Relating to modifying the Charter Schools Startup Fund
HB 4817 changes the name of West Virginia's "Charter Schools Stimulus Fund" to the "Charter Schools Startup Fund" and modifies its administration. The bill requires charter school applicants to submit applications directly to the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, expands eligible uses of funds to cover startup costs like personnel, instructional materials, equipment, and building renovations, and eliminates prior financial capacity requirements. It mandates repayment with interest if schools fail to open within 30 months after receiving grants (up to $300,000 initially, plus $100,000 later), with the Board managing distributions based on funding availability. This bill directly affects new and existing charter school applicants and schools seeking startup financial support in West Virginia.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 26, 2026
Last action Feb 17, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
10
Key actions
0
Committee
6
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
To House Finance
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Do pass, but first to Finance
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
To House Educational Choice
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
To Education then Finance
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Kathie Hess Crouse
RRepublican
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