As West Virginia schools face financial crisis, lawmakers offer no help

As West Virginia grapples with public school financial strain, lawmakers have offered limited relief for students in poverty

Fifty-seven days into the West Virginia Legislature’s 60-day session, lawmakers have done little to pull some public schools away from financial collapse, according to a report distributed by The Associated Press. The report describes early session warnings of payroll risk in Hancock County and the state takeover of additional county school systems, alongside further cautions from the West Virginia Board of Education that more districts may become insolvent in future years.

West Virginia’s lawmakers have kept overall school funding relatively flat, setting it at $2.01 billion—about $8 million less than last year—while choosing not to advance bills aimed at changing how money is allocated for students living in poverty. At the same time, the legislature fully funded the Hope Scholarship, which directs public funds to private education for students who currently receive that support, with the report placing the figure at 14,000 students.

Paul Hardesty, president of the West Virginia Board of Education, warned lawmakers that more school districts could face insolvency in the years ahead, the report said. It added that other districts are either laying off teachers or considering layoffs as administrators weigh how to balance staffing needs against strained budgets.

Ahead of the session, the House of Delegates spent $114,000 on a study by the RAND Corporation that examined West Virginia’s public education funding, the report said. The analysts recommended the state increase funding for students living in poverty and for those in special education, but the report said lawmakers moved no bills to address funding changes for students living in poverty during the session.

The report described a separate effort to adjust per-pupil spending through legislation introduced by former House Education chair Del. Joe Ellington, R-Mercer. Ellington’s bill would have raised per-pupil spending from the current $5,700 to $6,500 and directed more money for education of students with severe disabilities, with the new formula proposed to begin in the 2027-2028 school year.

When the bill reached the finance committee, however, House Finance Chair Del. Vernon Criss cut the per-pupil amount to $6,100, the report said. Ellington, who also serves on the finance committee, agreed with the finance panel’s assessment, saying, “If we had the money, I’d love to do it,” according to the report.

The report said Ellington’s bill then moved forward in the Senate. It said the Senate Education Committee passed the bill earlier this week, and the legislation is now pending in the Senate Finance Committee.

Beyond general funding levels, the report said advocates focused on special education funding and timing. Dale Lee, co-president of Education West Virginia, said additional funding for special education is among the most important steps the legislature can take, but he wants the funding available in the upcoming school year, saying, “They can find the money for it,” according to the report.

The report also cited Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, who chairs the Education committee and is a public school teacher. It said Grady attended the “Legislative Look Ahead” event in January, where politicians discussed their plans for the session, and told reporters she wanted to address the state’s school aid formula. The report said Grady made the same argument last year and that the promises did not translate into changes then, and that this year’s proposals still did not reach the Senate Finance Committee agendas.

The report said Grady ran bills through her committee that would have increased funding for special education, rural schools and teacher staffing levels relative to student enrollment. It said the Senate Finance Committee did not place any of those bills on its agenda, quoting Grady as saying, “It’s always money,” and adding, “I think there’s also a lot of different philosophies on how we should tackle this. We always say this is a major issue, and this should be a priority, but we don’t have anything that’s really structured that gets us from here to finding a solution.”