News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Trump’s school choice push adds to momentum in statehouses

Published

1 month ago

March 25, 2025

westvirginiawatch.com – Robbie Sequeira – 2025-03-25 05:00:00

by Robbie Sequeira, West Virginia Watch
March 25, 2025

More than a dozen states in the past two years have launched or expanded programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to send their students to private schools. Now, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress want to supercharge those efforts.

Trump in January issued an executive order directing several federal agencies to allow states, tribes and military families to tap into federal money for so-called school choice opportunities. Those can come in the form of education savings accounts, voucher programs, tax credits or scholarships. Trump’s order also aims to expand access to public charter schools, which are free from some of the rules that apply to traditional public schools.

Meanwhile in Congress, 24 Republican senators have signed on to legislation that would provide $10 billion in annual tax credits to individuals and corporations who make charitable contributions to organizations that provide private-school scholarships. A Nebraska Republican introduced a companion measure in the House.

Already this year, Idaho, Tennessee and Wyoming have approved school choice programs, and bills are advancing in Kansas, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. A bill in Mississippi died before advancing. Most of the measures still in play would open programs to all families regardless of income, though some states would cap the total amount of money available.

Supporters of school choice say it gives parents control of their kids’ education — and an escape hatch if they are dissatisfied with their local public school. Many conservatives, religious institutions and private schools are in favor of school choice, along with some people of color who live in districts with underperforming public schools.

“Every child is different. They learn in different environments. There are just so many factors, that I believe that parents should be the ones that make the decision on where their child is going to do the best and have the most success,” said Indiana Republican state Sen. Linda Rogers. A former educator, Rogers has sponsored a bill in her state that would provide additional money to charter schools, which are considered to be a form of school choice.

Opponents, including teachers unions, public school professionals and many rural lawmakers of both parties, say such measures undermine traditional public schools by shifting money away from them.

“When we start to take from public schools, we’re hurting our kids, our lower-income kids. They will not prosper from this legislation,” Tennessee Democratic state Rep. Ronnie Glynn said during the floor debate on a far-reaching voucher bill in his state.

Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, said vouchers are a budget-buster for states.

“Vouchers don’t shift costs — they add costs,” Cowen said in a phone interview. “Most voucher recipients were already in private schools, meaning states are paying for education they previously didn’t have to fund.”

The switch to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave parents a front-row seat to watch what their children were — or were not — learning in their classes, contributed to the recent school choice momentum. So did parent frustration over prolonged public school closures.

I believe that parents should be the ones that make the decision on where their child is going to do the best and have the most success.

– Indiana Republican state Sen. Linda Rogers

“Parents got a good look into sort of what was happening in schools,” said Bella DiMarco, a senior K-12 education policy analyst at FutureEd, an independent think tank at Georgetown University. “There was a lot of talk during the pandemic around school choice … of what public schools aren’t doing for their kids.”

The first modern school voucher program, created in Milwaukee in 1990, was a bipartisan effort to help lower-income families afford private schools. In recent years, more states have moved from school choice programs focused on certain groups, such as low-income students or students with disabilities, to universal programs open to students of all backgrounds.

“Historically, the programs were always sort of targeted to students in need,” DiMarco said. “But in the last couple of years, the new push has been for these universal programs.”

Currently, more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., have at least one school choice program. More than a dozen states now offer universal or near-universal access, allowing K–12 students to participate in school choice regardless of income.

EdChoice, a nonprofit that advocates for school choice, estimates that 1.2 million students are attending private schools this school year with the help of public tax credits, scholarships or vouchers.

Different strategies

States that enacted school choice programs this year have pursued different strategies.

The program Idaho enacted last month, for example, will provide an annual tax credit of $5,000 per child ($7,500 for students with disabilities) to help cover private education expenses.

Most voucher recipients were already in private schools, meaning states are paying for education they previously didn’t have to fund.

– Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University

Tennessee’s new program will provide 20,000 scholarships of roughly $7,000 each. During its first year, half of the Tennessee scholarships will be reserved for households earning less than $173,000 for a family of four, but that restriction will be removed in subsequent years.

About 65% of the Tennessee vouchers are expected to be awarded to students who already attend private schools, according to a legislative analysis.

Critics say the cost of the program will grow quickly, creating a hole in the state’s budget. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who pushed hard for the proposal, suggested that Trump’s executive order might provide additional resources. Lee told reporters he hasn’t yet analyzed the order, “but I think there’s opportunity there.”

“The president wants to support states like ours who are advocating for school choice,” Lee said in a news conference after lawmakers approved the measure. Lee was at the White House on Thursday when Trump signed an order calling for the U.S. Department of Education to be dismantled.

Texas lawmakers also are actively debating a voucher program, a longtime priority for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who worked to defeat resistant rural Republicans in last year’s state legislative elections and who also attended the White House event. The Senate passed a bill that would provide $10,000 per student ($11,500 for students with disabilities) annually through education savings accounts. A similar House proposal is under review.

Kansas is considering a universal refundable tax credit — $8,000 per child for accredited private school tuition and $4,000 for non-accredited private schools. The program starts with a $125 million cap, increasing annually if participation hits certain thresholds.

Ballot box defeats

School choice opponents question the wisdom of sending taxpayer dollars to schools that may lack certified teachers, follow nonstandardized curricula or discriminate in admissions. Many private schools have testing standards, maintain religious requirements or exclude LGBTQ+ students or those with certain disabilities, for example.

In some Republican-led states that have expanded school choice, Democrats have filed bills to increase oversight and place restrictions on these programs. A bill in Tennessee would require background checks for teachers at private schools that receive voucher money. And an Iowa bill would require that property tax statements include information on how much money education savings accounts subtracted from local public schools.

As voucher programs have grown, they have attracted greater scrutiny.

ProPublica, an investigative journalism outlet, last year found that Arizona’s universal voucher program has mostly benefited wealthier families. Some Arizona parents have tried to use voucher money to pay for dune buggies and expensive Lego sets, according to press reports.

Critics also note that despite recent legislative successes, school ballot initiatives fared poorly at the ballot box last fall.

Voters in Colorado rejected a measure that sought to enshrine school choice rights in the state constitution.

In Nebraska, voters partially repealed a state-funded private school scholarship program.

And in Kentucky, voters overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the use of public money to support private schools, with 65% of voters — and a majority in every county — opposed.

“There’s a handful of these billionaires that have been pushing vouchers for 30 years,” said Cowen, the Michigan State University professor. “The school choice movement is not necessarily driven by public demand, but rather by wealthy donors and political maneuvering.”

Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

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 Trump’s school choice push adds to momentum in statehouses 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

14 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.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

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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