Charleston Gazette-Mail - Coverage of the state’s involvement in private education invariably interests me. Read the full article. A recent op-ed by Kelly Allen of the West Virginia Budget and Policy Center provided a host of new and important data on the Hope Scholarship, the state’s school voucher program. The column is widely available and…
Education
West Virginia Watch, Times West Virginian - When the Hope Scholarship, West Virginia’s school voucher program, was enacted, proponents framed the program as one of choice — a way to provide alternative education options to families who could not otherwise afford it. Now, on the eve of the program’s expansion — set to double or…
What is the Hope Scholarship? The Hope Scholarship is a school voucher program that diverts public taxpayer dollars to cover private school and other non-public school expenses like tuition and fees, uniforms, supplies, technology, and even extracurricular costs like dance lessons and zoo tickets. DOWNLOAD THIS BLOG POST AS A FACT SHEET HERE. The program…
K-12 Dive - Declining student enrollment is plaguing public schools at state and district levels nationwide, with the impact being felt from falling birthrates and expanding school choice programs. Read the full article. As preliminary enrollment data for the 2025-26 school year has begun rolling out, school leaders are being forced to plan ahead for…
Times West Virginian, Yahoo News - Marion County Schools doesn’t fear competition, but it doesn’t want to compete on an unfair playing field either. Read the full article. The school district released its HOPE Scholarship numbers for the 2025-26 academic year, which show a rise in the number of HOPE students this year. The numbers…
Exponent-Telegram - West Virginia has added more than 3,000 jobs since last August, and the state has seen a slight drop in its unemployment rate, bringing it below the national average, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Read the full article. However, the state still trails the nation in terms of average job…
WCHS - West Virginia State Board of Education President Paul Hardesty said with declining enrollment, school consolidations and unregulated school choice, public education in the state has been at a crossroads for some time now. Read the full article. Hardesty, a former lawmaker himself, opened up Wednesday's board meeting calling on the legislature to level…
WCHS - A nonprofit has launched a new website to keep track of public school closures across West Virginia. Read the full article. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy added a tracker to its webpage that provides a breakdown of proposals and approvals. Declining student enrollment, changes in funding and increasing interest in the Hope…
West Virginia News - Since signing an executive order providing religious exemptions to vaccines earlier this year, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has called on lawmakers to codify the exemptions into law. However, measures aimed at doing so failed during the regular session this year. Read the full article. Morrisey continues to tout the support he’s received…
Updated estimates from the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office now estimate the cost of the expanded Hope Scholarship in FY 2027 to be about $245 million rather than the $315 million projected earlier this year. While their office has framed this as a "cost savings," in reality this still reflects exponential program growth far beyond…