Education

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - State education leaders continue to struggle with school closures, and are increasingly highlighting the need for reform of the state school funding formula. Read the full article. The West Virginia Board of Education approved the closure of two elementary schools in Wayne County at their regular meeting Wednesday. Dunlow Elementary…

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - In his State Of The State address last month and again a few days ago, Gov. Patrick Morrisey made a case for a 10% cut in state income taxes. He proposed a 5% cut in his budget, and has challenged lawmakers to find another 5% to cut.  Listen to the full segment. It’s…

WBOY - Governor Patrick Morrisey is calling for lawmakers to work with him to create a 10% income tax cut for taxpayers in the state, but some are questioning whether such an income tax cut is really possible.  Read the full article. A press release from Governor Morrisey’s office, released on Tuesday, included the following statement: “The…

MSN - Some West Virginia lawmakers are proposing allocating $8 Million in emergency funding to Hancock County schools. It comes after the district announced last month it didn’t have the money to pay its teachers. Read the full article. A new survey from the Hunt Institute shows strong voter support for teachers. The pandemic spawned concerns from…

Mountain State Spotlight, My Buckhannon - Just days before the West Virginia Department of Education took over another school district, lawmakers were told they should cap private education scholarships based on need and better fund public schools. Read the full article. Clicking through a PowerPoint presentation, RAND Corporation policy analysts Benjamin Master and Brian Phillips told…

Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia has a people problem. From its counties to its cities and towns, and particularly its school systems, the state simply doesn’t have sufficient population for many of these institutions to operate effectively. Read the full article. Consider that the largest high school in West Virginia, Morgantown High School, has about…

Exponent-Telegram - The Office of Governor Patrick Morrisey recently released its six-year financial plan through fiscal year 2031. Starting in fiscal year 2028, the financial plan anticipates shortfalls of between $200 million and $400 million for four years totaling more than $1.2 billion in uncovered expenses. Read the full article. These shortfalls are the result…

In spite of the wide ranging challenges that West Virginia public schools are facing such as inadequate funding, an outdated funding formula, and the rapidly expanding Hope Scholarship voucher program, our public school system continues to educate and support the vast majority of children in our state. These ongoing challenges have led to waves of…

West Virginia Watch, Beckley Register-Herald, Times West Virginian, Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia state agencies — in charge of schools, road repairs, foster care and more — along with the state Supreme Court have been asked by the Morrisey administration to cut their budgets by 2%. Read the full article. Additionally, an August memo from the Department…

West Virginia spends almost $870 less per student than the national average. For $288 million, we can increase spending to meet the national average and fund improvements to public schools across the state. There are currently 34 school districts that spend less per student than the national average. Investments in these school districts could fund…