CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A coalition of Kanawha county leaders and educators are encouraging voters to support the Kanawha County Schools excess levy ahead of this fall’s general election.
The Vote Yes on Schools Campaign began its outreach efforts on Wednesday. The group includes leaders with Kanawha County Schools as well as Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens and Nicole Christian with the Charleston Area Alliance.
“We’ve tried to build out a team of supporters that represent each of the high schools and the feeder areas for those high schools in Kanawha County,” said Adam Krason, the co-chairperson of the Vote Yes on Schools Campaign. “As we’ve done that, we’ve reached out to municipalities, the county, all of the political organizations, as well as the chamber of commerce to see if they would offer their support. So far, they certainly have.”
The excess levy funds around a quarter of the Kanawha County Schools budget. Voters will consider whether to extend the levy, which has existed since 1937 and covers costs related to maintenance, facility upgrades and some staff positions. The school system risks losing $64 million of its operating budget if voters do not support the excess levy.
“The levy is not a new tax, and it’s not a tax increase,” Krason said.
The Charleston City Council approved a resolution Monday stating the body’s support for extending the levy.
Election Day is Nov. 8.