HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.47
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss Delegates Williams, Perry, Campbell,
Amores, Argento, Barker, Beach, Beane, Boggs, Brown, Browning,
Butcher, Cann, Caputo, Craig, Crosier, DeLong, Eldridge, Ennis,
Fragale, Hartman, Hatfield, Hrutkay, Hunt, Iaquinta, Kominar,
Leach, Long, Longstreth, Louisos, Mahan, Manchin, Marshall,
Martin, Michael, Miley, Moore, Morgan, Palumbo, Paxton, Perdue,
Pethtel, Pino, Poling, Proudfoot, Stalnaker, Staton, Stemple,
Stephens, Susman, Swartzmiller, Tabb, Talbott, Ron Thompson,
Tucker, Varner, Webster, Wells, H. K. White, Wysong and Yost
)
Recommending that West Virginia's national leaders oppose the
educational budget cuts proposed by President George W. Bush
due to the impact the cuts will have on the states education
system.
Whereas, The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community Grants
Program would be eliminated; and
Whereas, The proposed budget cuts would mean school districts
would have to meet Title 4 criteria for No Child Left Behind
without federal appropriations; and
Whereas, County personnel may no longer exist that deal with
issues such as suicide prevention, disaster education, homeland
security and tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse issues; and
Whereas, There would be a lack of funding for security cameras
and devices, bullying prevention programs, responsible student
programs, peer mediation programs, drug testing programs,
alternatives to suspension programs, and other behavioral management programs which are mandated in the State code; and
Whereas, There would be a lack of funds for the crisis response
team, and counties may not have assistance in writing crisis plans;
and
Whereas, The counties will not have financial assistance with
Policy 4373 of the Student Code of Conduct; and
Whereas, Character education programs will suffer because they
are funded through the Safe and Drug Free Schools program; and
Whereas, The Education Technology Grants program would be
eliminated; and
Whereas, West Virginia will lose $5 million in the Enhancing
Education Through Technology (EETT) project; and
Whereas, Half of the EETT project money is allotted to counties
on a formula basis and the other half is competitive; and
Whereas, The competitive half of the program funds 25 teaching
positions in 18 counties, 18 of those teachers are full-time, the
cut would eliminate teaching positions; and
Whereas, The cuts would eliminate technology integration
specialists that coach, mentor and team teach other teachers in
order to improve student achievement; and
Whereas, The grant also provides computers, printers, software
and training; and
Whereas, The grant is the only way that many counties are able
to provide substitutes for teachers who are attending State-wide instructional technology initiatives; and
Whereas, The budget cuts would eliminate several vocational
education programs, which provide students a hands on opportunity
to learn a trade and knowledgeably enter into the technology-driven
workforce of the 21
st century which drives West Virginia; and
Whereas, The State has purchased over $2 million of
state-of-the-art equipment for the technical and adult education
programs during each year of the Perkins Act; and
Whereas, A number of county school systems provide guidance
counselors and remedial teachers to assist students in the
technical education program and help them improve their related
academic skills; and
Whereas, The integration of academics with technical education
has been an emphasis of the Perkins Act for over a decade and the
academic achievement of these students in West Virginia has shown
steady improvements; and
Whereas, County school systems have used data collected
through the Perkins Act in order to identify deficiencies and to
design and implement appropriate development activities, which are
often paid through the Perkins Act; and
Whereas, During the 2003-04 school year, 118,463 secondary and
adult students were served in technical education programs in all
55 counties of the State, and nearly all of the students were
benefitted by Perkins funds; and
Whereas, Additional 21
st Century Community Learning Centers will
not be funded under the FY2006 budget proposal, and whereas, these
centers assist learning and development during out-of-school time
of school-age children in high poverty areas with assistance in
meeting local standards for core areas and their families who need
literacy and educational development; and
Whereas, The Even Start program currently funds $1,669,527 for
administrators, county coordinators, 30 teachers and six aides in
order to provide early childhood and basic adult education and
parenting and family literacy time; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
An expression of opposition is hereby made to President George
W. Bush's proposed budget cuts for education for FY2006; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature urges West Virginia's
representatives at the national level to oppose President Bush's
budget cuts for the afore stated reasons; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby requested to
provide a copy of this Resolution to this State's Congressional
Delegation.
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