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, determines the cost of providing education based on the cost of resources (e.g., staffing, transportation, operations and maintenance, instructional programs and technology, professional growth) and according to the number of students enrolled in the school district.
This is called a resource-based formula, meaning the state develops a total funding amount for each school district based on assumptions about how many teachers and other staff a district might need, and how much money those staff should earn, given the number and type of students they serve. About one-third of states use a resource-based formula, while others use student- or program-based formulas (or a hybrid of the three). Student-based funding formulas weight for the number of students along with the types of students, often providing extra resources for high-needs students.
West Virginia’s funding formula also determines what portion of funding comes from the state compared to local sources. The share of state versus local funding varies widely across school districts, with wealthier districts often able to fund their school districts to a higher level compared to other districts. This contributes to funding disparities within and between school districts that can lead to disparities in student experiences and outcomes. West Virginia is one of only a few states that does not have a step in its formula to account for high-poverty in a district. This is one of several areas where the formula can be modified to prevent these disparities and address the needs of students. Read our full fact sheet on the school funding formula here.
