The state school board last week approved closing or consolidating six schools in Kanawha County because of failing enrollment.
The district has lost 5,000 students over the past 11 years, resulting in a loss of $30 million in state funding. Kanawha has had 320 fewer students since October 2023, according to an October headcount from the West Virginia Department of Education.
This is not an isolated case. WV MetroNews reported 26 additional schools The statewide operation could close next year as the number of public school students continues to decline.
What will our modern governor and state legislature do to assist?
Probably nothing.
Lawmakers are continually expanding requirements for the Hope Scholarship, a voucher program that provides a family with about $4,400 in taxpayer money per student to operate for private school or home schooling. It’s already one of the most comprehensive school voucher programs in the country, but it will be available in 2026 all students in West Virginia.
This school year, more than 9,000 students were awarded a Hope Scholarship.
In December, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released one report West Virginia Public Schools would likely lose more than $21.6 million because of the Hope grant. School funding is based on enrollment per student.
Lawmakers say it’s aimed at promoting school choice, but ultimately it’s just about giving more to people who can already afford to choose a school. The Hope Scholarship doesn’t cover full tuition at a private school, so parents still have to pay thousands of dollars. And don’t forget uniforms, school supplies and lunches.
West Virginia has the fourth highest poverty rate in the country 16.7%. In 2023, around 285,780 people lived in poverty – almost 70,000 of them children.
More than 90% of school-age children in West Virginia attend public schools, according to Debra Sullivan, a member of the state school board.
Teachers unions do not support the Hope Scholarship, which has received more than $300,000 in taxpayer money Schools out of state in the 2022-2023 school year.
“We cannot expect public school students to perform better if we deprive them of resources and investment. Many of these students are among the most vulnerable members of our state’s population and need even more resources to address their challenges.” said Fred Albert, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia.
Not only are lawmakers not providing enough money to improve education in the classroom, they are also not doing enough to protect it. During this month’s interim meetings, officials from the state Department of Education met said State funding is insufficient to cover the costs of implementing the necessary safety measures mandated by the state legislature. To cover the costs, schools need an additional $258 million.
During the October special session of the Legislature, lawmakers passed a bill This would allow charter schools to apply for and access School Building Authority funds for costs associated with renovating, remodeling, purchasing, or constructing a building to be used for a school.
When the bill passed, some House Democrats expressed concerns about taking money from public schools while they are already struggling financially with failing enrollment, the loss of COVID-19 funding and the Hope Scholarship. Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, called the bill “a further privatization of public resources.”
House Education Committee Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, disagreed with Pushkin, telling House members: “These are public charter schools, so they are part of the public school system.”
Except in West Virginia, charter schools do not require Teachers must be fully certified by the state Department of Education, as is the case with public school teachers.
So what’s with all this hatred of public schools? The Republican Party often talks about public schools indoctrinating children, and yet it is the same party that passed one The invoice This allows teachers to discuss wise design – which a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled was not legitimate science – with students who ask questions about it. This could allow a teacher to indoctrinate students with Christian beliefs despite the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom.
Let’s go back to this school choice argument. If so many people can’t afford to send their children to child care while working, how can they afford the tuition that the Hope Scholarship doesn’t cover?
Lawmakers passed a Tax credit for children and dependentswhich will provide eligible families with an average of around $250. Day care costs most families around $600 to $700 per month.
Will West Virginia lawmakers allow more and more money to be diverted from public schools? Close more schools? Force children to take longer and longer bus rides every morning and evening?
Proponents of vouchers say they create competition to make public schools work harder to retain students. This will be challenging because public schools will be left behind with the most vulnerable populations, including students who need individualized education plans and resources that schools currently barely have. Abandoning our public schools is not the solution.
