$12M may aid charter schools

October 17, 2023

West Virginia’s still-new charter schools have been awarded a $12.3 million federal grant that supporters say will provide a major boost to grow the system. The five-year grant has come from the Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program under the U.S. Department of Education. Now, the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board says it can double the number of authorized charter schools and triple the number of students enrolled in them by 2018. Officials with the charter school board say the federal grant award — along with West Virginia’s ...

Six MHS students earn elite recognition

October 16, 2023

A big future now awaits six students from Morgantown High School.   BigFuture is the online guide administered by the national College Board to help students get ready for education and life after high school. Some $14 million in scholarships though the BigFuture program have been ...

Preston County teacher facing child abuse charges

October 16, 2023

A Preston County teacher faces child abuse charges after allegedly putting duct tape over a student’s mouth and binding the child’s hands. Cassandra “Candi” Diann Sisler, 43, of Terra Alta, and a teacher at Central Preston Middle School, was charged by West Virginia State Police on Friday with four counts of child abuse resulting in injury or creating risk of injury. According to criminal complaints, the victim told law enforcement that their teacher, who they identified as Sisler, put duct tape over their mouth on Oct. 2, 3, 4, and 5 “in the middle of class.” The ...

Local childcare advocates push for federal legislation as funding expires and ‘childcare cliff’ looms

October 11, 2023

MORGANTOWN – A group of childcare advocates stopped at the Morgantown offices of Rep. Alex Mooney and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito on Wednesday to drop off some information on what they term the “childcare cliff” and on two bills before Congress to address the problem. Between stops, ...

BOE discusses possible levy, repairs and parent notifications

October 11, 2023

KINGWOOD — Members of the Preston County Board of Education met at the East Preston School in Terra Alta Monday evening and discussed a possible levy, repairs at Preston High School (PHS), West Preston and parent notification requirements. During an earlier meeting board member Cross Kisner requested parent notification requirements be placed on the agenda. He expressed concerns that parents should be notified prior to their child being pulled out of the classroom. Examples given were school assemblies, guest speakers, counseling, nurse visits, tutoring, retaking special tests ...

‘COVID Cohort’ says it was ready for college — despite having high school disrupted by the pandemic

October 3, 2023

Marianna Morgano got the last word on COVID last spring as she took the microphone during the Class of 2023 commencement at Morgantown High School. After all, her class — and the classes of her 12th-year counterparts nationwide — had just completed a run of school like no ...