BUCKHANNON – Concerned about the future of funding for educational and extracurricular initiatives in Upshur County Schools?

The Foundation for Better Schools in Upshur County is seeking your input.

The certified nonprofit organization is inviting Upshur County Board of Education members, parents, members of the public, business leaders and other community stakeholders to its regular meeting this Wednesday, June 26.

The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Upshur County Public Library in Tennerton.  

Foundation member Don Nestor said the group wants to gather feedback from the community about what projects may need funded, especially given the excess levy’s failure to pass in the May 2024 Primary Election.

The group also wants to explain the process parents and educators should follow when applying for funds from the Foundation for a specific initiative, project, or extracurricular activity — typically one that can’t be covered by funds from the district’s general or special funds budget.

“What we’re trying to do is gather input from people about what might need to be covered for secondary school students in Upshur County Schools,” Nestor said. “We’re asking people to come and share their ideas about what we should be doing out there for our students.”

Nestor said although UCS Superintendent Christy Miller is unavailable, Assistant Superintendent Russ Collett plans to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Anyone interested in donating to assist the work of the Foundation is also invited to the June 26 meeting.

“Because we’re a nonprofit foundation, we have to ensure that anything we fund is signed off on by the school’s principal and the superintendent, and then we will write a check for that specific need,” Nestor said Monday. “It’s a great way for people who want to make donations for school-related projects to know that the funds they contribute are being spent exactly the way they intended.”

According to the Foundation for Better Schools in Upshur County’s Facebook page, the sole purpose of the nonprofit is to aid in the betterment and improvement of the public school system in Upshur County, West Virginia.

Can’t make the meeting? For more information or if you have questions, call 304-439-0568 or email foundationforbetterschoolsucwv@gmail.com.