As public education faces challenges of declining enrollment and persistent disinvestment of funding and resources, school closures and consolidations continue to threaten access to public education for children in our state. Twenty-five schools were proposed or approved for closure across the state this school year. One county that has been particularly affected is Wood County. Nine schools have closed within the past five years in Wood County with two more slated to close at the end of this school year. The experiences of the Wood County school district serve as a cautionary tale of the difficult decisions that districts must face when funding declines. The least resourced schools are often the ones on the chopping block, despite the reality that the families they serve are the least likely to benefit from voucher programs.
Wood County is home to 16 public elementary schools, five public middle schools, and three public high schools, serving over 11,000 students throughout the district with about 1,700 staff. At the end of this school year, the available public schools in the county will decrease by two. Fairplains Elementary School will close and merge with Martin Elementary School, and Van Devender Middle School will close and merge with Jackson Middle School and Hamilton Middle School. Funding challenges were cited by the superintendent as the primary driver for the closures.
The overall enrollment decline for the district over the past five years was only about seven percent, which indicates that the losses of students from Fairplains Elementary and Van Devender Middle were particularly severe; these schools observed declines of 25 percent and 33 percent, respectively. These two schools also have a greater share of students that are economically disadvantaged, experiencing homelessness, and receiving special education services compared to other schools in the district.
Districts and schools that serve vulnerable student groups like these are often underfunded and under-resourced despite research that clearly shows that these students require more resources to achieve similar educational outcomes to their peers. Under the current funding formula for public education in West Virginia, student enrollment is the primary driver of funding and resource allocation. As schools lose students, they are forced to operate with reduced funding and fewer resources, particularly for staffing, transportation, and overall operation costs.
The Hope Scholarship was a major contributor to the loss of students in Wood County public schools. This county had the third highest number of scholarship recipients in the state last school year, totaling to 357 students that utilized voucher funds that year. From the first to the second year of the program, participation in the Hope Scholarship in Wood County more than tripled from 115 students. The Hope Scholarship accounted for more than half of the enrollment decline in the district from the 2022-2023 to the 2023-2024 school year. This decline amounted to the loss of about $1.4 million in state funding for essential costs like staffing, operations, and transportation for Wood County public schools in the 2024-2025 school year.
A sizable portion of voucher funds remained in Wood County. More than $1.3 million in Hope Scholarship funds went to private schools based in the county last school year, according to data received via public records request from the West Virginia Treasurer’s Office. This accounts for about eight percent of voucher funds that went to non-public schools last school year. Wood County also has one of the highest concentrations of private schools within the state, with 11 private schools in the county.
Of the schools that list their tuition costs publicly, the average cost of private schooling in Wood County is about $6,300 per student, annually. The Hope Scholarship provided up to $4,489 per student for the 2023-2024 school year, which meant about $1,800 annually must paid by the family in Wood County. Notably, this does not include other costs like meals, transportation, uniforms, books, and additional fees. Private schools often add fees or upcharges for these basic services that are provided at no cost in public schools. Combined, these costs beyond the value of the Hope Scholarship show that “school choice” likely remains out of reach for the economically disadvantaged students who make up the population of Fairplains Elementary and Van Devender Middle. Based on the high concentration of private schools in Wood County, as well as the cost of these schools, private education is primarily an accessible option in this county for families that already have the means to afford it. If the Hope Scholarship continues on its current path, public education in Wood County will continue to deteriorate at the expense of families with limited means to educate their children in other settings.
All children in the Mountain State deserve access to quality public education. To date, the Hope Scholarship has diverted an estimated $85 million from the public school system to private schools and other non-public education providers. If expanded, the cost of the program is expected to balloon to up to $300 million each year. That diverted funding is no longer available for policymakers to increase funding for community schools, make the school aid funding formula more equitable for high-poverty districts, or increase staffing to help schools address student learning and behavioral issues. The Hope Scholarship is a threat to public education in West Virginia and it’s time for our policymakers to take action before it’s too late.
