Policy analyst @WVCBP | anywhere but in between |
Joined October 2012
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
This week's Budget Beat highlights:
- WV Ranks 41st in Child Well-being in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book
- Berkeley County Loses Out on Tens of Millions in Property Tax Revenue With Data Center Tax Scheme
Read the full newsletter: wvpolicy.org/west-virginia-r…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book ranked WV 41st in child well-being. Recent policy and budget decisions made at the state and federal levels are expected to worsen outcomes for children.
Read Kelly's op-ed on why WV policymakers must reverse course:
wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Jun 11
This is largely because of the Third Grade Success Act!
Jun 11
Between 2018 and 2025, West Virginia public schools lost 25,821 students and 834 teachers. They added 1,886 paraprofessionals, 531 non-teaching certified staff, and 187 administrators.
Fewer students, fewer teachers, more of everyone else.
This is what happens when funding is tied to ratios instead of students.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Jun 11
"The pattern is clear: bigger minimum wage boosts meant bigger pay gains for restaurant workers. In neither case does the group with the largest raises show any indication of a more negative employment effect — in fact those groups’ employment estimates are slightly positive, though not statistically distinguishable from zero."
We've been running an unprecedented natural experiment running for a decade and half. 30 states have raised their minimum wages. 20 have not.
What happened to pay? What happened to jobs? The good news is that it's pretty easy to figure out now.
Link next post.
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Jun 11
“While West Virginia saw some meaningful improvements in family and community and economic indicators, much more must be done to ensure all our state’s children can thrive in all domains” wvnews.com/news/wvnews/recen…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Every child deserves access to quality education. But for many in WV, this is becoming difficult.
Since 2011, ~140 public schools have closed. Our new fact sheet details how the FY 2026 revenue surplus can be utilized to prevent public school closures: wvpolicy.org/lawmakers-shoul…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Great piece, with striking figures.
In states that raised minimum wages, pay has gone up -- but there has been no effect on the number of jobs.
We've been running an unprecedented natural experiment running for a decade and half. 30 states have raised their minimum wages. 20 have not.
What happened to pay? What happened to jobs? The good news is that it's pretty easy to figure out now.
Link next post.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Discussing limited savings from WV school closures:
"The research is limited on how much money this saves, but the research that does exist suggests districts may save around 1% of their annual budgets," Weiland said.
tinyurl.com/3pavta22
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Jun 9
A group of former governors in the Senate just released a statement in support of delaying H.R. 1's SNAP cost shift for all states, calling it a "ticking time bomb for state budgets and for millions of low-income families who depend on food assistance." hickenlooper.senate.gov/pres…
ALT Excerpt from statement: "As former governors who have had to balance budgets, we know exactly what this unfunded mandate means: states will be forced to raise taxes, cut education, health care, or transportation, or restrict access to SNAP itself. Some may be forced to drop the program entirely. “This is not a hypothetical. SNAP participation is already declining at alarming rates, with over 3.5 million people leaving SNAP just since the OBBBA was enacted. “We stand with Ranking Member Klobuchar: any farm bill the Senate considers this year must extend the full two-year delay in the SNAP cost-shift to every state.”
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
While WVians have experienced a lack of transparency over data centers & the impacts of HB 2014, a flyer being distributed by Penzance indicates that Berkeley Co. will lose out on millions in property tax revenue generated by their data center development. wvpolicy.org/berkeley-county…
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Jun 9
Ah, you can see a million miles tonight, but you can't get very far
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
New Medicaid work rules worry patients, advocates—from @politico: politico.com/news/2026/06/07…
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Jun 9
“We were not happy to see the 41st, we want to see us do better, but we are making improvements in some areas, so that’s important.” wvpublic.org/story/health-sc…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Nearly 20 years ago, West Virginia set out to revitalize its economy by "unleashing capitalism"—cutting corporate taxes, slashing social services, and hamstringing unions.
Since then, the state hasn't gained a single net new job, Ted Boettner finds:
westvirginiawatch.com/2026/0…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Medicaid and SNAP are essential to families, jobs, hospitals, and local economies across West Virginia:
- Nearly 1 in 3 West Virginians rely on Medicaid for health coverage.
- More than 273,000 West Virginians participate in SNAP.
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Jun 9
ICYMI West Virginia ranks 41st for child well-being according to the 2026 Kids Count Data book
The @annieecaseyfdn's 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is now available! The report explores the latest data on education, health, economic well-being and family/community factors and now includes an enhanced index showing how child well-being is changing over time across the nation.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Jun 8
The tax cuts are fine because they will make it harder to hit the triggers we ignore anyway ?!
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Jun 8
Blown away by these Tax Foundation quotes attempting to prop up irresponsible decision to enact tax cuts despite state missing the trigger by hundreds of millions of dollars. No, it has not immediately helped our economy and all else is not equal wvnews.com/statejournal/news…
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Jun 9
They’re not mad about WV’s dismal child well-being indicators, they’re mad I’m talking about them.
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