Latest news with #SenateBill727
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senator pauses bill mandating independent review of WV foster care after DoHS promises changes
Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer speaks to the Senate Judiciary Committee March 10, 2025. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The new leader of the state's Department of Human Services, standing in front of state Senators Monday, vowed changes to West Virginia's troubled foster care system while children continue to live in hotels and on campgrounds. 'I inherited a system that's very broken, a system that needs a lot of systematic change,' said DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer, who has been in the role for a little more than a month. 'I don't need a study to do it. … We're trying to look at places of need as quickly as possible.' Mayer's promise to improve the foster care system prompted Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, to pause action on a bill that would have mandated an independent party conduct a study of how DoHS is operating its child welfare system. He said the accountability with fixing the system now falls on Mayer. 'If this system is not fixed, I don't mean tweaks … if this system is not overhauled when this help is being offered to you, you bear and this administration bears sole responsibility for the failures of that to happen,' Stuart said. 'No excuses two years from now or three years from now … when you realize that the challenges are so complex, so weighty, so hard, so resistant but you're not able to to fix it.' West Virginia far outpaces the nation in children coming into foster care, largely due to the state's substance abuse crisis. The state's foster care system is overburdened, and there's a shortage of foster homes and child protective services (CPS) workers. Under previous Gov. Jim Justice's administration, lawmakers and reporters struggled to get answers from the Department of Human Services about various parts of the system, including whether children are promptly checked on and where they are housed. Stewart's measure, Senate Bill 727, would mandate that DoHS participate in a comprehensive study, conducted by an outside group, to identify problems and recommendations for improvements. The study would evaluate the performance of judges, attorneys for children, CPS workers and DoHS administrators. We have no accountability because we weren't given the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I just caution you, sometimes with the bureaucracy of your agency, it's hard for you to get the truth. – Sen. Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier There are more than 6,000 children in state foster care, and the study would also examine the permanent and temporary child placement system. DoHS would be required to turn over any information requested for the study. The study's findings would be presented to lawmakers September 2026 if lawmakers were to reconsider and advance the measure. Sen. Vince Deeds, who has spearheaded several foster care-related bills, said the bureaucratic nature of DoHS made it difficult to maintain accountability. Deeds said he would feel confident with a third party agency reviewing the agency. 'We have no accountability because we weren't given the whole truth and nothing but the truth,' said Deeds, R-Greenbrier. 'I just caution you, sometimes with the bureaucracy of your agency, it's hard for you to get the truth. So, I challenge you, really, to go to the front line.' 'Because until we have an ownership and drill down and say, 'Hey, this is a problem here. Let's fix it so it doesn't continue to happen,' we're just not going to make any progress,' he continued. 'Allow us to help you.' In 2023, Stuart called for an outside investigation into how DoHS handled a case where child protective services failed to check on two teens who were living in a shed. Law enforcement discovered the children in the shed more than a month later. An outside investigation was not conducted. Stuart's request for a study, follows a federal judge dismissing a 2019 lawsuit brought by children against DoHS for alleged mistreatment while in foster care. 'West Virginia's foster care system has cycled through inaction, bureaucratic indifference, shocking neglect and temporary fixes for years. The blame squarely lies with West Virginia state government,' U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin wrote Feb. 28 in an opinion dismissing the suit. Federal judge dismisses lawsuit meant to improve WV's troubled foster care system, problems persist DoHs leaders said they've attempted to fill critical CPS positions and changed the child abuse and neglect referral process in hopes of better supporting families who may need assistance but not an investigation. But, problems persist, and Mayer said he is currently working to assess the foster care system and implement improvements. 'I would hope to be able to provide some steps forward in the next six months,' he said. 'We're talking about a lot of the issues that you're talking about. I think right now, I'm just trying to get a handle on what exactly is going on at the agency level.' State judges have recently raised concerns about the lack of child protective services workers, which could potentially leave children in dangerous situations, and the number of children living in hotels. Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers ordered a monitor be put in place to oversee CPS placements in hotels and camps after a child in an abuse and neglect case attempted suicide after being placed in a hotel by state CPS. Mayer told lawmakers there are roughly 12 foster children currently living in hotels. 'Right now, my team is having weekly two-hour meetings with all providers in the state, so working through all the kids that are in hotels … to then work on how can we systematically move them through the system,' Mayer explained. Sen. Scott Fuller, R-Wayne, urged Mayer to make foster care reform an agency priority. 'I pray, honestly, pray that you have the guts and the courage to look at whoever it is you need to look at and tell them, 'This is a priority,' ' Fuller said. 'If we don't fix this we have failed completely as an administration. We're talking about our children.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New Missouri school year rules could impact snow day policies
JOPLIN, Mo. — This 'President's Day' meant no school. Many will likely have a short week this week with the impending weather — and, in Missouri, snow days are important. 'Senate Bill 727' went into effect this year. In part, it set a new minimum term for the school year at 1,044 hours spread out over at least 169 days for districts using the 5-day week. Snow days stack up: How many more can Missouri schools take? Districts that reach the requirements will receive an additional one percent in their budget from the state the following year, with that money going to salaries for teachers. 'We're going to do everything we can not to try to lose funding from 169 days. So we have an extra day at the end of the year if we need it to that we could add be Memorial Day. And so, the other thing is, is to make sure that, you know, in between now and the end of the school year, we do the best we can with the days we have,' said Dr. Kerry Sachetta, Joplin Schools Superintendent. Missouri districts also get 36 hours of AMI days, which count toward both the days and hours benchmarks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Teacher salaries and school repairs in Jasper levy vote
JASPER, Mo. — There will be a spring election in Jasper. Part of the focus: teacher pay. 'The elementary was built in 1961—hasn't had any major upgrades since that time,' said Dr. Cindy Hansen, Jasper R-5 Superintendent. Something that the Jasper R-5 School District wants to change. It's one of the reasons there's a funding question on an upcoming ballot. 'The levy for learning, and it is for two major reasons. So first is teacher salaries. We're increasing teacher salaries in line with Senate Bill 727, that goes into effect next year. And the other one is deferred maintenance on aging facilities.' It's for an 88-cent increase to the operating levy. Revenue would go primarily toward meeting state-required salary increases that go into effect next year. Carthage couple finds romance at St. Luke's Nursing Center Carthage students deliver Valentine's Day smiles Teacher salaries and school repairs in Jasper levy vote Top 10 most common jobs in Joplin, according to Stacker One number away! Carthage ticket wins $50K in Powerball 'The new teacher baseline salary requirement is $40,000 for a beginning teacher in Missouri, and $46,000 for a teacher with a master's degree and 10 years of experience. Right now, Jasper's starting salary is $32,400, so that's a pretty big jump,' said Dr. Hansen. It would also pay for upgrades to electrical and plumbing in aging school buildings. 'It's been a long time since Jasper has been able to pass a bond or a levy. 1982 is the most recent we can find. So that means many things around here have not been able to be addressed, and we are looking forward to being able to address those.' A yes vote would mean an extra $335 per year for a house worth $200,000, or for a million dollars of farmland, $1,000 a year. The levy question will go before voters on April 8. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Snow days stack up: How many more can Missouri schools take?
ST. LOUIS – Missouri schools may call for snow days on Wednesday and Thursday this week, following a major January snowstorm that shut down some districts for an entire week. As snow days pile up, some schools could be scrambling to make up lost time to meet state requirements. When a Missouri public school district or charter school closes due to inclement weather, the decision is made with careful consideration of state laws. Every year, schools that qualify for state funding are required by law to meet a minimum number of instructional hours. List: St. Louis area school & business closings For quite some time, Missouri law has required public school districts and charter schools to provide at least 1,044 instructional hours each school year. New this school year, however, is a provision that requires a minimum of 169 school days to meet criteria for additional funding, a condition that former Gov. Mike Parson signed into law last year. The legislation, approved as Senate Bill 727 last year, requires schools to meet both the 1,044-hour and 169-day requirements unless they operate on a state-approved four-day school week. Districts that comply will receive extra funding: 1% for the school terms in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, then 2% in fiscal years 2028 and beyond. If a school district falls short of the required days and hours, they will not be eligible for additional funding. That said, there are several ways that Missouri schools can prepare for challenges posed by snow days, including the possibility of adding extra days to the end of a school year. One big consideration is that to account for weather disruptions, Missouri schools must include at least 36 make-up hours in their calendars, roughly 5-6 extra days to offset closures. As a result, many districts already build schedules with 174-175 school days, ensuring they can absorb snow days while still meeting state requirements. If closures exceed the built-in snow days, districts must extend the academic year to make up lost time. Having the flexibility of built-in snow days, in theory, could help schools stay on track with state mandates while maintaining their planned academic calendar. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Additionally, some schools are turning to virtual learning days, which the state recognizes as alternative methods of instruction (AMI) days, to combat snow day disruptions. When schools use an AMI day, it generally counts as a regular school day, allowing schools to claim attendance hours if students complete assigned lessons within designated timeframes. Missouri law allows schools to claim up to 36 hours of AMI time toward their required instructional hours, provided that Missouri DESE pre-approved the school's plan. In a previous report, FOX 2 found that most Missouri schools can account for up to 96 hours of weather-related disruptions by: Building in snow days to take throughout the year into an upcoming school year's calendar. Planning up for 5-6 make-up days and adding them to the school year calendar as necessary. Using AMI days for some closures to reduce the need for some in-person make-up days. Following state guidelines to make up additional time (up to 60 missed hours) before DESE considers waiving extra snow days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
