CHARLESTON, W.Va. – State Treasurer Riley Moore plans to call an emergency meeting of the Hope Scholarship Board for next week in light of the state Supreme Court order that revived the program.
Moore, speaking to reporters Friday in Charleston, said he’ll ask the board to take action to get the program back up and running.
“I’m calling for an emergency board meeting next week and I’m going to offer an emergency rule to make everybody that had received Hope Scholarship funds whole as quickly as possible,” Moore said.
The Hope Scholarship Board announced in June that 3,010 students had been awarded public money scholarships of nearly $4,300 each to use on non-public education like private schools or home-schooling. Moore said the legal challenge of the program came just before the money was set to be dispersed. He said the court victory now allows for that disbursement.
“They will get those dollars,” Moore said.
The 3-2 three-page order filed by the High Court Thursday overturned a permanent injunction granted earlier this year by Kanawha County Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit. Tabit said the program was unconstitutional because it took state money away from public education.
The state Supreme Court announced it would be filing a written opinion at a later date, MetroNews Statewide Correspondent Brad McElhinny said Friday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
“An actual fleshed-out opinion, the legal reasoning, the constitutional thought, is going to come along a little bit later and we’ll know more then about how at least three of the justices are thinking,” McElhinny said.
Monongalia County parent Katie Switzer, who was the petitioner in the appeal of the lower court’s ruling, reacted to the decision Friday on “Talkline.”
“I never expected them to come back so fast,” Switzer said. “I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that they have come through for the kids in this state including my own children.”
Switzer has a daughter with special needs.
“They told us we could use this to help pay for speech therapy and pay for individualized education for your child,” Switzer said. “My daughter struggles to communicate in large groups in classroom environments and thought this would be amazing for her and that’s how we got involved.”
Switzer was anxious to get word from the Treasurer’s Office Friday about the next step.
“We’re just like any of the other parents in the 3,000 ready to find out,” she said “We’re just waiting to find out how the Treasurer’s Office is going to reinstate the program.”
The scholarship board reported in June that the most number of scholarships per county are 404 in Kanawha, 280 in Berkeley, 171 in Raleigh, 164 in Ohio, 157 in Monongalia, 142 in Jefferson, 140 in Wood, 137 in Logan, 123 in Putnam, 122 in Mercer and 121 in Cabell.
The state’s official student population in public schools was totaled at 252,910 in late 2021. So, roughly, the number of students opting out through Hope Scholarships comes out to a little more than 1 percent.
Opponents of the program predict Hope will essentially defund public education in West Virginia. It will cost $13 million in the first year with a cost of up to $100 million a year once it’s fully implemented.
Moore said Friday he believes the program will make the public system better by creating competition.
“What I see is a potential and what I believe is going to happen is that it’s going to create a more competitive space for those education dollars which I think is going to make public education better and the private school and home school choices better,” Moore said.
The state Board of Education joined in on the lawsuit to challenge the program. Board President Paul Hardesty released a statement Friday saying the “the Court has spoken, and we respect the Court’s decision.”
Hardesty said the state Department of Education would move forward without delay in its role in the program.
“To this end, the State Board has directed the State Superintendent and the Department of Education to work closely with the State Treasurer to support a seamless and timely implementation of the Hope Scholarship program,” Hardesty said.
He also said he is confident the legislature and governor would continue to fund public education at adequate levels. Hardesty said it’s time for public education to get back to the basics.
“It will be our focus going forward to support all counties to ensure our children are provided every opportunity to learn in a safe, productive environment,” Hardesty said. “Our goal remains to provide the best education possible so that children can have fulfilling lives by pursuing educational, military and career options after graduation and serve as a robust driver of our state’s economy.
There was other reaction to the state Supreme Court decision Friday.
State Senator Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, who was the Senate Education Committee chair when the Hope bill was passed, described herself as “overjoyed” with the Court’s decision.
With this ruling today (Thursday), thousands of West Virginia families who were able to take advantage of this program will again be able to pursue the best possible education for their child, regardless of their socioeconomic status,” Rucker said. “We believe that educational freedom and choice should be available to all children, not just ones fortunate enough to be able to afford it or live in the correct zip code.”
Tamerlin Godley, who argued to keep the injunction for the group Public Funds Public Schools, expressed disappointment with the Court’s decision.
“Our clients and public school parents across the state are rightfully concerned about the negative impact this program—which lacks limits, standards, and accountability—will have on their constitutionally guaranteed public education rights,” Godley said.