county-ideal-spot-for-day.html

This article and the accompanying video focuses on another free spot.  Rather than join the throngs of blaze orange wearing hunters on opening day, we paid a visit to the Greenbrier River Trail in Pocahontas County, in particular Sharp's Tunnel on the trail.  The tunnel is about 500 feet long, located about mid-way between Cass and Edray off of the Back Mountain Road running between those two towns.  It makes an ideal picnic spot at either end of the tunnel.

More adventurous "day-cationers" can rent or take their own bicycles along the trail.

Here is a link to the official State Park website for the trail:

Here are some of the outfitters that rent bikes to take on the trail, some of which will shuttle you back to your point of departure to save you the round trip back:

SEEBERT
Jack Horner's Corner - (304) 653-4515
Adjacent to Greenbrier River Trail and Watoga State Park
Bike sales, rentals, shuttles, accessories, minor repairs

MARLINTON
Dirtbean Hale - (304) 799-4038
217 8th Street
Bike sales, rentals, repairs, accessories

Appalachian Sport Lodge - (304) 799-4050
3 Seneca Trail
Bike sales, rentals, shuttles, bike accessories

SLATYFORK
Elk River Touring Center - 1-866-572-3771
US Route 219 Slatyfork
Bike sales, rentals, repairs, accessories, shuttles

CASS
Route 66 Outpost - (304) 456-4288
Bike rentals, accessories, shuttles

Sunday, November 18, 2012

School Consolidation Plan Remains Unconvincing

A review of the recent information released by Webster County Superintendent Martha Dean provides more information about her consolidation plan, but still fails to address several issues, including at least one key financial issue.

In the "School Closure and Reorganization Documentation" required to be released by State Board of Education policies, the report states that closing the Diana Elementary School will save the County Board of Education an average of $694,011.00 per year. The question yet to be answered is how much of a deficit is the Board currently operating under that requires that amount of savings. 

The documentation also fails to answer whether all other cost cutting steps have been taken short of closing the Diana school.  The Commentator does not doubt that the Board is in a financial pinch; we, along with other concerned citizens, just want to see the financial numbers that prove that, if at all.

As justification for the Diana closure, the Superintendent's documentation states:  "The number of students per se is not the controlling factor in recommending closure. It is the fact that students are, for the most part, served in classrooms with two grade levels and one teacher, which is not a desirable configuration, and Webster Springs Elementary School, which has adequate space to accommodate the students from [Diana], is only located 9 miles away."

Again, the justification presented does not appear to be financially based if the Superintendent believes that the current setup at Diana is somehow detrimental to the students. Where are the facts about test scores and how well the Diana students are performing?  If the undesirable "configuration" is the main justification for closing the Diana school, then the Superintendent should be required to show with facts how the students have been negatively impacted by that "configuration."  Without citing any facts to support the following statement, the documentation states that closing Diana "will enable the provision of a better educational program ... without the expenses of teachers to teach very small classes in some schools and other schools to have to have over-crowded classrooms."

The documentation also addresses the ability of the Webster Springs Elementary School (WSES) to absorb the additional Diana students.  Closing Diana will required 2 additional teaches and 1 additional aide, but the number of additional students is well within the space capacity of the WSES.  The report also notes the impact will be lessened considering that the Board should give Diana students from Jumbo and Sugar Creek the option to attend the Hacker Valley Elementary School.

As to the consolidation plan's suggestion that all 7th and 8th grade students (except those from Hacker Valley) should be transferred to the high school also raises several unanswered questions.  The main justification for this part of the plan is "curriculum enrichment," which is the provision of a variety of subjects to all 7th and 8th grade students in one place that is not currently available to such students at the other schools.

Again, where are the studies that show that the affected 7th and 8th grade students have been negatively affected by the alleged current lack of curriculum enrichment? And what impact will these 7th and 8th graders have when placed with the older high school students? Even the Superintendent apparently realizes that having the younger students at the high school is not entirely desirable; otherwise, why would she suggest having a separate, isolated wing at the high school for those younger students?

After the release of several documents by the Superintendent at the past two Board meetings, the proponents of the consolidation plan have yet to convince a lot of folks that the plan is necessary either financially or for other reasons.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

In Just Four Weeks

The Commentator has had just over 6,000 page views in the four weeks since we began this project.

Wow, and thanks.

Here are some interesting statistics about our viewers:

These are the page views broken down by country of origin:
United States     5929
Bolivia                32
France                 13
Romania              6
Germany              5
South Korea        4
United Kingdom  1
Croatia                1
Malaysia             1
Norway               1

63% of the viewers use a Windows operating system, 20% use an iPhone, with the rest using devices like Android, Macintosh, Blackberry, etc.

Our stories on the school consolidation plan now being debated have collectively received the most views.

Friday, November 16, 2012

More Analysis of Webster County's "FrankenBudget"

As Webster County is recovering from the "FrankenStorm" of a few weeks ago, another scary problem faces its residents:  the County's "FrankenBudget."

As previously reported, from 2008 to 2012, revenues for the County declined a total of $509,968.40 but yet spending increased during that period a total of $1,192.276.14. To stay afloat, the County has dipped deep into its financial reserves. In the past fiscal year alone, the County spent $837,738.12 more than it took in.

Our last article concluded that the causes for the spending increase included: increased Regional Jail fees (27.9 percent of the increase); increased employee related expenses (64.2%); and other spending increases (7.9%).  

In a prior article, we noted that one of the causes for the declining revenues was a decline in coal severance revenues. From 2008 to 2012, coal severance revenues declined $184,972.18. In the prior article, we listed this as 36.3% of the total decline, but a further review of all declining revenue categories in the budgets show that the coal severance decline accounts for only 31.3% of the actual revenue declines.  We left for further analysis the question of what accounts for the remaining percent of the decline in revenues.

The County has five categories of revenue sources (the first four are classified as "major" funds and the last as a "non-major" fund): 
(1) General Fund, which includes taxes, intergovernmental revenues from the State and Federal government, charges for services, interest, fines and forfeitures, and a miscellaneous category.
(2) Coal Severance Fund, which includes taxes, interest, and a miscellaneous category.
(3) Assessor's Valuation Fund, which primarily consists of charges for services.
(4) 911 Center Fund, which includes charges for services, interests, and a miscellaneous category.
(5) Other Special Revenue funds, such as revenue from Home Confinement, Worthless Checks, Dog & Kennel, Concealed Weapons, etc.

From 2008 to 2012, only the Assessor's Valuation Fund and the Special Revenue funds increased in revenue ($11,446.54 and $69,360.07 respectively).

For the same time period, the General, Coal Severance, and 911 Center Funds declined considerably ($241,878.06, $184,972.18, and $163,924.77 respectively).  Since we have already analyzed the decline in the coal severance revenues, we now examine what part of the revenues in the General and 911 Center Funds that have declined.

In the General Fund, taxes and federal revenues increased ($89,197.40 and $158,354.70 respectively).  However, all other General Fund categories declined, including:  other taxes, down $61,368.03; charges for services, down $20,869.72; state revenues, down $157,462.71; fines, down $5,061.23; interest, down $12,217.68; and miscellaneous, down $206,950.79.

In the 911 Center Fund, all reported revenue categories declined, including:  charges for services, down $129,411.12; interest, down $6,354.18; and miscellaneous, down $28,159.47.

Considering all five of the fund categories listed above for the 2008 to 2012 time period, the decline in General Fund revenues accounts for 40.94% of the total decline, with the Coal Severance Fund accounting for 31.31% and the 911 Center Fund 27.75% of the total decline.

This reviews tells us where the decline in revenues exist; unfortunately, it does not explain why there is a decline in the Funds other than what has happened to the coal industry and the related drop in coal tax revenues. We hope to speak with County officials to answer why these other categories declined.

We further understand that a review of all four of our county budget articles may seem technical, but we believe we can rather simply summarize our review as follows:

1. In recent years, the County is spending considerably more than it takes in.
2. From 2008 to 2012, revenue has declined $509,968.40.
3. From 2008 to 2012, spending has increased $1,192,276.14.
4. Coal severance revenues account for only 31.31% of the decline in revenues.
5. Employee related expenses account for 64.2% of the spending increase.
6. Regional Jail fees account for 27.9% of the spending increase.

The County budget is certainly headed in the wrong direction with more spending than revenues.  It's scary.  It's a "FrankenBudget" that needs fixed.  Stay tuned.

Here are links to our three prior articles on the budget:


Thursday, November 15, 2012

School Consolidation Plan Hot Topic at Recent Board of Education Meeting

When the Webster County Board of Education met on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at the Glade Middle School, there was really only one hot topic for discussion: the Superintendent's proposed closing of the Diana Elementary School and other consolidation plans.

About 50 concerned citizens attended the meeting, and four citizens spoke about their concerns over Superintendent Martha Dean's consolidation plan that she first proposed at the October 23, 2012 Board meeting. 

Regarding the consolidation plan, the only action taken at the November 13 meeting was to schedule public hearings as required by law, with a deadline for all comments to be submitted to the Board by 4:00 p.m. on December 17, 2012.  The Board will then meet on December 28, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the Webster Springs Elementary School for a final vote on the Superintendent's plan.

As reported previously, the Superintendent's plan calls for the closing of the Diana Elementary School and the Glade Middle School.  The plans further calls for all Diana students from pre-K to sixth grade to attend the Webster Springs Elementary School, with a possible option for those students to attend the Hacker Valley Elementary School.  The plan also calls for all seventh and eighth grade students, except at Hacker Valley, to attend the high school.  The Hacker Valley school is not affected by the plan in any manner.

The public meetings will be held as follows (with the second date set as an alternate date in case of inclement weather or other factors beyond the Board's control):

12-17-12 (12-21-12) Diana Elementary School at 6:00 pm
12-18-12 (12-22-12) Webster Springs Elementary School at 6:00 pm
12-19-12 (12-26-12) Webster County High School at 6:00 pm
12-20-12 (12-27-12) Glade Middle School at 6:00 pm
12-20-12 (12-27-12) Glade Elementary School at 7:00 pm

At the public hearings, interested parties must sign up to speak at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, and each person is limited to a three minute presentation.

The Commentator's review of the Superintendent's plan reveals that due to declining student populations, consolidation may be necessary to put all students county-wide on the same par in regards to teacher to student ratios.  The plan also details the savings to be realized if it is adopted by the Board.

However, at this point, the documents presented to the Board by the Superintendent fail to answer these important questions:
A. What are the financial realities requiring such consolidation? Does the Board face a deficit that requires savings to be instituted?
B. If consolidation is necessary for financial reasons, have all other options (to reduce spending) been explored?
Look for answers to these and other questions at the upcoming meetings.

Black Out in Effect at Family Dollar Store

Did vandals strike the Family Dollar sign?  Are more sinister motives at work here?  No, the simple truth is that construction workers for Family Dollar painted black paint over the sign anticipating an earlier move for the Store to its new location across from the Rite Aid.  Family Dollar will remain open next to the G&R IGA until the end of the year.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

WCHS High School Basketball Time Nears


The West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission has released the schedules for the upcoming boys and girls basketball games for the 2012-13 season.  

2011-12 Regional Champions
The boy's team, coming off an impressive 22 win, 4 loss season, including an appearance in the "Elite 8" at the State Tournament in Charleston, face several new opponents this season, including Ravenswood, Liberty (Raleigh), Pikeview, and Shady Spring.  This year's team lost three starters from last year's team due to graduation, but they will again be led by the dynamic Seniors Hunter Given and Brett Morris.  Head Coach Jerry Dean will have a hard act to follow to improve upon last year's Regional Championship season and we wish him and all the players all the best for a safe, injury-free winning season.

Highlander Boy's Basketball Schedule:
1 12/10/12 07:30PM  H POCAHONTAS COUNTY
2 12/14/12 07:30PM  A RICHWOOD  
3 12/18/12 07:30PM  A ROANE COUNTY
4 12/21/12 05:30PM  A PRINCETON CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
5 12/22/12 05:30PM  A PRINCETON CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
6 12/27/12 05:00PM  A BB&T CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
7 12/28/12 05:00PM  A BB&T CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
8 01/03/13 07:30PM  A MIDLAND TRAIL
9 01/11/13 07:30PM  H RICHWOOD
10 01/12/13 07:30PM  A RAVENSWOOD
11 01/15/13 07:30PM  A BRAXTON COUNTY
12 01/17/13 07:30PM  H LIBERTY (RALEIGH)
13 01/19/13 07:30PM  H PIKEVIEW
14 01/21/13 07:30PM  H NOTRE DAME
15 01/22/13 07:30PM  H ROANE COUNTY
16 01/31/13 07:30PM  H BRAXTON COUNTY
17 02/01/13 07:30PM  H SHADY SPRING
18 02/05/13 07:30PM  A LIBERTY (RALEIGH)
19 02/11/13 07:30PM  A POCAHONTAS COUNTY
20 02/15/13 07:30PM  A GREENBRIER WEST
21 02/21/13 07:30PM  H MIDLAND TRAIL
22 02/23/13 07:30PM  A PIKEVIEW

Highlander Girl's Basketball Schedule:

1 11/30/12 07:30PM  A ROANE COUNTY
2 12/05/12 07:30PM  A BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR
3 12/07/12 07:30PM  H ROANE COUNTY
4 12/11/12 07:30PM  A GREENBRIER WEST
5 12/14/12 06:00PM  A SUMMERS COUNTY CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
6 12/15/12 06:00PM  A SUMMERS COUNTY CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
7 12/20/12 07:30PM  A FAYETTEVILLE  
8 12/27/12 01:00PM  A BB&T CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
9 12/28/12 01:00PM  A BB&T CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
10 01/04/13 07:30PM  H NICHOLAS COUNTY
11 01/08/13 07:30PM  H MIDLAND TRAIL
12 01/12/13 04:30PM  A RAVENSWOOD  
13 01/15/13 07:30PM  H GREENBRIER WEST
14 01/18/13 07:30PM  H BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR  
15 01/21/13 06:00PM  H NOTRE DAME  
16 01/25/13 07:30PM  H BRAXTON COUNTY
17 01/28/13 07:30PM  A RICHWOOD  
18 01/30/13 07:30PM  H FAYETTEVILLE  
19 02/06/13 07:30PM  A BRAXTON COUNTY
20 02/08/13 07:30PM  A NICHOLAS COUNTY
21 02/12/13 07:30PM  A MIDLAND TRAIL
22 02/15/13 07:30PM  H RICHWOOD