COREY DEANGELIS and NEAL McCLUSKEY
West Virginia policymakers have a golden opportunity to finally put the educational needs of the state’s students front-and-center.
House Bill 2013 – which just passed out of the House and is is currently on its way to the Senate – would allow nearly all families in the state to take a portion of their children’s K-12 dollars to the public or private education provider of their choice. This would empower families to find the educational environment that works best for their students and not simply fund traditional institutions, as the state has done for years.
Funding students directly is nothing new for higher education and early childhood programs in West Virginia. Pell Grants, the GI Bill, the West Virginia Higher Education Grant, and the West Virginia Promise Scholarship all provide funds to higher education students who can use them at the college of their choice. The same goes for early childhood programs such as Head Start programs