CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The leaders of West Virginia’s public school employee union say concerns are growing after reports revealed an enrollment decrease of more than 8,000 students in the last year.
Education West Virginia represents the state’s teachers and school service employees, and co-president Kristie Skidmore believes worries are only getting bigger.
“Morale and fear come into play when you’re talking about these losses and talking about possible consolidation and more cuts to staff,” she said last week on MetroNews Midday.
The decline in public school enrollment seems to go along with the consistent decline in overall population within the state. Skidmore’s co-president Dale Lee is concerned about residents with school-aged children moving to find better job opportunities.
“We’ve been saying that we’re having the continual loss of enrollment and loss of population for a long time. Remember that West Virginia is one of the oldest populations in the nation, and those who have schoolchildren are generally moving out of the state,” he said.
Many also point to increased use of the Hope Scholarship as a significant factor. The number of families seeking financial aid for private and home school education went up by five figures in 2026.
“Last year, there were approximately 15,000 people on the Hope Scholarship, and this year there were over 26,000 people that applied,” Lee said.
Skidmore and Lee both stated that school employees are already concerned over the loss of jobs that could come with the decline. They indicated that as more students leave the public school system, teachers are looking for opportunities in neighboring counties or even out of state.
“We know that it takes about 13 students that will cause the loss of a teacher and around 16 for the loss of a service personnel,” Skidmore said.
The state board of education took steps earlier this month to bring a proposal to the state legislature for changes to the public school funding formula. Lee believes that changes are imperative because the cost of education does not decrease with fewer students.
“No one likes to see their community school close. It’s just an unfortunate situation, and that’s why we have said for the last three or four sessions that we have to adjust the funding formula,” he said.