Education

November 7, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Higher Education Funding Cuts Have Hurt Students and the State’s Future

With faltering revenue collections, Governor Justice has ordered a $100 million budget cut for the current budget year, with more cuts likely for the FY 2021 budget. And, as with past budget cuts, higher education appears to be a prime target. This is all happening on the heels of a new report from the Center…

Read More
October 31, 2019 by WVCBP
WV’s 4th-Grade Math Scores Fall; Reading Lowest on Record

Charleston Gazette-Mail - In public schools in the majority of states, fourth-graders’ math scores held steady or improved on average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress from 2017 to this year. Read article. Not in West Virginia. It was among only three states to see statistically significant drops in their average scores in this…

Read More
June 6, 2019 by Ted Boettner
Does West Virginia Invest Enough in Education? A Closer Look at the Data

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2017 data on state public school spending that shows West Virginia spends less per student than the national average and less than most of our neighboring states. If you subtract out federal revenue, WV collects less education revenue per student than 31 states (including DC) and nearly $2,000…

Read More
May 23, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Poverty Can’t Be Ignored When It Comes To Education

With a special session on education reform looming, the Chamber of Commerce has weighed in with a "comprehensive" report on education outcomes in West Virginia. Like their previous report on the subject, the Chamber analysis focuses solely on education spending, concluding that West Virginia educational outcomes are too low despite the amount the state is…

Read More
May 6, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Scholarship Tax Credits Share the Same Flaws with Education Savings Accounts

With this month's Special Session on education reform looming, Speaker Hanshaw has floated the idea of replacing one controversial policy proposal, Education Savings Accounts (ESA), with another, tax credit scholarships. Like ESA's, tax credit scholarships are another voucher-like policy that create financial incentives for students to leave the public school system and enter into the…

Read More
January 31, 2019 by Sean O'Leary
Public Money for Private Schools: Education Savings Accounts Can Grow Costly While Doing Little to Improve Education

West Virginia legislators are considering enacting voucher-like programs to transfer tax-payer money to private schools. This week they introduced a proposal to create Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) as part of the omnibus education reform bill, SB 451, which would set public money aside for educational services, including private school tuition, textbooks and curriculum materials, private…

Read More
October 4, 2018 by WVCBP
Unkept Promises: State Cuts to Higher Education Threatens Access and Equity

West Virginia's inadequate public investment in higher education over the last decade has contributed to rising tuition prices, often leaving students with little choice but to take on more debt or give up on their dreams of going to college, according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report released today. The problem is especially serious…

Read More
October 4, 2018 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia’s Cuts to Higher Education Threaten Access and Equity

A decade since the Great Recession, state spending on higher education has yet to recover from years of deep cuts, including in West Virginia, according to a new report released today from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. West Virginia was one of 45 states that spent less per student in the 2018 school year than in 2008.…

Read More
September 11, 2018 by WVCBP
West Virginia Needs the Senate Farm Bill

Among our West Virginia hills, it's likely the most common questions heard upon entering someone's home are: "are you hungry?" and "would you like something to eat." Food bonds us and fuels us. It's engrained in our culture - from garden canning to church meals - making sure our neighbors have enough to eat is…

Read More