Public Comments

• appears to undo the current relationship of the State Charter School Board which currently operates UNDER the State Board of Education by exempting these schools from statutes and state board policies and rules.   These policies are rooted in state code emanating from the legislature, Do elected officials so distrust their own work?
• allows institutions of higher education to operate charter microschools and learning pods.  Microschools are currently eligible for Hope funds.  Is this merely a way to lure more money away from county boards of education (99% of per pupil funding) and to also receive additional taxpayer funds through Hope?  Microschools currently receiving Hope dollars are allowed to have religious orientation.  SB 67 states that microschools under this law cannot be affiliated with a specific denomination.  Hope and SB 67 are in conflict.
• creates conflicts with best practices regarding testing.  Standardized tests are high stakes for county-operated and charter schools.   The results are taken seriously.  Virtual testing opens doors for mischief.  This bill does not require certified teachers to administer tests -- virtually or in brick-and-mortar schools.  Certified teachers are trained to administer STANDARDIZED TESTS under STANDARD TESTING CONDITIONS.  By removing this requirement, the validity of testing is undermined and invalidated in the eyes of the public.  Elected officials should also be in doubt.  Who can trust that children taking on-line tests are actually doing the work without help from a family member or without using aids to affect their performance?
• states that a compendium of best practices is to be generated for charter schools.  What resources will be used?  Are the people choosing these resources qualified to do so?
• the sections on underutilization of existing public school buildings shows a distinct lack of understanding as to how schools actually operate and to the overall current status of school facilities.  Our schools were built over decades, times in which the state population was if not burgeoning was at least steady.  The metrics to determine building utilization are outdated, a reflection of past ages.  These metrics don't account for types of programs that have been added over the years and the changing needs of schoolchildren.  Citing schools with less than 70% utilization will include the near majority of schools in the state.  SB 67 encourages/allows situations where charter and traditional public schools will be operating in the same building.  Talk about chaos!  And sharing public spaces???  Public schools already have challenges scheduling use of cafeterias, gyms, and media centers for their own students.
• County boards of education are already handing over 99% of their per student funds to charter schools for each child enrolled there.  Counties are doing so out of CURRENT YEAR OPERATIONAL FUNDS that they have already budgeted.  No wonder counties are suffering financially.  And why are counties expected to take up 1% of funding for PEIA and Teacher Retirement?  Let the charters pay 100% out of their own funds without dipping further into counties' resources.

1. If a charter school is using public school space, the public school will face additional physical costs but receive no extra money to pay for them.
2. I understand that 80% of charter school students are virtual. Who is monitoring their testing situations? Let's be practical, kids would LOVE to take tests with no teacher making sure they are being honest.
3. The regular public school will likely end up paying for extra-curricular opportunities for charter students, too.

I write in support of Senate Bill 929. In recent years, several West Virginia counties have experienced serious financial distress, often driven by structural imbalances that were allowed to persist too long without corrective action.

This bill strengthens accountability by allowing earlier intervention when basic financial reporting requirements are not met. Timely and accurate financial statements are a fundamental indicator of fiscal health. When a county cannot produce them, it is often a warning sign that deeper financial problems exist.

Unfortunately, another factor contributing to financial instability in some counties is the reluctance to make difficult decisions. Board members are elected officials and sometimes face pressure to prioritize politics or public perception over the long-term financial health of the school system. When necessary actions are delayed for political reasons, small problems can grow into crises.

SB 929 helps ensure that financial issues are addressed sooner, before they threaten the stability of a county school system. Strengthening oversight and accountability ultimately protects students, employees, and taxpayers.

I am very concerned for children to be in an unlicensed child care program.  WV prides itself on the strong, appropriate licensing that is in place to keep children safe and healthy. I do not support this bill and believe that children may be harmed in these types of arrangements.

1. Establishment Clause: Prevents the government from establishing a religion, endorsing it, or becoming excessively involved in religious affairs.
2. Free Exercise Clause: Protects the right to hold any belief or no belief at all.
3. Key Court Standards: The Supreme Court often uses the "Lemon test" to determine if government action violates the Establishment Clause, requiring a secular purpose and that it neither advances nor inhibits religion.
4. Application: These rights apply to federal, state, and local governments, protecting against actions that would restrict religious freedom.

I support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools because they are part of our nation’s historical and cultural foundation. Regardless of individual religious beliefs, the principles they promote; such as respecting others, valuing honesty, honoring parents, and prohibiting theft and violence which are timeless moral guidelines that contribute to a healthy society. Teaching students about the historical influence of these principles helps them better understand the roots of our legal system and civic values. Displaying them as part of our shared history is not about forcing religion, but about acknowledging the role these ideas have played in shaping ethical standards and Western law.

1. Shifts Decision-Making from Statute to Administrative Rulemaking The proposed legislation removes detailed graduation standard language from statute and delegates authority to the State Board of Education to promulgate those requirements by rule. This significantly shifts responsibility for defining diploma criteria from the Legislature — where elected representatives debate and vote on policy — to an administrative body outside direct legislative approval. Current legislative discussion shows the Board would set not only common requirements but detailed pathway criteria by rule, including workforce and military pathways.  
2. Undefined Scope of Board Authority The bill text before the Legislature authorizes the Board to define graduation pathways — but the specifics of what the Board might include are not clearly constrained in statute. For example, there is no express limit on additional requirements the Board might adopt beyond core academic credits; this creates uncertainty for students, parents, and educators about what will ultimately be required.  
3. Potential for Inconsistent Local Implementation Because the requirements will be set through rulemaking, local school districts and county boards will have to interpret and operationalize those rules without the benefit of detailed statutory guidance. This could lead to inconsistent expectations across counties or unanticipated instructional burdens.
4. Transparency and Public Input Concerns Rulemaking can limit public awareness and input compared to statute: • Rule proposals are often technical and subject to shorter comment periods. • Rules may be amended or adopted without full legislative debate. This reduces opportunities for a broad public airing of proposed graduation standards before they take effect.
5. Context of Broader Education Policy Changes This bill is part of a broader legislative session that has seen multiple significant education policy changes — including proposals on school discipline, cell phone use, and curriculum pathways — which collectively affect students’ educational experience. Graduation requirements should be carefully considered by the Legislature with clear statutory language rather than delegated through rulemaking without sufficient guardrails.  

I am opposed to this bill. These so-called low paying jobs are not low paying at all.

Legislation that limits pathways for review, increases barriers, or discourages rehabilitation sends a damaging message — that no matter how much someone works to change, there will be no recognition of that effort. This not only undermines personal accountability, but removes incentives for positive institutional behavior and participation in programming that has been shown to reduce recidivism and improve public safety.

• It creates a new program but doesn’t spell out strong accountability: there’s no clear requirement in the bill text for measurable outcomes (graduation/completion rates, job placement, wage thresholds, audit reporting, conflict-of-interest rules for “partner” employers, etc.).  
• It prioritizes industries tied to heavy equipment / construction / energy trades without requiring parallel investment in public health and environmental resilience training that WV actually needs (water/wastewater operators, environmental monitoring, remediation, forestry, wildfire risk reduction, etc.).  
• Coalfield counties already carry disproportionate environmental and health burdens. If the state is going to build career pipelines there, it should explicitly include pipelines into water infrastructure, environmental compliance, reclamation, and conservation careers—not just “workforce” framed around the same extractive boom/bust cycles.
• WV’s economy also depends on outdoor recreation and tourism—and forest health is part of that brand. WV itself has highlighted tourism as a major economic driver (multi-billion annual impact).  
• WV still has rare remaining old-growth forest areas (often managed in/around Monongahela NF, NPS units, state parks/forests). Disrupting forests and watersheds undermines long-term tourism and resilience.  
• We’re also seeing higher wildfire risk tied to drought in the region, including reporting on WV wildfire activity during drought years and research projecting worse wildfire outcomes in the Appalachians with more extreme drought.  

Members of the Legislature,

I appreciate the intent of HB 5679 and support several components of the bill. Clarifying that certain central office administrators serve at the will and pleasure of the board strengthens accountability. I also support requiring certified central office administrators to substitute teach periodically. Leaders who shape instructional policy should remain connected to classrooms.

However, two provisions raise concern.

First, the attendance reforms are substantial and operationally complex. They deserve standalone consideration rather than being combined with unrelated financial governance changes.

Second, incentivizing counties to share treasurers creates significant internal control and workload risks. County treasurers already manage complex financial operations, audits, federal reimbursement funding, payroll, and compliance requirements. Expanding those responsibilities across multiple counties increases the likelihood of burnout and compliance failures. Efficiency must not come at the expense of financial stability.

I respectfully urge careful reconsideration of the shared treasurer and attendance provisions to ensure this legislation strengthens, rather than unintentionally strains, our school systems.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Mariah Richards

• may not withdraw a child from public/charter/private school for the purpose of providing home instruction, and
• may not assume/resume being the primary provider of home instruction.  

• investigations can be lengthy, and
• “pending” status alone can restrict a fundamental parental decision (education) without a required prompt judicial hearing or evidentiary threshold written into the bill.  

• heightened burdens on minority faith communities, and
• risk of unequal enforcement or disparate impact, especially if cultural practices are misunderstood or reported as “neglect.”  

• require court review within a short timeline before restricting home instruction,
• allow home instruction with temporary monitoring / welfare checks, or
• limit restrictions to cases with specific, documented risk factors—rather than any “pending investigation.”  

1. prompt judicial hearing + evidentiary standard,
2. strict time limits,
3. explicit non-discrimination and data reporting on enforcement,
4. clear accommodations for legitimate religious/cultural education practices, and
5. narrower triggers tied to substantiated risk—not mere investigation status.  

• §18-2E-5 (Office of Education Performance Audits)
• §18-2E-12 (Mountain State Digital Literacy Project)
• §18-2I-1 (Professional Development for Educators)
• §18-8-6 (High School Graduation Improvement Act provisions)

• The Legislature should provide documented justification.
• Replacement oversight mechanisms should be clearly identified.
• Impact on students and educators should be evaluated publicly.

1. Please do not increase funding for charter schools. Our public schools are deserving of greater funds and as a tax paying citizen I’d like my hard earned dollars going to them.

Committee members,

Please pass this bill.  If you really care about children once they are actually born, it is imperative that we have ways in place to control, and monitor the use of home schooling in such a way that shows it is not being used as a method of control and abuse. Thank you. Rebecca Palmer