Across WV, public schools face financial, enrollment, and educational issues.
Hancock is not the only county in West Virginia facing financial obstacles. While some argue overspending is the cause, not underfunding, the conclusion is the same. There is not enough money. Jackson County, for example, has fallen into a deficit of almost 2.8 million dollars due to difficulties funding special education.
Michele Blatt, state superintendent, commented on the issue, saying, “We have several counties on a financial watch list, but none have reached a level of concern with not being able to make payroll.”
The Hope Scholarship is a large cost in West Virginia. This program gives students K-12 financial help. The maximum budget for the 2025-2026 school year was $230 million. The estimated cost was originally over $300 million but was modified to about $244 million. Since the Hope Scholarship began, it has continued to increase the amount of money given to each student. While this allows qualifying students to get help with education costs, it takes money away from public school funding.
From the 2021-2022 school year to the 2024-2025 school year, public school enrollment dropped 6.35 percent. Since WV decides funding based on enrollment, this is an issue for smaller schools. This decrease in enrollment has caused school consolidations and closures across counties.
The Hope Scholarship has been linked to the decline of enrollment in public schools. Since students can use the awarded money for homeschooling and private schools, as opposed to public schooling, many choose to.
When all 50 states are ranked by education quality, WV consistently falls behind. As of May of 2025, datapanda.org listed WV at 45th. Most West Virginian high schoolers do not meet standards in math and language arts skills. Even with these numbers, there are goals for improvement. Blatt explained the goals for the next school year are to “… continue to increase student achievement and offer engaging learning environments to ensure every student is ready for education, employment, or enlistment opportunities.”
