Let West Virginians Vote on the Hope Scholarship
West Virginia is projected to end Fiscal Year 2025 with a $338 million surplus. But don’t be misled – Gov. Morrisey is already warning of a storm ahead. By Fiscal Year 2027, the state is projecting a budget shortfall of approximately $400 million. One of the biggest drivers of that shortfall is the ballooning cost of the Hope Scholarship program, which is expected to exceed $200 million.
The program, created by the Republican supermajority in Charleston and championed by Governor Patrick Morrisey, diverts public education funds to private schools, homeschooling, and other educational services. Each student receives $5,267 to use on private tuition or other expenses, with little oversight of how those dollars are spent.
What’s fueling the program’s exploding cost is a change coming in 2027: every student will become eligible, including those already enrolled in private schools. That’s not just expensive – it’s fundamentally unfair. It turns the Hope Scholarship into a taxpayer-funded subsidy for families who could already afford private education. Meanwhile, public schools – which serve 90% of West Virginia’s students – are left with fewer resources and deeper cuts.
Our public schools are not just educational institutions. They are community anchors. In many counties, they’re the largest employer, a vital source of jobs, stability, and services like meals and counseling. Yet instead of strengthening them, the Hope Scholarship weakens them further. Already in 2025, public schools are facing the loss of up to 364 staff positions due to enrollment and funding drops tied to the scholarship.
Supporters argue the program expands “choice,” but the math tells a different story. With private school tuition averaging $6,500, many low-income families can’t afford to make up the +$1,000 difference. The scholarship becomes a benefit only for those with the means to pay more. Those without are stuck in increasingly underfunded schools, creating a two-tiered education system where privilege gets rewarded and need gets ignored.
To make matters worse, oversight of how the scholarship money is spent is nearly nonexistent. In the 2023–2024 school year, $7 million went to unaccredited schools and $1 million to out-of-state providers – none required to report academic results.
Evidence shows, especially in rural areas, that students who attend these schools have lower math and reading scores than students in public schools. In addition, students are no longer guaranteed basic protections, including their 1st Amendment, and Americans with Disabilities rights.
In 2024, Kentucky voters saw through a similar scheme and overwhelmingly rejected it. West Virginians deserve the same opportunity. If Governor Morrisey and the Republican supermajority are so confident in the Hope Scholarship, they should put it on the 2026 ballot.
Let the people decide. Public money belongs in public schools – where it serves everyone.
