Students Suffer When Schools Lack Funds

Schools across the state have had to look for ways to tighten their belts due to the higher cost of energy. Prices across the board rose in the past year and schools depend in many ways upon fuel to function properly.

Preston County limited each sport to a single bus trip. Parents must figure out how to get their children to the games themselves. This means car trips to places such as Lewis County and Elkins for families that cannot afford to fill their own gas tanks. In Grant County, athletic costs have risen to the point that Petersburg High School's athletic department can no longer share funds with the band. Away game and competition performances could be in jeopardy.

Right now the costs have hit athletics first. Most consider this a "luxury" item anyway, but few parts of modern schools teach real life lessons about hard work and sacrifice in quite the same way as extracurricular activities. Sports, band, chorus, and other activities teach about the real world and are sometimes a better learning experience than the classroom. Field trips, already limited, could be phased out across the state. Too many children never get the chance to travel and learn first hand about other places except from these trips.

First the school system must halt all consolidation. Bigger schools with bigger fuel bills that require more bus runs to supply them are no longer something our state can afford. Put money into maintaining the small schools where they still exist. Also administrative cuts must be made where possible. Students have taken enough hits. Finally, salary increases ought to be looked at in terms of how they will affect the scarcity of current resources. If they cannot be afforded, then they should be deferred. Any educational retreats ought to be cancelled and money put into student needs and activities.

Students seem to take a backseat in most budgetary decisions. It is time to put them first when making budget decisions.

This Is What Some Mineral County Leaders Want

John Paul Hott is an angry man.

The Petersburg insurance agent recently had his application for rezoning denied by the Petersburg City Council. He wanted a house zoned residential reclassified so that he could operate his business from there. The council listened to neighbors opposed to the location of the business and denied the request.

Apparently the city of Petersburg acted improperly. The mayor and city council were not aware of the existence of a zoning appeals board that was created by ordinance to handle such issues. Hott blasted the city council not only for incompetence in not knowing the law, but also for not recognizing a conflict of interest. Hott maintains that the city council contains members whose interests or whose family's interests conflict with his business.

Some in Mineral County push very hard behind the scenes to incrementally move the area towards zoning. The Petersburg example shows the pitfalls of this process. A legitimate businessman's interests get caught in governmental decision making. Instead of conducting his business to the benefit of himself, his employees, and frankly the city itself, Hott is considering a lawsuit. He might sue because the city did not follow the law in rejecting his application.

It also shows the problems that might occur related to conflicts of interest. Likely the Petersburg City Council operated in good faith. However the potential for striking against a business competitor, or the competitor of a friend or a family member, or maybe someone the official just does not like, is there. Laws are enforced by human beings. Sometimes human beings act responsibly, sometimes incompetently, sometimes dishonestly. Businessmen and women ought to be relieved of having to deal with the strong hand of government as often as possible.