Policy analyst @WVCBP | anywhere but in between |

Charleston, WV
Joined October 2012
"A new analysis from the WVCBP examines how West Virginia’s spending on TANF increased following state income tax cuts, drawing down reserves that have helped fund child care assistance, foster care and other family support programs." wvnews.com/news/wvnews/study…
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84% of WV households receiving SNAP also include someone covered by Medicaid. This extensive overlap raises concerns that families being harmed by HR 1's SNAP changes will soon face another complicated reporting process to maintain access to health care. wvpolicy.org/more-than-four-…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
The White House Council of Economic Advisers claims illegal immigrants cost taxpayers $166,716 each. Cato's @David_J_Bier says those estimates aren't credible. They have actually reduced federal, state, and local deficits by $1.7 trillion over 30 years. ow.ly/kNi151015Zf
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"Tamaya Browder, education policy fellow for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said the lawsuit reflects longstanding concerns about the program’s effect on public school funding and its lack of transparency." wvnews.com/statejournal/news…
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One of West Virginia’s most respected journalists received the Adam R. Kelly Premier Journalist Award during the West Virginia Press Association’s annual convention Saturday at the University of Charleston. wvgazettemail.com/news/kanaw…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
"In Kentucky, repeal didn't save money or add competition, but it did lower wages, it caused safety and productivity to deteriorate, and it did send work to out-of-state companies and workers."
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Folks, @PeteButtigieg is right: we've been running a generation long natural experiment on minimum wages and the results are clear. 20 states have no MW to speak of. 30 do, and sometimes as high as European levels (60% of median wage). What do we find? Sharp growth in low pay, little effect on jobs.
A Charlotte student to @PeteButtigieg on corporate abuse of the minimum wage. How will the Democratic platform structure a wage increase to actively protect small businesses from being forced to close or cut hours?
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
If communities want small schools close to home, we can use our tax $$ to make it so. We can co-locate more services in schools w/ empty space (& do things like increase pre-K takeup). We don't need to jump to the most harmful option- unless goal is to decimate public schools.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
People who say closing more schools is the only answer are lacking creativity, compassion, and data. Recent research shows school closures often don't save money at all and the harms they inflict on students and broader communities are great.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Is school building utilization a good measure for funding adequacy? While it may be a piece of the analysis, factors like staffing, course offerings, adequate resources for vulnerable populations (high-poverty, disability), and *what the community wants* cannot be disregarded.
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"West Virginia's SNAP enrollment dropped from 270,722 in July 2025 to 250,742 in June 2026, a 7.38% reduction."
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"Individual states will now have to pay 75% of the program's operational costs, resulting in a decline in enrollment of over 5 million people from July 2025 to June 2026, according to @CenterOnBudget's SNAP tracker and the U.S. Department of Agriculture." dominionpost.com/2026/10/02/…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
It’s a beautiful night somewhere…
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News drop: West Virginia school leaders today unveiled a proposed school funding formula overhaul with hope lawmakers will consider it. The proposed formula seeks to address declining public school enrollment, special education costs and more. westvirginiawatch.com/2026/1…
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Real average hourly earnings for all employees decrease 0.5% in September #BLSData bls.gov/news.release/archive…
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ICYMI: Our new 2026 State of Working West Virginia report examines how our state economy has transitioned to a health care economy over the past decade, where job growth is now happening, and what it means for working West Virginians.
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Sean O’Leary retweeted
Informative story in @NewYorker on opioid settlement spending. Would have loved, though, to see any sort of attribution for this graf. I’m the only person I’m aware of who has compiled, analyzed and published this info. It took me weeks in ‘26 and ‘25. newyorker.com/news/the-lede/…
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ICYMI: Our 19th edition of State of Working West Virginia provides an overall picture of the state economy and centers on the growth of the health care and social assistance sector, which is increasingly becoming the state’s primary source of jobs and economic growth.
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