A compromise for West Virginia schools
West Virginia parents find themselves in a desperate predicament: Send our children to school this fall — putting them, their families and teachers in danger — or risk economic, educational and/or psychological ruin.
There are no easy solutions in this unprecedented time. School districts around the state are talking about the pros and cons of remote learning versus a partial or full return to school. With case numbers in West Virginia spiking, a full return could be catastrophic. Even a partial return is risky. But it’s clear that some kids need to be physically in school.
I propose a fourth solution: A remote/in-class hybrid that will protect the majority of our population while keeping our economy and families intact — and giving parents a choice.
In this scenario, all instruction would be online, with teachers staying at home and safe. Students would be encouraged to learn from home, but a few — those with special needs or whose caretakers cannot stay home — would have the option of receiving the online instruction at school. With emergency funding, the school district could hire tutors — young people whose risk from infection is low — to staff those classrooms and help students complete their lessons.
As a result, classrooms would be significantly less crowded, making social distancing easy, with fewer rooms for janitors to deep clean. Buses would run — again with a sparse number of kids in seats, allowing for safer spacing. Lunch could be prepared in the kitchen and delivered both to classrooms and to remote pickup locations. Buses not needed for transport could be equipped as mobile hotspots, deployed to areas with poor WiFi. There could also be occasional in-person class activities in outdoor spaces, with precautions, to help kids socialize safely with teachers and classmates.
This is our generation’s World War II or Great Depression, destined to shape our children and our society for years to come. In times of collective crisis, much is asked of us individually and as a community. We need to think creatively — and ask the same of our leaders — while we work to reduce infection and wait for a vaccine.
Susan Shumaker
Morgantown
Morgantown sales tax improperly applied
On July 1, a new 1% sales tax went into effect for businesses within the city of Morgantown. A complex system of nine-digit zip codes has caused the tax to be collected by businesses outside the city, including several in Granville.
An email from Granville Mayor Patty Lewis to Morgantown Mayor Bill Kawecki (DP-07-03-20) stated that many of these businesses are now unwilling to stop collecting the additional tax until they receive additional guidance from the state. She stated the Granville businesses went through a similar situation in 2016, when Morgantown implemented its $3 weekly user fee. This confusion was one of the topics on a local radio show on July 2 and July 3.
I would like to respectfully raise several questions to the city of Morgantown:
- Why was action not taken to prevent this problem when the decision was made to implement the tax over a year ago?
- Are steps being taken to correct the problem?
- What will be done with revenue incorrectly collected?
- Is it legal for the city to charge both a user fee and a sales tax?
- Has the city considered how this will encourage potential shoppers to make purchases that do not support local businesses?
- How does the new tax impact online purchases? I recently ordered online from a national website headquartered in Bentonville, Ark. This company has a local store in Granville. I was charged 7% West Virginia sales tax.
It concerns me when a problem like this occurs and no explanation has been given of steps being taken to correct the mistake. On a fixed income, I carefully consider each purchase made. I hope that Morgantown will keep local businesses and consumers informed of their progress.
In the meantime, I plan to keep receipts for incorrect taxes being charged and will contact Jim Goff at the city’s finance office as he requested in the newspaper article. I encourage others to do the same. His phone number is 304-284-7407.
Judy Thorn
Morgantown
