Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch - About 15,000 students applied for the Hope Scholarship and will receive full funding for the 2025-26 school year. Read the full article. Of that total, more than 1,700 are from Kanawha County. According to a news release from West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack’s office, this is more than 4,000 more…
Education
Funding is essential to the operation and performance of public schools. Without adequate funding and resources, public schools are forced to maximize the limited amount that they do have. This often results in staffing cuts, programming cuts, and school closures and consolidations to keep the district operational. The current approach to school funding in West…
State Journal - The 2025 Kids Count Data Book was recently published, showcasing where each state ranks in several areas like education, health and economic well-being for children. Read the full article. West Virginia ranked 41st in overall well-being, an improvement from the last data book, where the state was 44th. Sean O’Leary, Kids Count…
The Intermountain - At the same meeting last week in which the West Virginia Department of Education voted unanimously to officially place Randolph County Schools in a state of emergency, the Randolph school system was also discussed as a negative example of how the state’s voucher program works. Read the full article. During the June…
WTAP - New data show that West Virginia has seen some modest improvements in child well-being, but the state continues to lag behind its neighbors in several key ways. Read the full article. The Kids Count Data Book, released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, tracks children’s health, education, economic security and family stability…
Huntington Herald-Dispatch - As the deadline for homeschooled and private students to receive the Hope Scholarship’s full funding comes to a close Sunday, West Virginia State Treasurer Larry Pack has encouraged parents to enroll. Read the full article. In a news release Thursday, Pack said, ”I am encouraging families to apply online by June 15…
West Virginia Watch, Yahoo News - West Virginia’s ranking for child well-being has made slight improvements, but the state is still struggling with students meeting basic academic benchmarks. Read the full article. The new Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation said that in 2024, 75% of West Virginia’s fourth graders were not proficient…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Two more school districts have been placed under states of emergency by the state Board of Education. The board is also gearing up for a confrontation over vaccine requirements. Read the full article. The West Virginia Board of Education voted to declare states of emergency in Boone and Randolph county…
Public News Service, Clay County Free Press - A new report shows West Virginia has improved the well-being of its children but the Mountain State still ranks the in the bottom tier of states for measures such as child poverty, education and health. Read the full article. The findings come from the 2025 Kids Count Data…
West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia improved its overall child well-being ranking compared to last year, according to an annual assessment — although that meant moving from 44th to 41st among the states. Read the full article. That’s according to the most recent Kids Count Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the…