How Would the Loss of Federal Funding Affect WV School Districts?

Recent proposals from the Trump Administration and Congress aim to cut federal education funding and dismantle the United States Department of Education, contributing to the rising trend of disinvestment from public education. Federal funds support critical programs in West Virginia like Title I, which serves low-income children, Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) funding to serve children with disabilities, and the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to provide meals to children in school.

Federal funding brings more than $350 million annually into West Virginia’s 55 county school districts, making up a significant portion of local school district budgets and helping to provide much-needed resources to students with higher needs, like those in high-poverty districts or with disabilities. Cutting these funds could mean the loss of teachers, the end of vital support for the most disadvantaged kids, new school lunch fees for parents, and reduced student success and well-being. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), federal funding made up more than one in ten dollars in West Virginia school district budgets in 2019 and nearly one in five dollars in school district budgets in 2022, though that year included pandemic era ESSER funding.

In 2019, federal funding provided more than $384 million to West Virginia school districts to support students through critical programs including:

• National School Nutrition Program: $126.4 million for School Nutrition Programs (SNPs) to reimburse schools for meal costs for low-income children and ensure that children get essential meals and healthy food options during school, after school, and through the summer.
• Title I: $69 million to support education for children in high poverty schools. Over half of the children in West Virginia public schools are from lower income families. Research shows that children experiencing poverty require more resources to achieve the same outcomes as students of higher income families. More than 350 schools across the state benefit from Title I funding.
• IDEA: $68.8 million to support special education and to serve children with disabilities. More than one-fifth of children in West Virginia public schools receive special education services.
• Vocational and Technical Programs: $4.3 million to equip students for the workforce through career and technical education.
• Other Programs: $95.4 million to support bilingual education, student support and academic enrichment, workforce development, school safety, and other programs.

Note: while the state received over $462 million in federal education funds in FY 2019, the above totals account for funds that went directly to the county school districts.

Cutting federal funds for education could mean the end of essential supports for students, additional costs for families, and the loss of teachers and other critical staff. Federal funding is distributed to benefit the students with the greatest need, meaning that high-poverty school districts and districts that serve higher shares of students with disabilities will bear the brunt of the impact if these funds are cut. 

In 2019, federal funds made up more than one-tenth of the budget for most West Virginia school districts. Notably, about 27 percent of the school district budget in Clay County was made up of federal funds. If cut, this could place more than 100 teachers and school employees at risk in this county alone. Across the state, over 6,000 teachers and school employees could be at risk of losing their positions if federal funds are cut. School districts in our state are already faced with difficult budgeting decisions due to the diversion of public education dollars to the Hope Scholarship Program, declining state revenues due to tax cuts, and reduced resources from the expiration of federal pandemic-era relief funding. How can we expect to maintain the thorough and efficient system of free schools guaranteed by our state constitution without essential federal funds?

Use the interactive map below to find out how much of your school district budget comes from federal funds and how many teachers and school employees could be at risk if this essential funding is cut.

Federal Funds are Essential to West Virginia Schools

Federal Funding as Share of School District Budgets in 2019