The public school system is an essential resource for West Virginians. The majority of children in our state, about 90 percent, are served through the public school system. This resource is guaranteed to West Virginians through our state constitution which promises a thorough and efficient system of free schools. Every child in our state deserves to have access to quality public education in a safe and supportive environment with schools that are well funded and educators that are well compensated. Public education at large and within West Virginia has faced several challenges in recent years including the COVID-19 pandemic, declining enrollment, and disinvestment of funding and resources.
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There is growing consensus among state and local leaders in education that the current funding formula for our public schools no longer reflects the priorities of communities or the changing needs of students. More than 20 schools across the state have been proposed or approved to close this school year. Unless the school funding formula is updated, more schools will close, resulting in wide ranging impacts for students and their communities more broadly. Schools provide the essential service of education to students and serve as major employers and contributors to the local economy. Legislators can modernize the school funding formula to ensure that West Virginia public schools are equipped with the necessary resources to meet the needs of our children and fulfill the state’s constitutional promise.
As of October 2024, more than 241,000 children were enrolled in West Virginia public schools. Enrollment has been on the decline in recent years. In the past five years alone, public school enrollment has fallen by more than 11,000 students. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the decline in our state outpaced the national-level decline over the same period. There have been several contributors to the loss of students from West Virginia public schools including overall population decline, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Hope Scholarship Program.
Although enrollment decline has contributed to significant losses in funding for school districts, many of the costs to maintain the public school system remain relatively constant. For example, regardless of the number of students enrolled in a school district, the costs associated with transportation, maintenance of school buildings, and capital costs remain largely the same. Because schools cannot easily reduce their fixed costs regardless of changes in enrollment, they have few other options than to reduce spending on variable costs (instruction and support services) or close or consolidate schools. The loss of funding associated with enrollment decline in West Virginia has been reflected in both school closures and consolidations as well as reductions in employment and lower quality and fewer programs. To exemplify, Harrison County experienced significant enrollment loss from the Hope Scholarship in 2023-2024, which resulted in reduced extracurricular opportunities for students this school year and the closure of three schools set for the end of this school year.
