Randolph BOE job cuts still not enough to balance budget, superintendent says
ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Randolph County Board of Education voted on Tuesday to terminate 33 positions across the county, but Randolph County's superintendent, Shawn Dilly, says it still won't be enough to balance the county's budget.
Of the 42 positions planned to be eliminated, nine of them were spared from the Reduction In Force (RIF) vote on Tuesday. However, Dilly said the funding for those positions is still uncertain.
'It has really created sort of a difficult situation for us to navigate as there is not adequate funding or confirmation of funding sources to support all the positions that the board elected to save on Tuesday night,' Dilly said in an interview with 12 News.
One problem with Tuesday's vote is that Dilly said some names were inappropriately removed from the list of cuts, and were removed outside the official process they are legally required to follow.
Randolph County Board of Education votes to fire 33 staff members
'Based on the board's decisions last night, and the really—I'm trying to put this delicately—the lack to follow personnel laws in the state of West Virginia will require us to undo a lot of those positions that were going to be successfully reduced. So therefore, we will be unable to meet our statutory requirements to balance the budget.'
Dilly also said that the Board of Education will likely meet again in May to 'correct' any actions that don't comply with state law. May could also kick off talks related to school consolidation within the county after motions to consolidate two schools failed earlier this year.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
New Utah Fits All administrator to rerun applications after finding inconsistencies
Students work in a math class at Wasatch Junior High School in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) The administration change of Utah Fits All, the state's school choice program has hit some road bumps. Days after the Utah State Board of Education switched managers to run the program and the application portal closed, families are learning that they may have to apply again. Odyssey, a New York-based technology company that won the bid in May to run the voucher program, announced Friday on its website that after reviewing the application data the outgoing administrator provided, it found that in many cases the information was incomplete, inconsistent, or lacked proper verification. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The company 'will need to take additional steps to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance with the Utah Fits All law,' Odyssey officials wrote. They said those actions include re-running applications for families participating in the second year application cycle. 'We understand that this may be frustrating, but we believe this is the best path forward to determine eligibility accurately,' company officials said. The announcement comes after the Board of Education canceled early its multiyear contract with the program's previous third-party manager ACE Scholarships, citing 'convenience' reasons. The move was made possible by a 2025 bill that, among other changes to Utah Fits All, opened the door for a switch should the Board of Education need to change its current program administrator. Utah Board of Education ends contract early with Utah Fits All administrator Odyssey officials said ACE Scholarships' previous records make it impossible to determine students' eligibility since those records only show a small percentage of second year applicants successfully completed their income verification — a step on their application that's required by law. Those eligibility determinations will be delayed past the initial May 31 deadline, according to Odyssey. However, the company hasn't set a new timeline for the new process. Reconciling scholarship balances for current Utah Fits All participants is also underway, with 'a large population for whom Odyssey cannot determine their current balance because there are thousands of pending reimbursements, receipts, and transactions, many of which were received by Odyssey as recently as May 29th.' The company won't authorize any additional spending until pending purchases undergo further analysis, according to its website. As of Thursday, Utah Fits All's website listed June 30 as the last day to use 2024-2025 funds. Among the changes to Utah Fits All the Legislature approved this year is a 20% cap on extracurricular activities and physical education, in addition to tightened expense guidelines to explicitly prohibit the use of scholarship money to pay for ski passes, furniture, musical instruments, apparel, and other uses. While lawmakers approved more money to fund additional scholarships, bringing the total annual allocation for the program to $100 million, they also voted to reduce the amount some students could receive. This year, homeschooled children of ages 5 to 11 would have access to $4,000 a year, while those aged 12 to 18 years old could get up to $6,000. That's down from the $8,000 that was allowed during the program's first year. Private school students are still eligible for $8,000 a year to help cover their tuition or other expenses. Meanwhile, Utah Fits Alls is also facing other challenges that may threaten its existence. A 3rd District Court judge recently ruled the program to be unconstitutional, a win for the Utah Education Association, the state's largest teacher union. The union sued the state for diverting 'funds from already underfunded public schools,' union leaders said. They alleged the program violates the Utah Constitution, which explicitly says income tax revenue should be used to fund public education, among a few other limited uses. State leaders said they will appeal the decision to the Utah Supreme Court. While the case plays out in court, the program will continue to operate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Fall River's signature chow mein noodles back in production
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Fall River staple has returned. The Oriental Chow Mein Company confirmed to 12 News on Thursday that it's once again making Hoo-Mee Chow Mein noodles. The manufacturer ran out of its chow mein products due to a 'mechanical failure' last month and sold out of all noodles. BACKGROUND: No more noodles? Fall River chow mein manufacturer temporarily out of stock The crispy noodles are frequently served on a hamburger bun with gravy. Some people have already taken to social media to celebrate the noodles' comeback. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'Lifting up student voices': Former Pueblo D60 board president seeks return to board
After nearly two years of staying tuned in to district happenings as a citizen, former Pueblo School District 60 Board President Tommy Farrell seeks a return to the board. Farrell has announced his 2025 candidacy for the Board of Education. He was initially elected to the Pueblo D60 board in November 2019 and became its president following the October 2022 resignation of Margaret Wright. Farrell sought reelection in 2023 to one of three four-year board seats, but did not finish among the race's three highest vote-getters. "My commitment to supporting public education and our students has only grown," Farrell told the Chieftain. "I continue to be involved and aware of what's happening. I think we need some voices on the board that will stand up for students, educators and our community." Since losing his 2023 reelection bid, Farrell has continued to watch board meetings and even has taken the podium to make public comment in order to make sure "every student has access to a safe education where they're seen and supported." In August 2024, Farrell was part of a group of LGBTQ+ rights activists calling on the Pueblo D60 board to adopt a non-legal name change policy to ensure the safety and well-being of transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive students. Lately, Farrell has kept a close eye on Pueblo D60 conversations on "rightsizing" to address declining enrollment. "As the enrollment continues to decline in District 60, the available resources also change with that," Farrell said. "There's going to be some difficult decisions to make and difficult futures to look at as that's being done. I think it's important to have a very thoughtful approach there." Farrell added that discourse attempting to undermine public education in favor of privatization and voucher programs has become increasingly prevalent and that it is important to ensure children without access to private education are part of a "robust" public education system. Priorities listed by Farrell in a May 29 campaign news release include academic success for all students, inclusive schools supporting "the whole child," responsible budgeting that puts classrooms first, and community partnerships. "I am really focused on bringing a student-centered focus back to the board, listening deeply, lifting up student voices, building a school system where every student feels safe and seen, every educator is respected and supported, and every family knows their voice matters," Farrell said. Two Pueblo D60 board seats are up for election in November 2025: one is occupied by Board Vice President Kathy DeNiro, and the other is occupied by Director Brian Cisneros. More information about Farrell's campaign can be found at Pueblo Levee Mural: Pueblo Levee Mural artists inching closer to national, world records in 2025 Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Former Pueblo D60 school board president is running again