News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Skyrocketing Hope Scholarship price tag, now around $100M, a concern for WV lawmakers making budget

Published

2 months ago

February 26, 2025

Staff Editor

westvirginiawatch.com – Amelia Ferrell Knisely – 2025-02-26 05:00:00

Skyrocketing Hope Scholarship price tag, now around $100M, a concern for WV lawmakers making budget

by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
February 26, 2025

The price tag for the Hope Scholarship, the state’s education savings account program, will double next year, climbing to more than $100 million. As budget concerns loom, lawmakers are questioning if the state can afford the program that is a hallmark of the Republican-heavy Legislature’s education freedom push.

It’s the largest funding increase requested by Gov. Patrick Morrisey in his first budget proposal.

Del. Vernon Criss, R-Wood

“I believe, based on the information we have so far, which is preliminary, I think there should be a modification to it, but I don’t know what it will be yet to what we’re considering or what we’re going to do,” said House Finance Chair Vernon Criss, R-Wood.

The Hope Scholarship, established in 2021, gives families roughly $4,400 per student in taxpayer money to use for private schools, homeschooling and more. There are limited guardrails on how funds can be used, and West Virginia families have used scholarship funds to pay for tuition at out-of-state schools, iPads, dance studio fees and more.

State Treasurer Larry Pack, who oversees the Hope Scholarship, requested around $100 million to pay for the program and expects to serve more than 19,000 students next year under its current eligibility rules. Program costs this year were around $52 million.

“Each year, more families enroll in the Hope Scholarship program empowering those parents to find the right education that fits their child’s unique needs,” Pack said. “My goal is to ensure that parents and families have the tools necessary to tailor an education for their children that works best for them.”

“The governor did not know the extent of Hope needs and funding until he assumed office,” said Eric Nelson, who Gov. Patrick Morrisey tapped to serve as revenue secretary to tackle the state’s budget challenges. The Republican governor said former Gov. Jim Justice left him a projected $400 million deficit.

Morrisey, who requested a balanced budget in FY 2026, wants to use four different revenue streams to pay for the Hope Scholarship: $29 million in state funds, then a combination of two different lottery funds and a supplemental appropriation to add up to what his office says is a needed $110 million. Pack said the recommended supplementals were necessary for the program to continue to expand.

Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley

Senate Finance Chair Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley said the state would use one-time money to pay for the Hope Scholarship this year, adding, “There is always money in lottery and excess lottery.”

Kelly Allen, director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, noted that the governor requested $170 million in one-time money to cover costs. “A chunk of that is to fully fund Medicaid and the Hope Scholarship,” she said.

“When we look at the governor’s proposed budget, nearly every agency and program sees a flat allocation compared to last year or reductions like in higher education,” Allen continued. “The only program that sees significant growth in the governor’s budget is the Hope Scholarship.”

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw has raised concerns about whether the state can afford the education savings account program. Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, minority chair of the House Finance Committee, has the same apprehension.

Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia

“It’s easy to campaign on these issues and talk about school choice. But when you increase your demands and pass tax decreases at the same time, eventually, that comes home to roost,” Williams said. “It has now, and they’re having trouble.”

Barrett felt confident in the state’s plan to pay for the program.

“I think that the Legislature has made it very clear, based on what we’ve heard from the people across West Virginia, that very much want the Hope Scholarship,” he said. “I think it’s incumbent upon the Legislature now to honor the Hope Scholarship and do these things to make sure that it is funded at 100%.”

Criss emphasized that lawmakers are in the early phases of hammering out the budget.

“We don’t know what the Senate is going to do. Obviously, we want to be prudent,” he said. “We want to be able to do what the law says, but I believe that we’re going to have to look at maybe some kind of a modification.”

House Democrats have proposed curtailing the use of Hope Scholarship funds at out-of-state schools after more than $257,000 was spent last year in 12 other states. Their bill, House Bill 2955, would require that schools receiving the Hope Scholarship must be located in West Virginia.

Program price already causing 2027 budget gap

The Hope Scholarship will open up to all students to participate in the 2026-27 school year, and the Treasurer’s Office estimates that an additional 30,000 to 40,000 students will be eligible. The program will have an estimated $300 million price tag.

Under Morrisey, the state has brought back six-year budget forecasts that went to the wayside under Justice.

Mike McKown, state budget director, said that, as of now, a projected budget gap for 2027 is right below $400 million. “The big drivers are PEIA, Hope [Scholarship] and the school aid formula,” he said.

Williams said the state’s plan to use one-time money for Hope Scholarship presents a challenge next year when the program cost more than doubles.

“The sky’s the limit of how much it’s going to be, and I think that’s a real concern,” he said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do next year.”

When asked if the governor’s office would consider any changes or limits to the Hope Scholarship, Nelson said, “We’ve been awfully busy at this time putting the budget together, the flood situation and putting a team in place. This and specific areas that may need addressed, like PEIA or future taxes, will be forthcoming. I feel confident that we have a great team.”

Hope funding grows as public schools struggle

The multi-million dollar Hope Scholarship funding need comes as a wave of public schools are closing due to financial strain spurred by student population loss. Some students have exited public schools to use the Hope Scholarship.

Kelly Allen, director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy

A key education measure this session is meant to help elementary teachers remove disruptive and violent students, and the bill doesn’t come with any funding to hire specially-trained staff or to build needed alternative learning schools for suspended students.

“We hear from lawmakers all the time there’s no more money to fund behavioral support specials or interventionists,” Allen said, adding that Morrisey figuring out how to pay for the Hope Scholarship showed that money was available.

“Knowing that we haven’t done our due diligence in our free public schools is really concerning,” she said.

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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Skyrocketing Hope Scholarship price tag, now around $100M, a concern for WV lawmakers making budget appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

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News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Company preserving WV's past with reclaimed wood

Published

16 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WCHS Eyewitness News – 2025-04-30 15:00:35

SUMMARY: Barewood Company in Hurricane, West Virginia, started 11 years ago by owner Matt Snider, a woodworker with 30 years of experience. He left a stable job to create a business using reclaimed wood from local historic sites. One notable piece came from a barn in Hamlin, which remained unchanged despite shifts in county and state lines. Barewood crafts products from wood sourced from old businesses, barns, and even bowling alleys, incorporating live edge, epoxy, and bourbon barrel heads. With locations in Hurricane, Charleston, and Morgantown, the company preserves West Virginia’s history through its unique, story-rich wooden creations.

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — In a sawdust-filled building in Hurricane, West Virginia, you find Bear Wood Company — an idea that started 11 years ago in a garage.

Owner Matt Snyder said he has been a woodworker for about 30 years, but took a leap in making it his full-time career.

FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/local/bear-wood-company-looks-to-build-bonds-while-preserving-the-past-of-the-mountain-state

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News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

FEMA’s refusal to help some West Virginia counties just a taste of what’s to come

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2025

Staff Editor

westvirginiawatch.com – Leann Ray – 2025-04-29 04:55:00

by Leann Ray, West Virginia Watch
April 29, 2025

Last week, West Virginia Watch reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely traveled to McDowell County to talk to residents about recovery efforts after the mid-February floods.

She found that many people still have soggy carpets and wet basements after more than two months. Houses are filled with mold. Trash is piled up outside. Some residents say they haven’t seen anyone from the state or federal government in their small towns offering help.

And McDowell is one of the few counties that actually received federal funding for flood response.

In late February, the federal government approved Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s request for federal aid. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far approved nearly 3,500 applications for individual assistance, and more than $25 million has been awarded to residents in Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

Residents who receive that money can use it to cover the costs of temporary housing and home repairs.

About 94% of West Virginia communities are considered “Special Flood Hazard Areas,” which means the more than 84,000 structures in those areas are at a high risk of flooding, according to a 2023 report by researchers at West Virginia University.

However, President Donald Trump has suggested that FEMA, which is the only agency currently that administers disaster relief funds, might “go away.”

Last week it was announced that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency would cut 1,000 employees — or 20% of the workforce — from FEMA, just ahead of hurricane season.

On Wednesday, Morrisey announced that FEMA denied individual assistance grants to Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe and Summers counties, and public assistance grants in Cabell and Kanawha counties for the February floods.

“Despite today’s notification, I am grateful to the Trump Administration for their strong support for Southern West Virginia’s recovery following the February floods,” Morrisey said in a statement.

We know you’re not a native West Virginian, governor, but please stand up for your adopted state.

Alex Brown from Stateline, one of West Virginia Watch’s sister newsrooms, reached out to the White House about states being denied FEMA funding, and received a statement that said the agency is focused on “truly catastrophic disasters,” and that states need to have a better “appetite to own the problem.”

West Virginia has no appetite, as shown during the legislative session.

On April 4, about three weeks after the devastating February floods, Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, proposed adding $50 million to the state budget for flood prevention.

“We have the ability to do something earthly,” Hornbuckle said. “The power that we have — not just the divine power — but with a button and a pen that we all have to help out neighbors in the great state of West Virginia.”

The amendment was rejected 75-19.

Remember the 2016 floods — the deadliest in the state’s history? Former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat born in Logan County, declared a state of emergency for 44 of the state’s 55 counties.

Since November 2019, FEMA has given West Virginia more than $424 million in funding in response to the 2016 floods. More than $42 million was given to 4,949 individuals and families, and more than $172.8 million was given to local and state governments and some nonprofits. FEMA also provided more than $209.8 million to replace Herbert Hoover High, Richwood Middle, Richwood High, Summersville Middle and to relocate Clendenin Elementary.

Herbert Hoover High School was destroyed, and students were taught in portable classrooms until their new school was completed in fall 2023. Clendenin Elementary School didn’t reopen until fall 2024. Construction hasn’t started on the schools destroyed in Nicholas County.

In response to that flood, the West Virginia Legislature created the State Resiliency Office. Its purpose is to “Minimize the loss of life and property, maintain economic stability, and improve recovery time by coordinating with stakeholders to implement disaster resilient strategies.

The state Legislature created the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund in 2023 with Senate Bill 677. The fund sits empty. No money was allocated to that fund during the 2024 legislative session. The FY 2026 budget, which Morrisey has signed, doesn’t include any money for the fund either.

There were only three bills related to flooding during the session — House Bill 2858 and Senate Bill 502 were the same bill, meant to allow counties to regulate floodplains under National Flood Insurance Program guidelines. They both died. House Bill 3502, sponsored by Hornbuckle, would have allowed a one-time allocation of $100 million from the state revenue shortfall fund and $150 million from the state’s income tax revenue fund for the West Virginia Flood Resiliency Trust Fund. It died in the House Government Organization.

West Virginia needs FEMA, but with FEMA potentially out of the picture, it’s time the state whet its appetite and take a bite out of the problem.

Morrisey has already said he plans to call a special session this summer to deal with the Public Employees Insurance Agency and education funding. Sounds like the perfect time and a good use of tax payer money to move some funding over to the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund.

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The post FEMA’s refusal to help some West Virginia counties just a taste of what’s to come appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content reflects a center-left political bias as it highlights government and federal aid shortcomings in disaster response and recovery, particularly criticizing Republican leadership and policies, such as those associated with former President Trump and West Virginia Governor Morrisey. It underscores the need for more proactive state intervention and funding to support vulnerable communities, especially in the context of disaster resilience. The critique of budget decisions and FEMA staff cuts aligns with a perspective that supports stronger public sector involvement and social responsibility, typical of center-left viewpoints, without veering into extreme or partisan language.

News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Couple sentenced in historic human trafficking case intend to appeal convictions

Published

5 days ago

April 26, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WCHS Eyewitness News – 2025-04-26 15:00:38

SUMMARY: Jeannie White Feather and Donald Lance, sentenced to over 100 years for human trafficking and related charges, are set to appeal their convictions. During a recent court hearing, their defense attorneys indicated intentions to seek a higher court review due to possible legal errors. While the appeal process is underway, two minor misdemeanor charges for false swearing were dismissed since their sentences are already severe. The case, notable for being the first successful human trafficking prosecution in the state, originated from the discovery of their adopted children living in deplorable conditions.

Jeanne Whitefeather and Donald Lantz appeared virtually from prison in their first hearing since they were each sentenced to more than 100 years in prison, but as it was pointed out in court, the clock is ticking for them to appeal their case.

FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/local/couple-sentenced-in-historic-human-trafficking-case-intend-to-appeal-convictions
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