Associated Press Published

Given Ultimatum, Boone County School Board Agrees to Cuts

Boone County Schools Vote

Given one last try, Boone County school board members have voted to cut employee pay and benefits following an ultimatum by the West Virginia state school board to overtake the county’s education system.

the county board voted unanimously Monday for the cuts. The average worker will lose thousands of dollars in annual pay along with employer-paid dental and vision insurance coverage.

The state Board of Education last week threatened to take control of the county school system if the local board refused to make the cuts Monday. The board had unanimously refused to do so twice in the past three weeks.

Boone County school officials have blamed their financial woes on a sudden, drastic decrease in property tax revenue from bankruptcies of major coal companies.