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By SHARON KILPATRICK
Rappahannock Newt Staff Writer
Agricultural Extension Agent Scott Cunningham has resigned effective Thursday March 31, and it is unlikely he will be replaced any time soon.
The Extension service received only $700,000 of $1.3 million in additional funding requested for this year and only $400,000 of a similar request for next year. If these requests had been funded, the Extension Service could have been maintained at current staffing levels, that is below the number of agents funded during the Robb and Bailies administrations.
The General Assembly appropriates funds for the Extension Division separately from funds from the regular academic programs at Virginia Tech. From Extension Division funds officials at Virginia Tech allocate funds to the Virginia Cooperative Extension service, a public service fund for economic development in the state and continuing education programs that are mostly self-supporting. Cooperative Extension gets more than 80 percent of funds for the Extension Division, according to Dr. Clark Jones, an assistant to the director of extension in Richmong.
Mr. Cunningham will be taking a job with Columbia Gas Transmissions in “the southern coalfield area” of West Virginia. He will be supervising a small staff maintaining pipeline rights of way and maintaining the grounds around the office.
He said he went looking for another job when it became clear that his position would probably not be funded after the start of the new fiscal year July 1.
He said when he and other young agents were hired they were told if cuts had to be made, priority area would be considered as well as se
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