The WVCBP is seeking a campaign coordinator who executes an outreach and engagement plan that protects and increases support for public education by building community support, disseminating research, creating an active coalition, and garnering earned media about investing in public schools in West Virginia so that all children can thrive and feel supported.
The campaign coordinator will:
This position is full-time and benefits eligible. Preference will be given to application packets received by Monday, December 2, 2024.
Find the full job posting, including salary and benefits information and application instructions, here.
In 2022, more than eight in ten schools surveyed nationwide reported increased behavioral and socioemotional challenges in their students following the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to behavioral issues and classroom disruptions, there has been a trend toward stricter student discipline policies in recent years across the country, including in West Virginia.
House Bill 2890 was enacted in 2023 in an effort to address behavioral issues and classroom disruptions by giving sixth through twelfth grade teachers increased discretion in disciplinary decisions. It mandated that students be suspended from school if removed from a classroom for disorderly conduct three or more times in one month. This bill mirrored similar legislation in other states by taking a harsher stance against student misbehavior and increasing authority provided to all teachers, including substitutes and new teachers. This raised a variety of concerns for student well-being such as overuse and misuse, potential violation of federal protections for students with disabilities, reinforcement of the school to prison pipeline, and exacerbation of the child welfare crisis in our state.
Punitive student discipline policies fail to address student misbehavior, increase the likelihood of poorer long-term outcomes for students, and contribute to disparities across student groups.To address the needs of students and reduce behavioral issues, policymakers need to prioritize upstream investments in student wellness and success through staffing of counselors, social workers, psychologists, and teachers. School districts across our state are currently operating far below recommended ratios for these essential positions—in large part due to an outdated school funding formula that does not allocate adequate funding for the requisite ratio of professional school support positions to ensure students have the resources they need.
Prevention-based and restorative practices have been shown to reduce behavioral issues among students while improving short- and long-term student outcomes. The impact of this approach was evidenced by the ESSER-funded investments into student support, which are expected to yield nearly $1.4 billion in student lifetime earnings.
Read Tamaya’s full fact sheet here and find the publication’s key findings below.
Key Findings:
Last Wednesday, Mark Holdren stood in a Charleston courtroom and told a federal judge that he was guilty of a civil rights conspiracy that resulted in the death of Quantez Burks.
Mr. Burks, who would have been 40 years old next month, was arrested by Beckley police on February 28, 2022. Unable to post the $25,000 cash or property bond that a magistrate placed on his freedom, Mr. Burks was taken to Southern Regional Jail (SRJ) in Raleigh County, where he was detained pretrial.
Mark Holdren was a correctional officer at SRJ. Last Wednesday, he read in open court a Stipulation of Facts that described Mr. Burks’s last moments:
“On or about March 1, 2022, the defendant responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past correctional officer and leave C-pod, which was a housing unit for inmates. When the defendant arrived at the sallyport of C-pod, Q.B. was on the floor and other correctional officers were engaged in using force against Q.B. Defendant also began using force against Q.B., including multiple knee-strikes against Q.B. that were unreasonable. The defendant and other officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. in the C-pod sallyport.”
It did not stop there.
Holdren and other jail employees took Mr. Burks to an interview room known to be a “blind spot” – an area of the jail with no surveillance cameras and where staff would “use unreasonable force against the inmates to punish them.”
“After they entered the interview room, the defendant and other members of the conspiracy assaulted and injured Q.B. to punish him for attempting to leave C-pod. Specifically, the defendant and other officers, aiding and abetting one another, struck Q.B. in the head multiple times; kicked Q.B.; knee-struck Q.B.; pulled and twisted his fingers; and sprayed him with OC spray. As the defendant and other members of the conspiracy assaulted him, Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed, and posed no threat to anyone.”
While Holdren and others moved Mr. Burks to another section of the jail, his handcuffed body went limp. But that did not stop the officers from dropping him “facedown, on the concrete floor.” Holdren watched a co-worker kick Mr. Burks, who appeared to be “unresponsive” and “not breathing.”
Mr. Burks died on March 1, 2022. A month later, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide, following “blunt impact injuries to the head, torso, and extremities.”
This was not the official story given to the public – or even to Mr. Burks’s family. Instead our state government told us that Mr. Burks was “combative” and died of a heart attack.
But the state could not have anticipated how Mr. Burks’s family would persist through their pain and grief to learn the truth about what happened to him.
They pushed for an independent autopsy. They showed up at a gubernatorial town hall meeting to demand answers from Governor Jim Justice. They joined other families who lost loved ones to West Virginia’s deadly regional jail system to demand a federal investigation. (Mr. Burks was the third of at least 11 people who died at Southern Regional Jail in 2022.)
An official response came a year and a half after Mr. Burks was killed – but not from the state. In August 2023, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against two Southern Regional Jail officers who later admitted to watching their co-workers beat Mr. Burks to death. A few months later, federal prosecutors indicted six more correctional officers, including Holdren.
As of November 13, 2024, all but one of the indicted jail employees has pleaded guilty – or agreed to plea guilty. (Chad Lester, the highest-ranked person indicted and a former jail “Employee of the Year,” is scheduled for trial in December.)
Through guilty plea documents filed in court, a new official story emerged: A group of state employees went to work one day in a state building we are told exists to keep people safe. This group of state employees dragged Quantez Burks to an area of that state building used for committing crimes against people in custody. This group of state employees beat Quantez Burks to death – after he was handcuffed and no longer able to defend himself. Other state employees watched and did not stop the beating. When it became clear what they had done and seen, this group of state employees decided to cover it up.
The United States Attorney leading the federal prosecution reflected on the actions of these former public employees: “[T]here was a culture there that we are in charge, and if you insulted us while we are in charge, we’re going to make you pay the price.”
There is no doubt that the criminal prosecutions provided a more complete picture of what was done to Quantez Burks. But there is no hint of accountability for a system that hired, trained, and supervised the people who participated in his death.
Mark Holdren, who faced the death penalty, agreed to a plea bargain that capped his maximum sentence at 30 years. Last Wednesday, the 40-year-old Holdren, wearing a jail uniform and shackles, affirmed his desire to enter a guilty plea that could mean prison for the rest of his life.
By contrast, consider the aftermath for Holdren’s former employer.
To date, the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) has not revised its official story of this homicide. Currently, DCR does not even inform the public when a person dies in custody, forcing citizens to seek out this information themselves through public records requests. And yet, as recently as January 2024, DCR reported that Mr. Burks died a “natural” death caused by “heart disease.”
There has been no public reckoning with the norms, training, and practices that cut short Mr. Burks’s life. One high-ranking official declared, “We have no tolerance for abuse of any kind to be inflicted on inmates that are housed in our state facilities.” But we, the public, have yet see to see the evidence of a changed culture.
Instead, DCR has leaned further into secrecy.
Months after they were charged in federal court, four of the eight indicted remained employed by DCR. When the WVCBP asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide employment dates for the indicted officers, DHS denied the public information request in December 2023, claiming the information was “exempt from disclosure.” The State Auditor’s Office provided the information without objection the following month.
The most powerful state officials got a promotion.
Homeland Security Cabinet Secretary, Jeff Sandy – who presided over a jail crisis and cover-up, as well as a series of West Virginia State Police scandals – retired in 2023 on his own terms. Governor Justice presented Sandy with a “Distinguished West Virginian Award,” then appointed Sandy to the West Virginia First Foundation board where he will decide how to allocate $1 billion in opioid settlement funds.
Then earlier this month, after two terms as governor, Justice won election to the United States Senate.
Neither of these state officials were in the courtroom last Wednesday.
Read Sara’s full blog post.
In 2021, the West Virginia Legislature established the Hope Scholarship Program. West Virginia is one of many states offering school voucher programs, which divert public funds from public schools to private schools and other educational service providers. Extensive research supports that voucher programs have harmful impacts on funding for public education, but provides little evidence that these programs lead to improvements in student achievement and success. Arecent op-ed, featuring research from the WVCBP, provides further details on the consequences of the Hope Scholarship. Excerpt below:
The state school board last week approved closing or consolidating six schools in Kanawha County because of dwindling student numbers.
The county has lost 5,000 students over the last 11 years, resulting in losing $30 million in state funding. According to an October headcount from the West Virginia Department of Education, Kanawha is down 320 students from October 2023.
This isn’t an isolated issue. WV MetroNews reported that 26 other schools statewide could close next year as the public school student population continues to decline.
What will our new governor and state Legislature do to help with this?
Likely nothing.
The Legislature keeps broadening requirements for the Hope Scholarship, which is a voucher program that gives roughly $4,400 per student in taxpayer money for a family to use toward private school tuition or homeschooling. It’s already one of the most broad school voucher programs in the nation, but in 2026, it will be available to all students in West Virginia.
This school year, more than 9,000 students were awarded a Hope Scholarship.
In December, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released a report that said West Virginia Public Schools were likely to lose more than $21.6 million because of the Hope Scholarship. School funding is based on per pupil enrollment.
Lawmakers say it’s to promote school choice, but ultimately it’s only giving more to people who can already afford school choice. The Hope Scholarship does not cover full tuition at a private school, so parents still must pay thousands of dollars. And don’t forget uniforms, school supplies and lunches.
West Virginia has the fourth highest poverty rate in the nation at 16.7%. About 285,780 people lived in poverty in 2023 — nearly 70,000 of them children.
More than 90% of school age children in West Virginia attend public schools, according to Debra Sullivan, a state school board member.
Teacher unions do not support the Hope Scholarship, which sent more than $300,000 of taxpayers’ money to out-of-state schools in the 2022-2023 school year.
“We can’t expect better achievement from public school students by taking resources and investment away from them. Many of these students are among the most vulnerable of our state’s population and require even more resources to overcome their challenges,” said Fred Albert, president of American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia.
Not only is the Legislature not providing enough money to improve classroom education, they’re not doing enough to keep them safe either. During this month’s interim meetings, state education department officials said state funding isn’t enough to cover the costs of implementing needed security measures that were mandated by the state Legislature. Schools need an additional $258 million to cover the costs.
During the October special session of the Legislature, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow charter schools to apply for and access School Building Authority funds for costs associated with the renovating, remodeling, purchase or construction of a building to be used for a school.
When the bill passed, some House Democrats raised concerns about taking money from public schools while they are already struggling financially from declining student enrollment, the loss of COVID-19 funds and the Hope Scholarship. Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha called the bill “further privatization of public funds.”
House Education Committee Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, disagreed with Pushkin, telling House members that, “These are public charter schools, so they’re part of the public school system.”
Except in West Virginia, charter schools don’t require teachers to be fully certified by the state Department of Education like public school teachers are.
So what’s with all of the hate towards public schools? The Republican Party often talks about public schools indoctrinating children and yet this is the same party that passed a bill that allows teachers to discuss intelligent design — which a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled is not legitimate science — with students who ask questions about it. This could allow a teacher to indoctrinate students with Christian beliefs despite the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom.
Let’s go back to this school choice argument. When so many people can’t afford to send their children to child care while they work, how can they afford the tuition that the Hope Scholarship doesn’t cover?
Lawmakers during the October special session approved a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which will give families who are eligible on average around $250. Day care costs most families around $600 to $700 per month.
Are West Virginia lawmakers going to allow more and more money to be taken from public schools? Let more schools close? Make children take longer and longer bus rides each morning and evening?
Advocates of vouchers say they create competition to make public schools work harder to keep students. This will be challenging as public schools will be left with the most vulnerable populations, including students who need individual education plans and require resources that the schools barely have now. Abandoning our public schools is not the answer.
Read the full op-ed here.
From jobs to housing to health care, West Virginians have a number of concerns they’re hoping the state’s newly elected officials will address. A recent article shared findings from interviews with hundreds of people across the Mountain State about what those challenges are. Excerpt below:
Drugs
Up in Taylor County, Carolyn Wilson has a daughter in prison and another whose whereabouts are unknown to her, both as a result of drugs. Down in Logan County, residents see drugs driving homelessness and senseless deaths. Over in Nicholas, Sasha Hayes works at a thrift shop while rebuilding her life in recovery.
But far too many West Virginians like Hayes don’t have easy access to treatment and recovery options as they struggle with substance abuse disorder.
In 2023, 1,300 died from drug overdoses, preliminary numbers show. People in rural communities, like Wirt County with only one doctor, don’t have any options for treatment. The beds aren’t meeting the demand. There are about 1,700 licensed treatment beds in the state, according to the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy. But nearly 265,000 adults in the state have a substance abuse disorder, according to Centers for Disease Control estimates.
In recent years, state lawmakers are making things worse, by passing a law that caps the number of beds in any given community.
The consensus from your constituents everywhere: Y’all have got to fix this!
Jobs
Even before the paper mill across the river in Luke, Md., closed in 2019, many people in Mineral County had to drive long commutes to the Washington, D.C., area for a decent job. People in the Northern Panhandle have felt plant closures for years, including the near miss with Cleveland Cliffs this year. And down in southern Wayne and northern Mingo, the decline of coal has caused hope to dwindle like the opportunities.
The state’s poverty rate is still above the national average, and the median household income is $22,000 below. West Virginians who have to rely on minimum wage jobs, haven’t seen a raise since 2014, when the Legislature raised their pay to $8.75 an hour.
West Virginians work or look for work at one of the lowest rates in the country. A key to fixing that issue is to provide more child care while parents work, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.
It would take around $100 million to fully fund child care in the state, according to the Center.
Housing
Cost of housing and rent is rising in West Virginia, but the factors at play vary from region to region.
In Berkeley and Jefferson counties, people moving in from the D.C. metro area are driving up costs, with homes selling north of $300,000 – much higher than the state average. Over in Tucker County, the market has tightened because people are either buying second homes or locking up properties as Airbnb short term rentals.
Legislation tailored to help low-income West Virginians has stalled. Past legislators failed to act on bills that would have: doubled a fee collected for the affordable housing fund, offered a tax incentive for landlords renting to vulnerable people or established a tenant’s right to be offered first dibs on their place if a landlord was looking to sell.
Public Education
Every single political campaign is bound to say, “Think about the children!”
For the West Virginians we talked to, this means education.
People in Morgan County wanted better pay for teachers because so many hop the border to Maryland for a pay raise.
Teachers in West Virginia are some of the lowest paid in the nation despite multiple pay raises passed by legislators since the 2018 teacher’s strike. Legislators have passed bills to create charter schools and a school voucher program, all of which critics say rob public education of needed money.
Health Care
Jeff Davisson, a retired bus driver in Clarksburg, pays $800 per month for his prescriptions. In Wirt County, Jackie Davis couldn’t get a ride to her eye doctor appointment and had to reschedule. In Nicholas County, the health department can’t afford to test for HIV. On his porch in McDowell County, Thurman Chapman said his wife has to be driven over an hour to Princeton to see her doctors.
The state funding for Medicaid — a key reason for keeping low-income folks insured — is up in the air in the face of tax cuts. About 476,000 West Virginians rely on the program for their health care.
Bipartisan plans to fill in the gap for low-income West Virginians who might not qualify for Medicaid have not been supported by legislators in the past.
Food
In Dunlow, the edge of Mingo and Wayne, Bill Likens runs a community center that sees 500 people come out for a monthly food distribution. In downtown Bluefield, Martha Jones lives in a low-income apartment and struggles to get to the grocery store. In Elizabeth, a man needs a ride to Parkersburg because the Piggly Wiggly in town charges $4 more for sugar than the Walmart.
People are hungry. Nearly 270,000 residents in the state live in communities with high rates of poverty and far from grocery stores, according to West Virginia University.
While the legislators have allocated limited funding for food banks, they have not supported efforts like establishing a food desert pilot program to have producers sell fresh foods in these areas.
Read the full article.
The WV Criminal Law Reform Coalition is excited to invite you to their 2025 annual convening! The coalition is made up of organizations and people directly impacted who are working to reduce our reliance on incarceration and law enforcement in West Virginia. We work at the community and state levels to influence and enact policy that will break the school-to-prison pipeline, end the overpolicing of communities of color, stop the predatory practice of cash bail, confront the criminalization of poverty, and more.
Led by those with lived experience, this one-of-a-kind, in-person conference will be a shared space to connect and create winning criminal law reforms in West Virginia. The convening will take place January 13-15, 2025 at the John XXIII Retreat Center in Charleston.
You can register for the event here and learn more on the event landing page here.
Join the WVCBP for our second annual Budget and Bites event!
This convening will be held at the WV School Service Personnel Association Convention Center on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Tickets include appetizers and drinks, available from 4:00-6:30 pm. Please note, registration is required. You can find event registration here.
The program begins at 5:00 with opening remarks by Kelly Allen, WVCBP’s executive director. Following, senior policy analyst, Sean O’Leary, will give a brief analysis of the Governor’s 2026 budget. You’ll also hear from other members of the WVCBP team and coalition partners about the budget impact on West Virginians.
Stay to mix and mingle, get information about upcoming budget priorities, and learn more about the Center and our team. Come and stay or drop in for short conversation in a laid-back pub atmosphere.
To become an event sponsor, email event coordinator, Krysta Rexrode Wolfe, or fill out the sponsorship form here.
The Black Voter Impact Initiative and Black by God, the founders of West Virginia’s Black Policy Day, are excited to invite you to their webinar series focused on specific aspects of the Black Policy Agenda. This is an excellent opportunity to deepen your knowledge and engage with experts across various issue areas ahead of the 2025 West Virginia legislative session.
You can register for the webinar serieshere.
You can share what you would like to see prioritized in the Black Policy Agenda by filling outthis survey.
Mark your calendars for Black Policy Day 2025, which will take place on March 10, 2025. You can become a Black Policy Day sponsorhere. Please see the yellow flyer below for further details.
