News Summary
West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty has urged lawmakers to urgently address the rising number of public school closures in the state. With over 35,000 students leaving the public education system in recent years, financial strains on remaining schools have intensified. Hardesty criticized the lack of public awareness regarding legislative responsibilities in education, emphasizing the need for adjustments to the school aid formula and a review of school choice initiatives to ensure adequate funding and oversight.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty has called for urgent legislative action to address the growing crisis of public school closures in the state, a concern he raised during a meeting on October 1, 2025. Hardesty highlighted that the departure of tens of thousands of students from public schools over the past decade is significantly contributing to this issue.
Hardesty pointed to a troubling trend in which the number of public school closures has risen sharply, with 16 schools shutting their doors in 2024, compared to 9 in 2023 and just 5 in 2022. In the current year alone, five schools have already closed, stated Christy Day from the state Department of Education. The exodus of students, which has seen more than 35,000 leave the public school system, is straining the financial resources of remaining schools.
According to Hardesty, it is the responsibility of state lawmakers, not education officials, to tackle the issue of school closures. He criticized the lack of awareness among the public regarding the legislative role in determining education laws in West Virginia, emphasizing that lawmakers have the power to modify the school aid formula, which directly affects funding for public education.
In recent discussions regarding educational funding, Hardesty also emphasized the need for clearer regulatory frameworks concerning school choice initiatives such as the West Virginia Hope Scholarship program. This program offers approximately $5,200 per student for private education or homeschooling, which Hardesty condemned as overly expensive and lacking necessary oversight. The state’s school voucher program is projected to require around $245 million in funding for the upcoming year, representing a $144 million increase from the current allocation.
Furthermore, Hardesty expressed concerns that the increasing emphasis on school choice legislation has not been accompanied by necessary adjustments to the existing school funding model. This has raised alarms about the ability of private schools to adequately accommodate students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), who often face greater social and developmental challenges, further burdening the public school system.
Delegate Joe Ellington, chairman of the House Education Committee, acknowledged the concerns raised by Hardesty but deemed it premature to consider changes to the school funding formula. He noted that evaluations of existing policies could be conducted ahead of the next legislative session, but specific alterations may not be imminent.
Hardesty’s remarks also addressed the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on shaping educational policy in West Virginia, suggesting that its impact has led to detrimental changes within the public education system.
As the situation unfolds, the Board of Education and state lawmakers are likely to face increasing pressure to reconsider how public education is funded and regulated in light of these significant challenges. With ongoing concerns regarding the viability of public schools and the implications for the state’s children, the need for proactive legislative measures appears critical.
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Additional Resources
- West Virginia Watch: WV School Board President Calls on Legislators to Address School Closures
- Wikipedia: School Choice
- WOWK TV: WV BOE President Urges Legislators to Address School Choice
- Google Search: West Virginia public education
- The Real WV: WV BOE President Tells Lawmakers to Level the Playing Field
- Google Scholar: West Virginia school funding
- WCHS TV: WVA Department of Education Announces School Closings
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Public Education
- WDTV: WVA Board of Education Confirms School Closures
- Google News: West Virginia school closures
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