CAMPAIGN NEWS

Safe, orderly schools are essential for both learning and teaching. Today, despite the best efforts of educators and administrators, student behavior remains one of the most serious challenges facing our public schools. Assaults on school employees and repeated classroom disruptions are occurring at unacceptable levels across all grade spans, undermining student achievement and threatening employee safety. Discipline problems of this magnitude cannot be solved through punis

West Virginia’s public schools are facing a funding crisis that can no longer be ignored. As enrollment declines, special education costs rise, and more state dollars are diverted to the Hope Scholarship without meaningful limits or accountability, our public‑school systems are being pushed to the breaking point. Record numbers of schools have closed. Programs that once supported student success have been slashed. Teachers and service personnel are being asked to do more wi

I believe West Virginia must make a sustained, long‑term commitment to improving education employee salaries if we are serious about strengthening our public school system. While recent salary increases are appreciated, they have not made West Virginia competitive with surrounding states or the national average. According to 2025 data, teachers in Maryland earn an average salary of $84,338, Pennsylvania $76,961, Ohio $68,236, Virginia $66,327, and Kentucky $58,325. West Virgi

My campaign is rooted in a simple belief: West Virginia must honor the promises made to those who dedicated their lives to educating our children. Our retired school employees built the foundation of our public education system, yet too many are now struggling to make ends meet. The fact that in West Virginia, education retirees do not receive automatic cost‑of‑living adjustments (COLAs) is appalling, and that for many retirees, their pension has never increased, even as infl

Every family in West Virginia understands “kitchen table economics.” You sit down, look at what’s coming in, look at what’s going out, and make choices based on what matters most. You invest in your kids, your home, your future. You cut back on the things that don’t strengthen your family. State government should work the same way. When West Virginia passes a budget, it’s more than a spreadsheet. It’s a statement of values. It tells us what our leaders believe is worth invest