The Hope Scholarship actually increases per pupil spending for government-run schools. They keep two-thirds of the funds for a child they’re no longer tasked with educating.
Government schools don’t have a funding problem—they have a funding mismanagement problem. No more bail outs!
Think the Hope Scholarship is draining public schools? Think again.
Here’s the truth: West Virginia’s funding formula isn’t based on individual students—it’s built around staffing, buildings, and transportation. When a student chooses Hope, local property taxes and federal dollars don’t go anywhere. Building allowances stay put. Only the state share tied to that one child moves, just as it was designed to.
The real budget challenges? They come from decades of declining enrollment, an outdated funding formula, and temporary federal COVID dollars that expanded staffing beyond what’s sustainable.