Democrats in West Virginia’s House of Delegates say a special legislative session should be called to address stresses on school funding.
“In the state of West Virginia, education is in a state of emergency,” House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said in a press conference outside Piedmont Elementary School in Charleston.
State education officials have sounded an alarm for the coming school year, saying more school closures seem likely in counties around the state.
The state has lost 5,000 students since the last enrollment count, equivalent to six counties, state school board officials said last week.
Department of Education officials say they’re already aware of eight to 10 schools around the state in line for closure in the coming year — although the number could be up to 20.
“We have officially, as House Democrats, requested a special session. Again, we cannot wait. If we wait to the legislative session, there will be more schools that close,” Hornbuckle said.
COMMENTARY by DAVE WILSON: Alarms continue to sound over future of public education.
During the most recent legislative session, lawmakers considered various options for bolstering school funds, but nothing passed.
“We have the money, we have the resources, it’s a matter of will and priorities,” said Delegate Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha.
“There are communities where they’re in crisis mode.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, agreed his administration wants to work with state schools officials about education funding and regulatory relief.
“Without a doubt,” Morrisey said at a press conference earlier this week.
West Virginia’s school funding formula is largely driven by student population.
West Virginia school enrollment plummeted by nearly 13% from 2012 to 2024, a period that overlapped with several factors including the covid-19 pandemic. More than 36,000 students left the public school system during that time.
Over the past few years, West Virginia has already experienced a wave of public school closures and consolidations, driven by declining student enrollment, financial deficits and departures of students taking advantage of new educational options.
State school board President Paul Hardesty and representatives from the state Department of Education say the financial problem is set to continue, with no buffer in place.
Meanwhile, Hope Scholarship for students pursuing studies outside the public education system has gone through a big universal expansion, opening to all K-12 students. The Hope Scholarship had more than 26,000 applicants costing an estimated $155 million by early summer.
The state allocated $277 million to cover the anticipated costs for the 2026–27 school year.
David Croft, president of the Ohio County school board, contended on MetroNews Talkline that much of the use of the Hope Scholarship has gone toward subsidizing families already choosing private schools while diverting resources from high-risk students.
Croft cited a Rand report that was prepared for the House of Delegates, noting West Virginia ranks 8th in poverty and 5th in special education.
Croft argued for Hope income eligibility along with a revised school aid formula to ensure fair funding and effective education. He emphasized the need to balance school choice with public school support.
“This isn’t just a subjective, president of a school board in Ohio County knock against Hope,” Croft said on Talkline.
“It’s more of guys, I don’t think this is accomplishing its intended goal, and in so doing you’re running across the Hope scholarship, as applied, be consistent with the West Virginia Constitution that requires a fair and efficient system of free schools.”
He continued, “I think this has gone off the rails and we really need to draw back in, otherwise our state board is going to be up to about 50% in taking over public education because schools are going to continue to fail because funding is being taken away from them.”