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Central West Virginia lawmakers offered an amendment on the floor of the House Wednesday aimed at protecting Glenville
State College. The college is reportedly on the short-list to be closed, with the Legislature attempting to raise funds to reduce
the nearly $3 billion dollar Worker's Comp debt.
Braxton County Delegate Brent Boggs and Calhoun County Delegate Bill Stemple, who also serves parts of Gilmer and
Clay, offered an amendment to the Higher Education Restructuring Bill to specifically protect Glenville State from closure.
The legislation calls for the Higher Education Policy Commission to close, consolidate or privatize two West Virginia colleges
or university by 2007.
The Boggs-Stemple Amendment would have prohibited such action to any school that was more than 50 road miles away
from another college campus without subsequent legislative action, according to the news report.
House Education Chairman Jerry Mezzatesta opposed the amendment, saying no schools were identified in the bill, and that
decision will be left to the Policy Commission.
Mezzatesta said adding such an amendment to exempt certain colleges would destroy the intent of the bill which is ultimately
to give equal footing to higher education and secondary education, although it appears evident Glenville is on the closure list
with at least two other schools.
The bill targets schools that do not have a sufficient number of students to make them financially viable.
The amendment was defeated on a voice vote, and the measure moved ahead for a third reading.
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