When the special session of the West Virginia Legislature begins Monday – May 16 – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has said that it will focus exclusively on the state’s current and future budget with shortfalls in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Tomblin has said everything is up for consideration and that everything appears to include the potential cutback or elimination of the PROMISE Scholarship.

 

Bridgeport High School Principal Mark DeFazio said he’s aware of talk that the PROMISE very well could be up for elimination, change or some type of modification when the Legislature meets to try and resolve what is anticipated to be a $270 million budget shortfall in the 2016-17 fiscal year budget for the state that goes into place July 1.

 

“I’ve heard talk and I think it’s very disturbing because money was promised to those kids. It’s a shame, and I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, to play games with students while you’re playing politics in Charleston,” said DeFazio. “It doesn’t matter to me what party you’re in, this should be addressed first. To see a kid work so hard to get that scholarship and then have it pulled away because the people in Charleston can’t work together is, again, disturbing.”

 

DeFazio said a large portion of the Bridgeport senior class has received the PROMISE Scholarship each year since its inception. He said the number this year, if it remains funded, could be around 80 students, but wasn’t certain of the exact figure.

 

“I just know it’s a high number and it’s a number students not just here, but everywhere, have worked to earn,” said DeFazio. “Now, you’re this late in the game and a student and their family that is depending on that money to go to college may not have it available? How is that fair?

 

“I can assure you if it’s not there at this late in the game there will be several students and families that won’t be able to afford college or will be scrambling to borrow money to get to college,” he continued. “It’s only a possibility because our politicians have decided to put our students in the middle of something they have no business being in the middle of.”

 

When asked about the state’s budget woes, DeFazio said he was aware of the problem. He also went as far as to volunteer a fix.

 

“I think the budget can be solved easily if they want to solve it. If it was me, put the food sales tax back at 3 percent and be done with it. I’m not a politician, but that’s a simple process because it’s not a regressive tax and I get tired of hearing that,” said DeFazio. “To me, it was one of the fairest taxes we had. Even if you don’t do that, if they want to fix the budget they can fix the budget.”

 

DeFazio believes the removal of the food sales tax in its entirety, which was done in phases, was a bad move. He said there would likely be no budget problem, and perhaps a surplus, if it were still in place.

 

“Someone always would rather do the correct political thing than the correct thing. Because of that, we’re using kids as pawns in the process. I guess I’m getting tired of seeing things like this so I’m just being honest with how I feel,” said DeFazio. “It’s come to the point where our elected officials need to fix this now. You have to have the guts to do it and I hope they prove me wrong in this session.”

 

DeFazio said he didn’t know if the matter would be secured before the May 22 graduation. According to an article by Jenni Vincent, on the Web site www.weheartwv.com, she said the state has advised that graduation ceremonies or events where scholarship winners are announced to have seniors be “recognized as Promise eligible when recognized at award ceremonies.”

 

All facets of education, both public and higher, could be impacted by what the Legislature meets to iron out a budget that they’ve had little common ground on. Every other aspect of government could also be impacted.