Wheeling News-Register, Weirton Daily Times - West Virginia Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman sees an increased need to care for the state’s foster children in 2024. Read the full article. When the Legislature next convenes Jan. 10, one of the bills the Ohio County Republican hopes to propose would provide reimbursement funding to a family member…
Education
Charleston Gazette-Mail - As access to the Hope Scholarship expands, some are concerned the program is siphoning funds away from the public school system. Read the full article. The Hope Scholarship Board approved a proposal Tuesday to accept applications from eligible students year-round, said state Treasurer Riley Moore, who serves as the board’s chairman. “I’m thrilled the board has…
Stateline, West Virginia Watch - Taya Sullivan, 20, is a freshman at West Virginia University, double majoring in neuroscience and Spanish. She also has a campus job in a linguistics lab, building on her majors and earning money she needs to continue her studies. Read the full article. Next semester, both her Spanish major and…
West Virginia News, West Virginia Public Broadcasting - A new report calculates the cost of the state’s education voucher program on public schools. Read the full article. The analysis from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, published Wednesday, estimates the Hope Scholarship costs West Virginia public schools up to $21.6 million. The Hope…
West Virginia Watch, Times West Virginian - West Virginia’s public schools are likely to lose more than $21.6 million with students who have left the system to use the Hope Scholarship for private schools, homeschooling and more. Read the full article. The data was included in a new report released Wednesday by the West Virginia Center on…
For Immediate Release: December 13, 2023 Contact: Kelly Allen, (304)-612-4180 Charleston, WV – The vast majority of school-age children in West Virginia attend and receive their education through the public school system, and West Virginia’s state constitution requires "a thorough and efficient system of free schools." But a growing Hope Scholarship voucher program is diverting public resources…
Overview Read the full brief here. West Virginia’s state constitution requires that, “the Legislature shall provide, by general law, for a thorough and efficient system of free schools.” But due to a confluence of factors, including a growing Hope Scholarship voucher program, declining state revenues due to sweeping tax cuts, and the end of federal…
Times West Virginian - With the Jan. 10 start date for West Virginia’s 60-day legislative session inching closer, state lawmakers representing Marion County and beyond convened in Fairmont Monday morning to discuss potential changes to state education policy. Read the full article. During the meeting, members of the Marion County Board of Education and local…
Center for Public Integrity - Several years ago, West Virginia parent Christy Black searched for an inclusive private school for her daughter Gracie, who has Down syndrome, but to no avail. “There wasn’t any in my area or a few counties over, even, that would accept my daughter,” Black recalled. Read the full article. So…
West Virginia Watch, Huntington News Network, Hampshire Review - Shepherd University, a small, public university in the Eastern Panhandle, is the latest West Virginia higher education institution to announce that it has made staff reductions and program changes in an effort to deal with its debt. Read the full article. The university is trying to…