House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle (second from left) speaks at a press conference about public school funding at Piedmont Elementary on July 2, 2026 in Charleston, West Virginia. He is joined by Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia (left), Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, and Kat Weiland, a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives. (Photo by Amelia Ferrell Knisely/West Virginia Watch)
House Democrats have sent a letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey asking him to call the Legislature into a special session to address public school funding as more schools face closure.
“We just learned that more than 20 schools will have to close their doors next school year,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Sean Hornbuckle. “As a legislature and as a state, we are supposed to provide a thorough and efficient school education system, and we have failed to do so.”
“Children are at stake here,” he continued. “Let’s roll up our sleeves, be big girls, big boys and fight for our students.”
State school officials recently alarm bells rang about the status of public school funding after lawmakers failed this year to change the decades-old seven-tier funding formula for public schools. The decline in West Virginia’s student population has impacted school funding and pushed districts into a corner Millions of dollars in debt. The problem has increased Job cuts And school closings.
West Virginia has lost another 5,000 public school students since October, when the official count used to determine funding amounts for the following school year takes place.
Following the news, Democratic House members and public school teachers running for office as Democrats held a news conference Thursday at Piedmont Elementary in Charleston, West Virginia.
“I know the governor may be focused on putting on a carnival right now… once he gets his fair share of funnel cakes and once the tents and the Ferris wheels are packed up, it’s time for us to get back to work, governor,” Del said. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “Call us back to the special session. This cannot wait until the next session. We are in crisis mode right now. We must save our schools and our communities.”
Kanawha County, the state’s most populous county, had to cut Due to budget issues, 126 teacher and staff positions were eliminated this year.
Since 2011, 139 public schools have closed in West Virginia.
“In rural areas, that means those students have longer bus rides. It can also mean that if their bus stops are further from their homes, parents face a new transportation barrier when trying to get their students to the bus stops,” said Kim Hundley, a public school teacher and Democratic Senate candidate in Kanawha County.
Democrats are proposing three bills, including a pay raise for teachers
House Democrats are proposing three bills to be considered in a special session, including an overhaul of the school funding formula. The growing need for special education exceeds formula funding because it largely does not take into account the costs of special education.
In some counties, special education makes up a quarter of the student population, increasing school budgets because of needed services such as instructional aids and technology.
“As public education faces funding cuts, it is our students who are suffering,” said Matthew Anderson, a special education teacher and Democratic candidate for a House seat in Fayette County. “Many schools do not have enough counselors, mental health professionals or behavioral intervention specialists to meet the growing needs of our students.”
“Without adequate support, both students and teachers find themselves in difficult situations,” he added.
House Democrats are also calling for a higher minimum starting salary for teachers and putting limits on the Hope Scholarship, the state’s school voucher program.
Before the session, the Republican-led House of Representatives Paid $114,000 for one study from the RAND Corporation, which outlined how the state could improve its financing strategy. The study’s recommendations included increasing overall funding for public education, providing more funding to districts with larger numbers of special education students and establishing some guardrails to the Hope Scholarship.
Legislature proposed changes to the Hope Scholarshipincluding banning its apply in out-of-state schools, did not move forward this year.
legislators this year assigned approximately $277 million for the Hope Scholarship.
A Trio of bills by Senate Education Chairwoman Amy Grady, a public school teacher, would cost about $144 million to make adjustments to the school funding formula, including more money for special education services. A House bill regulating funding formula would have cost approximately 214 million dollars. The measures didn’t make it to the governor’s desk this year.
“It’s a question of priority, not resources,” Del said. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha.
The legislature can call a special session with the approval of three-fifths of the members.
With 11 Democrats in the state’s 134-member Legislature, Hornbuckle said they have had discussions with Republican House members about the urgency.
“We need to do more, but it takes everyone and we are ready to take on that fight,” Hornbuckle said.
