Education

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 22, 2026

HB 4720: Creating Sustaining Opportunities for Academics in Rural Schools Act

HB 4720 amends West Virginia's charter school application rules to specifically support rural schools. It requires new or converted public charter schools in rural areas to submit detailed applications including student achievement goals, plans for serving underperforming students, governance structures, and specific strategies for supporting students with disabilities and English language learners. The bill mandates 25+ application components covering enrollment plans, budgets, facility details, discipline procedures, and cocurricular programs. This directly affects rural school districts seeking to establish or convert schools into public charters under state education law. The focus is on ensuring charter schools in rural communities have concrete academic and operational plans before approval.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates detailed applications for rural charter schools focusing on student achievement, underperforming students, and support for disabilities/ELL, enhancing educational access and equity.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice Tags Rural Communities

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 29, 2026

HB 4905: Removing fees teachers have to pay in order to obtain any teaching license, certification, or additional continuing education credit hours (reporting fee) to the state Board of Education

HB 4905 removes all fees West Virginia teachers pay to the state for obtaining or renewing teaching licenses, certifications, and registering continuing education credit hours. The bill requires the West Virginia Department of Education to eliminate these fees by January 30, 2027, and to reimburse teachers for tuition and fees related to courses taken for certification renewal or additional endorsements in subject areas with teacher shortages. Reimbursement is capped at 15 semester hours per teacher per year for either purpose. This directly affects West Virginia teachers seeking to maintain or expand their teaching credentials through state-recognized pathways.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill removes state fees for teachers and mandates reimbursement for certification courses, providing financial relief and funding for teacher certification (addressing shortages), aligning with tax relief and essential program support.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves teacher licensing/continuing education fees and mandates reimbursement for certification renewal, directly reducing financial burdens on educators and supporting teacher retention in shortage areas.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education Teachers

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 29, 2026

HB 4940: Relating to teacher fundraising

HB 4940 ensures West Virginia teachers can use modern online fundraising platforms (like GoFundMe) to collect money for school-related activities without county board or school administrator interference. The bill amends state law to explicitly state that no county official may prevent teachers from using "crowd-sourcing or other meaningful current methods of fundraising." Schools must still publicly announce the fundraising purpose and designate the funds before starting, but the bill removes barriers to these methods. This directly affects K-12 teachers seeking to raise money for classroom supplies, field trips, or recognition programs through contemporary channels. The law does not change how funds are spent - only how teachers may legally collect them.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill removes county interference in teacher fundraising, enabling modern platforms for school activity funding, directly supporting educator resource access and school program sustainability.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Teachers

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 19, 2026

HB 4071: Requiring K–12 schools to display school report card on website

HB 4071 requires all West Virginia public K-12 schools to post their annual report cards on their official websites. County school boards must use the state's existing WV Education Information System for collecting and reporting data to meet federal accountability standards under the Every Student Succeeds Act. This bill directly affects every public school in the state by mandating transparent, online access to performance data for parents and the public. It does not alter school funding or academic standards but ensures consistent reporting through the state’s established electronic platform.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates transparent school performance reporting to meet federal accountability standards, strengthening public oversight of K-12 education data without altering funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Funding Tags Data Reporting

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introduced · West Virginia · Senate Jan 14, 2026

SB 202: Exempting certain military veterans and their dependents from tuition

SB 202 would exempt certain military veterans and their families from tuition and fees at West Virginia’s public colleges and universities. It specifically covers: (1) spouses and children of veterans killed in action, missing in action, or who died while serving; (2) disabled veterans with 90%+ service-connected disabilities (since 9/11); and (3) spouses and children of active-duty veterans who died or went missing in service. To qualify, applicants must be West Virginia residents, apply for FAFSA, exhaust other tuition aid, and maintain academic standards. The exemption applies only to undergraduate programs and does not cover special fees like lab costs or parking. The bill is pending in committee and not yet law.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExempts veterans' families from tuition, increasing access to higher education through direct financial support for eligible students.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransExempts eligible veterans' families from tuition fees, expanding educational benefits for covered groups per bill's specific provisions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education Student Financial Aid Military Families Veteran Benefits Veteran Education

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 29, 2026

HB 4957: To change the amount of days in a school year from 180 to 160.

HB 4957 would reduce the required number of school days in West Virginia from 180 to 160 per year for public school districts. It directly affects all West Virginia public schools and their districts by changing the mandated instructional calendar. The bill allows districts to maintain equivalent instructional time by lengthening the daily school schedule (e.g., adding 30+ minutes per day) instead of adding days, and permits using up to five days of this extended time for weather-related closures or staff development. This change simplifies calendar management while requiring districts to ensure students still receive the same total instructional hours.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationReduces mandated school days from 180 to 160, lowering instructional requirements without funding or program enhancements.95% confidence

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in committee · West Virginia · Senate Feb 13, 2026

SB 437: Fair State Aid Formula Act of 2026

SB 437 replaces West Virginia's current school funding formula with a new system that allocates state aid to county school districts based on student needs and local resources. It directly affects all county boards of education by adding weighted factors for low-income students (+0.30), special education (+0.80), and rural schools meeting specific criteria (e.g., population density under 50/sq mi or bus routes over 15 miles). The formula calculates aid as (base per-pupil amount × weighted enrollment) minus local revenue capacity, plus rural adjustments of $250-$600 per pupil. This aims to reduce funding gaps for high-need and rural districts while requiring annual transparency reports and capping annual aid changes at 3% during implementation.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill reallocates state education funds to prioritize low-income, special education, and rural students, increasing public education funding via adjusted budgetary allocations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds weighted factors for low-income (+0.30) and special education (+0.80) students, increasing targeted school funding to address student needs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Funding Student Financial Aid

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signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jun 26, 2026

HB 4575: Making Supplemental Appropriation to State Board of Education

HB 4575 transfers $8 million from the State Fund's unappropriated surplus balance to the State Board of Education's Temporary Shortfall Supplement Fund for County Boards of Education. This supplemental appropriation directly affects county school districts in West Virginia by providing funds to address budget shortfalls, as authorized under W. Va. Code §18-2E-5b. The bill amends the fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the State Board of Education (Fund 0313) by adding a new line item for this specific purpose. It does not create new policy but reallocates existing state funds to support local school district budgets.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesTransfers $8M from surplus to address school budget shortfalls, funding essential public education services through state appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationTransfers $8M to address county school district budget shortfalls, directly funding K-12 operations per W. Va. Code §18-2E-5b.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget School Funding

in committee · West Virginia · Senate Jan 28, 2026

SB 102: Establishing Summer Feeding for All Program

This bill requires West Virginia county public school systems to conduct annual surveys of students to assess food access during non-school periods (like summers) and compile local resources for nutritious meals. It directs counties to share this information with students and community food providers, while enabling schools to develop local programs using existing resources (e.g., community partnerships or mentorship). The West Virginia Office of Child Nutrition will facilitate coordination and share successful approaches across counties. The law focuses on enabling local solutions to reduce student food insecurity during school breaks, rather than mandating specific statewide programs.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires schools to address summer food access, expanding nutritional support for students to maintain educational readiness during breaks, directly enhancing K-12 educational access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 28, 2026

HB 4892: To expand the provisionof the literacy-based promation act in order to provide certin intervention and implementation stratagies for literacy proficiency among students in grade 4 through grade 8

HB 4892 expands West Virginia's Literacy-Based Promotion Act to cover students in grades 4 through 8, requiring the State Board of Education to implement evidence-based literacy support systems. It mandates professional development for teachers and literacy coaches focused on scientifically backed reading instruction, including phonics, decoding, and vocabulary strategies. The bill also requires universal reading screenings three times yearly and annual reports on program implementation. These changes directly affect 4th-8th grade students and their educators by providing structured intervention resources to address reading difficulties.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands literacy support for grades 4-8 with evidence-based strategies, teacher training, and screenings to improve student outcomes.95% confidence

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