West Virginia lawmakers passed the Hope Scholarship, at the time one of the broadest school voucher programs in the nation, in 2021. Voucher programs like the Hope Scholarship, referred to as Education Savings Accounts, divert taxpayer funding from the public education system to unaccountable, sometimes unaccredited, private schools and education service providers. With no public…
Education
WCHS - Student loan borrowers are preparing to readjust their budgets. More than 220,000 West Virginians have about two months before beginning to repay their student loans. Read the full article. Since 2020, interest and requirements on loan payments came to a halt. Kelly Allen with the West Virginia Budget and Policy Office spoke with…
Yahoo News, Dominion Post - The $45 million shortfall West Virginia University faces is still some of the biggest news around town. In the past week, we've discussed the issue in terms of what the university could have done and should do (or not do) in the future. But there are multiple factors at play,…
Higher Ed Dive - West Virginia University is grappling with an enrollment decline all too familiar for many higher education institutions — though it is somewhat unusual for a public flagship to be staring down such a significant budget hole. Read the full article. E. Gordon Gee, WVU’s president, has said the falling enrollment is a…
Inside Higher Ed - When West Virginia University president E. Gordon Gee announced plans to cut programs and faculty in the face of a projected $75 million budget shortfall, he said he wanted the process to be as compassionate and transparent as possible. It was, after all, the first reduction in force (RiF) in the university’s history to…
University Business - West Virginia University is potentially facing a $45 million budget deficit in the next fiscal year, and considering its current tuition and enrollment trends, that gulf can grow past $70 million in the next five years. Read the full article. As a result, President Gordon Gee is merging the College of the Creative Arts…
Higher Ed Dive - West Virginia University announced Wednesday a merger of its College of Creative Arts and the Reed College of Media, heralding it as a “creative and innovative collaboration.” Read the full article. But in the same breath it cast the consolidation as inventive, it acknowledged it was staring down “a challenging collegiate landscape,” which…
The Intermountain - West Virginia University has been facing financial challenges for years. This year it will be dealing with a projected $45 million deficit. According to one in-state think tank, lawmakers dropped the ball by failing to maintain steadier state funding for higher education over the past few years. Read the full article. The…
WOWK - West Virginia University is dealing with a serious budget short fall, but right now there is no agreement on how to fix it. There is plenty of finger-pointing going on, and that means a solution is not on the table right now. Read the full article. As West Virginia University gears up for…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - The cause of a West Virginia University budget crisis varies, depending on who you ask. Read the full article. WVU is grappling with a $45 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, which is expected to swell to $75 million a year by 2028. Over the past several months, the university…