Morrisey’s review of TANF spending has forced some WV community and technical colleges to cut jobs

Some community and technical colleges in West Virginia have been forced to cut personnel focused on helping students access school supplies, food, clothes, bus passes and more due to Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s ongoing review of how the state uses its federal anti-poverty dollars. 

“With the delay in funding disbursement, some CTCs have had to cut the position while others may have the ability to briefly fund these positions from other funding sources,” said Briana Warner, director of communications at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. 

“We know that the state sees the immense value of these coordinators in helping keep our postsecondary students in training programs and then into the workforce. We are hopeful that the funding is distributed soon,” Warner said. 

These individuals help students overcome any barrier that could keep them from finishing their degrees.

The positions at the state’s higher education institutions are funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a key federal program for low-income families. TANF funds flow annually through block grants to states, which have broad discretion over how to spend them. 

Morrisey announced in May that TANF faces a $43 million structural deficit due to increased COVID-era spending by the state. The review could result in cuts to some TANF-supported programs, including the state’s child care assistance program for working parents. 

Lars Dalseide, the governor’s communications director, said in response to questions for this story: “The administration is working collaboratively with the Legislature to address the $43 million deficit in TANF, which was driven by an unsustainable reliance on COVID-era funding.” 

“To correct this imbalance, all TANF programs are under review,” he said. 

The governor’s office or the Department of Human Services, which oversees the state’s TANF dollars, did not provide any additional information. 

Senate Education Chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, said in a phone interview that she was not aware TANF-funded positions at colleges had been impacted by Morrisey’s spending review due to a lack of communication from the governor’s office with lawmakers. 

“We are receiving those updates at pretty much the same moment that everybody else is … It’s not like we are given a heads up on what his announcement is going to be, and that’s how it’s been, honestly, his whole administration,” Grady said. “It’s frustrating because we represent our constituents who are asking us for help and asking us questions, and we feel like we’ve done our job in putting the funding in the budget, and we don’t have an answer to give them for the reason why there was a holdup.”

Lawmakers already approved $177 million in TANF funding for DoHS to spend this fiscal year. Republicans in legislative leadership have maintained there is no reason for any TANF-funded program in West Virginia to be impacted at this time.

Campus TANF coordinators helping at-risk students

Historically, all West Virginia community and technical colleges have received the annual federal funding for a TANF coordinator position. 

“These individuals connect students with resources to help them overcome barriers to finishing their training program, including, but not limited to: food access, bus passes, clothing, school-related supplies, mental health services, tutoring and connection to state support programs,” Warner said. “CTC TANF coordinators are typically the ones who run campus food pantries and clothing closets among many other responsibilities.”

Grady said that the TANF coordinators have been instrumental in helping students who maybe didn’t think post-secondary education was available.

“For years, we have constantly been talking about getting our college going rate or our post secondary rate up. The (state Higher Education Policy Commission) chancellor, Sarah Tucker, has done a great job at trying to implement programs and things to help with that,” Grady said. “It’s worrisome because we worked so hard at trying to get those numbers up, that this, I think, could possibly bring them back down.”

Josh Baker, president of Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington, West Virginia, said that amid the funding delay, the college has kept their TANF coordinator by using their own funds to cover the salary. 

He is optimistic that the funding will be released soon.

“We are hopeful that we will be funded for those positions as their support is highly impactful,” Baker said. “It provides valuable support to our at risk-students.”

The governor’s review of TANF funding recently caused a delay in disbursement of the state school clothing allowance program. Applications for the program will open July 20.