Public Comments

This is a no brainer, of course girls wrestling should be a sanctioned sport in WV High Schools! Girls wrestling is the fastest growing girls sport in the US since 2021.

I support the sanctioning of a women's wrestling division in which only biological, XX, females participate.

Please make girls wrestling a sanction sport.

This is the fastest growing girls sport and WV is falling behind. Yes, my granddaughter wrestles and I'm very proud of her. Please pass House Bill 4834. Sincerely, Donna Lori Shaffer

This bill seems to be a dramatic cut to school boards (no more than 27). In many cases, schools must compete for attention, funding, and staff even within their own county. In addition to this, I can't imagine the affect this may have on personal matters, especially in relation to Reduction in Force (RIF). I fear this is another attack in the decades long battle on public education.

Been needed to happen catch our girls up to the rest of the nation 💯

Sanctioning women’s wrestling would be a huge move for our state!! My daughter has wrestled for 5 years and we’ve seen it grow more and more each year. She currently starts varsity at Hurricane Middle school, was also varsity last year and has multiple state championships. We’ve hoped since she started that she would have better opportunities once she got to high school. Please make this an opportunity!!

My daughter has wrestled the last 4 years. Not passing this Bill will keep girls from joining. Its a double edge sword. Girls are afraid to wrestle boys, because some location dont allow for that. While there are many schools that are building Girls Teams, WV is falling behind because this fast growing sport is not sanctioned. As a parent we are begging and pleading you pass this Bill.

Dear Members of the West Virginia House Education Committee,

I am writing as a lifelong West Virginian and as a PhD candidate in Leadership Studies with an emphasis in Public Administration to share serious concerns regarding the proposed federal voucher-style tax credit program and the possibility of West Virginia opting into it.

While the program is framed as a tax credit of up to $3,400 for families, it functions in practice as a voucher program. Like other voucher programs, it diverts public resources away from public education and into private institutions. Regardless of the mechanism, the end result is the same: public money no longer supporting public schools.

It is also important to be clear that this is not “free money” for states. These tax credits reduce federal tax revenue—revenue that would otherwise support public education, infrastructure, healthcare, and other essential public services. For a state already struggling to maintain adequate funding levels, this tradeoff should not be taken lightly.

Recent research reinforces these concerns. A study by RAND examining West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship found that expanding vouchers to families already sending their children to private school was an inefficient use of public funds. This proposal replicates that same inefficiency by subsidizing decisions families have already made, rather than meaningfully expanding access or improving educational outcomes.

Additionally, it remains unclear whether—or how—public school students would actually be able to utilize this program until all federal regulations are finalized. Opting into a program without knowing how eligibility, oversight, and implementation will function places the state in a reactive position rather than one of responsible governance.

The role of Scholarship Granting Organizations raises further concern. These organizations are permitted to retain up to 10 percent of donated funds for administrative purposes. When those donations are incentivized through tax credits, that retained portion effectively comes from public tax dollars. This structure creates the appearance, at minimum, of a money-making scheme layered on top of public finance.

It is also worth noting that this program is voluntary. States are not required to opt in. West Virginia already operates a voucher-style program through the Hope Scholarship. Adding another program before fully assessing the long-term fiscal and educational impacts of the first only compounds uncertainty.

Until federal regulations are fully released, it is unclear how much authority states will retain to regulate or oversee this program. Committing state policy without knowing the rules is neither prudent nor consistent with sound public administration.

Finally, I believe it would be irresponsible for a state that is hemorrhaging its tax base, struggling to provide basic public services, and simultaneously considering further cuts to public funding to take on additional fiscal risk. West Virginia’s public schools, infrastructure, and healthcare systems are already under strain. Weakening them further does not serve our long-term economic or social stability.

My concern is not ideological. It is rooted in fiscal responsibility, public trust, and the basic obligation of government to steward limited resources wisely. I urge the committee to approach this proposal with caution and to prioritize transparency, accountability, and the long-term interests of West Virginia’s communities.

• Stone v. Graham (1980): The Supreme Court specifically struck down a law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms, holding it was an inherently religious, not educational, action.
• McCreary County v. ACLU (2005): Affirmed that government displays of the Ten Commandments are unconstitutional when they have a religious purpose.
• Coercion Doctrine: Argue that, because public school attendance is mandatory, displaying the Ten Commandments creates a captive audience and coerces religious expression upon students.