Public Comments

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This bill would be an extremely positive change for the public school system.

1. Please support Bill 4834 which will sanction wrestling for girls.

I strongly urge legislators to reconsider a rigid 180-day student calendar and instead support a more flexible model, such as 170 instructional days for students while maintaining 200-day teacher contracts.

Research does not show a meaningful academic difference between 180 days and slightly shorter calendars unless the added time is used for high-quality instruction. National studies and federal reviews consistently find that simply adding days produces only modest gains at best, while the quality of instruction, targeted intervention, and teacher preparation time matter far more. Several states already operate below 180 days or use hours-based requirements with no loss of accountability.

Reducing the student calendar to 170 days or focus on hours-based instruction would not reduce teacher pay or contracts, but it would create intentional time for professional development, data-driven instruction, parent communication, and-critically-IEP meetings and special education compliance. Currently, these legally required responsibilities are often completed by teachers during planning periods, after school, or on personal time. A 170-day student calendar would allow districts to meet federal and state mandates without asking teachers to sacrifice instructional planning time that directly benefits students.

There is also a fiscal benefit. While most education costs are fixed, districts can realize modest but real savings in transportation, food service, and building operations when student days are reduced-without cutting salaries. Those savings can and should be reinvested into tutoring, attendance supports, and teacher retention.

West Virginia does not need more seat-time mandates. We need smarter use of time. A flexible calendar that protects 200-day teacher contracts while reducing student days to 170 is a practical, research-supported solution that prioritizes instructional quality, compliance, and educator sustainability.

This bill should not be passed because teachers, although less likely than students to commit school shootings, are still capable. Teachers and staff, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office from 2009 to 2019, account for 4% of school shootings, totaling to 14 school shootings committed by teachers. Taken into consideration, as well, how easy would it be for students to find and take a teacher’s gun? Too many risks to consider before passing this bill, therefore I believe this bill should be denied.

I am a West Virginia public school teacher with 20 years of experience across multiple grade levels, from elementary education to high school Career and Technical Education. I fully support accountability and high-quality instruction, but the current 180-day mandate prioritizes seat time over meaningful learning—particularly in West Virginia, where winter weather regularly disrupts the school calendar. When schools are forced to extend into June to “make up” days, the result is often supervision rather than instruction, which raises real concerns about how we define educational success for our students.

State testing schedules and graduation timelines in West Virginia do not move. Elementary and middle school testing occurs in early May, with SAT and CTE NOCTI testing scheduled in that same general window. High school seniors graduate by the end of May. Teachers continue working until the final contracted day, but once testing and graduation are complete, the system has already determined when meaningful academic instruction ends. Extending the school calendar beyond that point does not improve outcomes and instead creates concerns about student engagement, attendance, and instructional effectiveness.

Reducing the mandate to 160 days would allow West Virginia schools the flexibility to focus on quality over quantity while still holding educators accountable for student learning. West Virginia teachers have consistently shown they can adapt, prioritize standards, and deliver results even when weather-related disruptions occur. This proposal reflects the realities faced by our students, families, and educators and places meaningful learning—not optics—at the center of policy decisions. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these concerns further with anyone, from the perspective of someone who has truly seen education at every level and understands how these decisions impact West Virginia classrooms.

I recognize that West Virginia’s public education system faces serious challenges related to enrollment decline, funding pressures, and regional capacity. Exploring structural changes is reasonable, and a study on school district unification is not inherently misguided.

However, HB 4037 goes too far by mandating consolidation before the study is completed. While the bill directs the State Board of Education to evaluate unification options, it simultaneously locks the state into reducing 55 districts to no more than 27 by July 1, 2029, regardless of what that analysis may show. This places the conclusion ahead of the evidence.

Large scale consolidation in a rural, geographically complex state carries significant risks. Past regionalization efforts (i.e. RESAs) have shown that consolidation does not automatically result in cost savings, improved services, or better outcomes. Yet this bill lacks critical detail regarding governance, fiscal accountability, staffing impacts, community representation, and operational feasibility.

If consolidation is to be considered, it should be data driven, incremental, and regionally flexible, with clear success metrics and meaningful stakeholder input. I urge the Legislature to remove or delay the mandatory consolidation deadline and allow the study process to genuinely guide future action.

Reform of this magnitude demands caution, transparency, and evidence and not predetermined outcomes.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Mariah Richards

Even though the bill sounds great in theory, starting late means that students would get less days for breaks throughout the year to reach the 180 day requirement.

The ten commandments are a religous idea. A religous idea should not be affiliated with public schools. Religion should be kept separate. Students who do not believe should not have to believe they have to follow the commandments.

• Woman’s wrestling is the fastest growing High School Sport in the US.
• In 2025, there were over 74,000 women and girls wrestling competitively at the high school level and more than 1,200 at the collegiate level in the United States.
• As of April 2024, there were 146 women's college wrestling programs and 77 clubs, including 85 NCAA programs and 47 NAIA programs. Concord University recently added a women’s wrestling program and we wish Concord the best in growing their team. BTY Concord – we have some wrestlers you should look at! Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing college sports.
• Competitive women wrestlers are being recruited by colleges as early as their freshmen year of high school.
• Wrestling ranks 2nd among sports for producing 1st generation college students. No sport does more to facilitate upward educational, occupational, or financial mobility.
• The number of women’s scholarships allowed per women’s college wrestling team has increased from 10 per team to 30 per team.
• Wrestlers are highly valued and recruited by all military branches.
• Wrestling is an exceptionally inclusive sport that is open to individuals of all sizes, backgrounds, and abilities. It is also highly accessible for all socioeconomic levels compared to other sports.
• Wrestling provides girls with life skills and experiences such as hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, discipline, personal responsibility, confidence, mental & physical toughness, respect.
• Wrestling provides girls with an opportunity to take advantage of post-secondary opportunities.
• Wrestling provides opportunities for international competition and international travel.
• Wrestling develops skills which will assist in success in other sports such as track, softball, soccer.

I strongly support Delegate Pritt’s bill proposing a 25% raise for West Virginia teachers. As an educator who has worked in multiple educational settings and has chosen to serve in a West Virginia public school, I have seen firsthand how low teacher pay directly affects staffing, morale, and student outcomes.

West Virginia teachers earn significantly less than educators in surrounding states, making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain qualified teachers. Many talented educators leave for neighboring states or leave the profession entirely, not because they lack commitment to students, but because they cannot afford to stay. This constant turnover disrupts learning, strains remaining staff, and ultimately harms students.

A 25% raise is not excessive. It is corrective. It is a necessary step toward making teacher pay competitive and recognizing the professional skill, time, and emotional labor required to educate today’s students. Teachers are expected to address academic gaps, mental health needs, trauma, and family instability, often with fewer resources and increasing demands.

Investing in teachers is an investment in students, communities, and the future of West Virginia. If we want strong schools, stable classrooms, and long-term economic growth, we must value educators in a tangible way. Delegate Pritt’s bill is a meaningful step in the right direction, and it deserves serious consideration and support.

As a Christian, I do not support requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. Public education exists to serve students and families of many different faiths and belief systems, and it should remain a place where no single religious doctrine is promoted or imposed.

Taxpayer dollars, instructional time, and administrative energy are limited. These resources should be focused on improving literacy, math achievement, student mental health, school safety, teacher retention, and addressing chronic absenteeism...not on symbolic measures that do not improve student learning outcomes.

Faith is deeply personal and meaningful, but it is most powerful when chosen freely, not mandated by the government. Just as we would not expect Islamic, Jewish, or other religious texts to be posted in public school classrooms, we should not require Christian doctrine either. Religious freedom includes the freedom from having beliefs imposed by the state.

Our schools are facing real, urgent challenges. We should be prioritizing policies that strengthen education for all students rather than creating unnecessary division or distractions from the work that truly matters.

I disagree because bringing boards together would do nothing but damage with multiple opinions. It also might make it hard to understand students situations.

The Establishment clause of the first amendment prohibits governments from making any law respecting an establishment of religion. Because of this, as well as ethical problems, this bill is a terrible idea. In order for this bill to have a chance at passing, the opposition must show the motive is purely secular and not at all religious. Representative Noble, for example, has tried getting around this by saying the Ten Commandments are a foundational document in our history. Would this truly make the motive secular? In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled the Ten Commandments in schools was unconstitutional. They noted the Commandments had no educational purpose, seeing as they’re merely hanging on a wall, and they promoted religious belief. A good way to see the promotion religious motivation in this bill is to look at what they are putting forth: The Ten Commandments. They don’t only command the absence from stealing or murder, but from the worship other gods. “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me.” Before who? Yahweh. Not only that, they also talk about the sabbath. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Is the sabbath in Hinduism? Is it in buddhism? Imagine the Hindu boys and girls sitting in class looking at the first and fourth commandment, one of which directly attacks their belief. How could this not be religious? Furthermore, which version of the Commandments should be posted? Allowing the government to meddle in religious doctrine is problematic for the people of that religion; allowing religion to meddle in the government is problematic for all others.