Our Priorities

During this past school year, 15 schools were approved for closure and many more are currently being considered for closure. Since 2011, 139 West Virginia public schools have closed, with 71% of those being elementary schools.
Public schools are the community anchors that provide education, meals, transportation, safety, stability, and connection for over 85% of West Virginia students and families. Across the state, closure decisions are moving forward rapidly, often without time for meaningful community input, clear financial justification, or adequate plans to support impacted students.
When schools close, students lose access to not only academic opportunity, but to food and support systems. Students face longer bus rides, communities lose gathering spaces, and the local economy is harmed. Hasty school closures reduce school choice and access to the quality public education every child in West Virginia is entitled to.

Independent research has found that West Virginia public schools are underfunded and the school funding formula is failing to direct funding where it is most needed. School districts are facing a $180 million funding gap for special education services alone, as well as aging buildings and declining enrollment due to population loss and Hope vouchers.
In addition to underfunding, county school systems are being funded inequitably. Higher-poverty counties are receiving over $1400 less per-student on average than lower-poverty school systems. West Virginia’s enrollment-based funding means that when student enrollment within a school district declines, the district receives less funding, but costs often remain the same.
West Virginia’s funding formula doesn’t account for poverty or special education status, meaning that the students who need the most support aren’t being funded at the level they need and deserve, and this underfunding is harming the entire school system.

This year alone, lawmakers appropriated over $270 million for the Hope voucher program, even as the public schools that serve over 85% of West Virginia children are dealing with increasing funding gaps, school closures, and program and staffing cuts across the state.
The Hope voucher program has little accountability, no funding cap, and no income limits for participants. Taxpayer money is being funneled to in- and out-of state private and micro schools, with few guardrails to ensure those public dollars are subject to the same transparency, accountability, and educational standards required of public schools.
West Virginia must prioritize public education funding over programs like the Hope voucher that primarily benefit the wealthy and private schools. Public taxpayer money belongs in public schools- the only schools that accept and serve all students regardless of race, religion, disability, background, or circumstance and are accountable to the public.

Many West Virginia students and families face significant challenges, from poverty and food insecurity to the high rates of children in foster care.
However, these challenges do not define our students or their potential. West Virginia children are just as capable as students anywhere, and they deserve the educational opportunities promised to them. That means investing in the supports that help students thrive, including counselors and social workers, community schools, reliable transportation, a wide range of academic opportunities, arts, music, tutoring and after-school programs, and schools where every child feels safe, welcomed, and valued.
At the heart of every successful school are the people who work there. Competitive pay and benefits and meaningful support in the classroom are essential to attracting and keeping talented educators and school employees. When we invest in the people and resources our schools need, we give every West Virginia student the opportunity they deserve.

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