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Though it appeared to many to be a mess of our own making -- and one that required urgent action -- federal officials are being generous in their assessment of West Virginia's handling of a potential $465 million problem concerning how the state spent COVID-19 dollars on public education.
"West Virginia is not alone. There are other states," said a U.S. Department of Education official who declined to be identified over how states spent COVID relief money on education. "We don't have final data from those states because it isn't due until March 15. So, kudos to West Virginia for acting on this before the March 15 deadline."
One department official also said "In some respects, West Virginia is ahead of the game ..."
Well, that's new.
State lawmakers seem to have done what they could to ensure the state meets its spending requirements, and keeps the budget skinny -- just in case. Now, the matter is in the hands of the federal government.
"I can't promise any specific timeline, but I personally will be distraught if it takes us until June (to grant a waiver)," a department official said. "I'm hoping we can do something more quickly."
If they do, lawmakers will then be able to go into special session to perhaps restore some appropriations that were trimmed for fiscal year 2025.
There is reason to be encouraged, then. Good.
Meanwhile, the incident must serve as a lesson in preparedness, before lawmakers start thinking about the following year's budget in about 10 months' time. For most, it was a matter of not knowing what they didn't know. But if they get caught off guard twice, shame on them.