West Virginia awards $5 million grant to Catholic faculty for enlargement and suppose tank

West Virginia Awards $5 Million to Catholic School for Vocational Coaching and Suppose Tank Enlargement (Getty Photos)

The West Virginia Water Growth Authority (WDA) permitted a $5 million grant to the School of St. Joseph the Employee, a Catholic-affiliated faculty primarily based in Steubenville, Ohio. The funds, drawn from the state’s Financial Enhancement Grant Fund (EEGF), can be used to broaden the school’s operations into West Virginia. The enlargement goals to create a satellite tv for pc campus, vocational coaching packages, and a conservative suppose tank, studies the Herald Star.
Financial Development and Job Creation
The enlargement undertaking guarantees to offer vital financial advantages to the Northern Panhandle, significantly to the town of Weirton. In line with the school, it would make investments an extra $5 million into the undertaking, bringing the entire price to $10 million. This funding will assist develop vocational packages in trades resembling carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work. Moreover, the school plans to create a building and actual property firm headquartered in Weirton, which may make use of as much as 200 apprentices and 50-100 building staff.
Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, praised the initiative, emphasizing its potential to assist younger individuals within the area and supply invaluable job expertise. He believes the school’s mixture of technical and classical training presents a novel alternative for college students.
Controversy Surrounding the Grant
Whereas the grant was permitted by the WDA, the method has raised some questions. West Virginia legislation requires a letter of advice from certainly one of three state cupboard officers earlier than funds are allotted. Nevertheless, no such letter was offered for the School of St. Joseph the Employee’s grant software. Regardless of this, the undertaking moved ahead, with assist from key state officers, together with McGeehan.
The school additionally plans to make use of a part of the grant—$1 million—to create a conservative suppose tank centered on social coverage points, resembling abortion and immigration. This side of the undertaking has sparked debate about using public funds for political advocacy. The Governor’s Workplace has largely averted commenting on this concern, sustaining that the first objective of the grant is to assist workforce growth and financial progress.
Wanting Forward
The grant is part of West Virginia’s broader technique to revitalize its workforce and infrastructure. Because the institution of the EEGF in 2022, the state has awarded over $594 million in grants for varied financial growth tasks. Because the School of St. Joseph the Employee strikes ahead with its enlargement, its affect on the area’s workforce and political panorama stays to be seen.