Trending
It was interesting to read Wednesday that Marshall County Schools already is planning to get its five-year excess operating levy, which does not expire for nearly two years, on the ballot for renewal this fall during the midterm general election.
School districts typically choose to run levy renewals, when possible, during primary election cycles, when fewer voters turn out to cast ballots.
Certainly, if the levy would fail (I would not expect that to happen), this does give time for the board to get it back before voters again in the 2028 primary election.
In the meantime, our reporting reminded me of just how much revenue Marshall County Schools collects each year, primarily due to increased property values from oil and natural gas development.
According to the district's 2026-27 budget, Marshall County Schools is expected to collect $93.2 million in property taxes this fiscal year, along with $4.7 million from other local sources, $1.2 million in federal funds, and $12.8 million from the state aid formula. The county also is sitting on an estimated $60 million beginning balance, meaning for 2026-27, Marshall County Schools will have about $172 million available.
That's a lot of money for a public school system with less than 4,000 students, but consider: just two years ago, for the 2024-25 school year, the figure was $205.3 million. In 2025-26, it dropped to $188.5 million. The decreases are due to a change by the Legislature several years ago in how mineral rights are valued.
That aside, Marshall County's expenses over the past decade have increased by about 33% -- the school district spent $64.2 million in the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to the West Virginia Checkbook, compared to $104.6 million in the 2025-26 school year.
And just where does Marshall County Schools spend its money?
∫ For the upcoming 2026-27 school year, $55.1 million will go to student instruction. That's a decrease of $1.5 million from the 2025-26 school year.
∫ It's a different story when it comes to administration. For central office administrators, Marshall County is expected to spend $4.7 million this coming school year, a $570,000 increase from the $4.13 million spent in 2025-26.
∫ It's much the same for school administration. In 2026-27, the district expects to spend $5.48 million, a nearly $267,000 increase from the $5.21 million spent in 2025-26.
∫ For a quick comparison, Ohio County Schools, with 600 more students than Marshall County Schools, has a budget of $87.8 million for this coming school year. Marshall County Schools also employs one more central office administrator than Ohio County, with a ratio of one administrator for every 120.97 students, compared to Ohio County's ratio of one administrator for every 143.13 students, according to the West Virginia Department of Education.
For Marshall County, it's hard to see that it makes sense to have spending on actual student instruction decrease while spending on administration increases by about $800,000. Those are issues board members and the district's leadership need to address as they get the levy renewal process moving.
n n n
There are some things this region simply cannot afford to lose, and the Sistersville Ferry is one of them.
For more than 200 years, the ferry has carried residents, workers and visitors across the Ohio River. It has survived floods, the advent of motorized transportation, changing economies and countless challenges that have caused similar services elsewhere to disappear. Through it all, it has remained a defining symbol of Sistersville. That is why the city's efforts this past Monday to restore ferry service by purchasing a new vessel deserve praise.
I still remember the first time I rode the ferry in the late 1970s when visiting an uncle that lived in New Martinsville at the time. It remains as magical today as it was then. The ferry is part of what makes Sistersville unique among our region's communities.
The strong response to its temporary loss proved one thing: people still care deeply about the ferry. They recognize that it is not merely a means of transportation but a living piece of history. Bringing it back is the right thing to do.
n n n
As we wrote several weeks ago, the city of Wheeling needs a real plan to address ongoing flooding issues in several areas of Elm Grove. Kristy Ferguson, president of the Elm Grove Business Association, spoke strongly on the issue earlier this month when she addressed city council.
"This just continues to happen," Ferguson told councilors of the flooding. "This year alone, the estimated damage is more than $250,000. Out of the 15 businesses, five of them have made very large, substantial investments into our community totaling more than $9.5 million. Four are brand new and only opened within the last six months. One of them only opened two weeks ago."
Ferguson got the typical assurances that a long-term solution was being addressed, but that doesn't do much to help those being impacted now. This also isn't a new problem. City leaders need to get a fix in place as soon as possible.
John McCabe is editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. From 9-10 a.m. each Friday, he joins Howard Monroe on AM 1600 WKKX to discuss the most pressing issues in Wheeling and the Ohio Valley. Email him at jmccabe@theintelligencer.net.