West Virginia Watch, News from the States - While facing the huge uncertainty around proposed federal cuts to food banks, SNAP and school feeding programs, county officials have been sounding the alarm that if their county jail bills keep increasing, they do not know how their counties can afford funding popular, non-mandated services like senior…
Tax and Budget
Public Employees Won’t See a Pay Raise in Any Version of the State Budget. Here’s What Else to Know.
Mountain State Spotlight, Charleston Gazette-Mail - In the final days of the session, lawmakers are hashing out the only bill they are required by law to pass – the state budget. Read the full article. In February, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the budget would be tight. Money coming into the state coffers has decreased over…
West Virginia Watch, Yahoo - Funding for foster care has been slashed in the House Finance Committee as members opted to ignore Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed budget, including his $182 million request for a child welfare system in crisis. Read the full article. There are more than 5,800 children in foster care, and there aren’t…
Public education is funded by a combination of federal, state, and local sources. In West Virginia, state and local funding make up 8 in every 10 dollars that fund public education. This critical state and local funding supports essential costs for the continued operation of schools. The Public School Support Program, also known as the school funding formula,…
Raw Story - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told reporters he can edit federal spending and revenue baselines as the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Read the full article. “As Budget Chairman, under section 312 of the Congressional Budget Act, I have the authority to determine baseline numbers for spending and revenue. Under that authority, I have…
WTRF - A recent executive order signed by The Trump Administration to dismantle the Department of Education is causing some concern about how public schools will receive federal funding. Read the full article. According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, federal funding brings more than $350 million annually into West Virginia’s 55 county school…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - For reasons not entirely explicable, for the past few years legislative leaders have prided themselves on passing the Budget Bill by the 60th day of the regular session, avoiding the traditional post-session budget conference, when the session would be extended for a few days to work out a final version of the…
Parkersburg News and Sentinel - Recent surveys found most West Virginians oppose public funds going to private schools in other states and another shows bipartisan support for criminal justice reforms. Read the full article. A poll by RABA Research found 84% of respondents do not believe it is appropriate for West Virginia tax dollars to…
59 News - A number of teachers were at the Raleigh County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, to speak out in support of students and the need for art and music programs, in addition to school counselors. Read the full article. They came out to oppose any plan by Raleigh County…
Spirit of Jefferson - Last Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling her department. This long-expected and contentious move is another extension of the Trump Administration’s sweeping federal cuts, which, in this case, aims to “return authority over education to the States and local…