SB 217 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Creating Community Schools Funding Formula Revision Act

SB 217 (Creating Community Schools Funding Formula Revision Act) requires the West Virginia Department of Education to review school closures and consolidations considered during the current year and the previous four fiscal years. Within 180 days, the department must propose changes to the School Aid Formula designed to prevent at least 80% of those closures, regardless of prior district decisions based on financial or operational factors. The bill directly affects school districts facing closure threats due to budget constraints. It mandates a specific review period (5 years), a concrete prevention target (80%), and a strict timeline (180 days) for formula adjustments.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Jan 14, 2026
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Education
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Education then Finance
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Craig Hart
Craig Hart
RRepublican
WV
6