Ben DeGrow is a Senior Policy Director of Education Choice for ExcelinEd.
Many families in the Mountain State woke up last Friday with a little more hope about their children’s future. That’s because the day before, the West Virginia Supreme Court ended the months-long legal uncertainty surrounding the Hope Scholarship program. In a 3-2 ruling, the justices stayed the injunction and will allow the program to continue. In our joint amicus brief, coauthored with EdChoice, we highlighted the benefits of educational choice programs across the country, and synthesized the research for the justices to understand. Now, the more than 3,000 students who signed up for the program will be allowed to use the roughly $4,600 set aside to choose and craft a suitable education that works for them.
This past May, we highlighted the important work being done on the ground to start to implement the Hope Scholarship. At that time, more than 2,500 applications had been submitted, with the vast majority receiving acceptance letters. This healthy demand shows the power that a robust parent outreach effort can have. Homegrown organizations like the Cardinal Institute and WV FUE, Families United for Education met with many community groups and parent leaders to spread the word and share information about the new Hope Scholarship law.
However, on July 6, a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the progress of the program. The ruling held that the existence of Hope Scholarships harmed the plaintiffs, public school parents, and the state more generally, by diverting dollars from public schools to private options. This started the expedited legal case that ultimately vindicated the scholarship program in the state’s highest court.
In response to the latest ruling, the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office is moving forward to implement the program, by holding the first meeting of the Hope Scholarship Board. The Board is set to address the needs of families that were approved and changed education settings before the injunction took effect. Based on whether and how long a student enrolled in public school this year, most or all of the promised funds should be available to support their new option. Additionally, the Treasurer’s office needs to approve new providers, and parents and providers both need to get familiar with the online marketplace designed to facilitate scholarship spending.
The October 6 ruling is a historic win for thousands of families. Now comes the difficult work of getting this program up and running at full speed. That is one of the reasons that ExcelinEd is soon releasing our ESA implementation guide. Compiled from presentations, discussions and feedback gathered from our multi-state ESA administrators’ network, the guide serves as a roadmap for all states to set up successful programs.
The renewed hopes of many West Virginia families clearly remind us why it’s so important not only to get these cutting-edge choice programs up and running, but also to ensure they can serve families in the best way possible.
Lastly, ExcelinEd’s upcoming National Summit on Education is a great opportunity to learn from other states and how successful implementation of educational choice programs helps students and families get the education they need. Be sure to check out these two sessions:
Moderated by Shaka Mitchell with panelists Kate Baker Demers, Dr. Albert Cheng, and Sarah Raybon, this panel seeks to look at the elements of a successful school choice program including: design, scope, size and student eligibility to highlight what we can learn from these programs going forward.
A successfully implemented school choice program can set a child up for success over the course of their lifetime. From eliminating district boundaries to micro- and transportation grants, creative new policies are putting families in the driver’s seat. Moderator Derrell Bradford will lead a discussion with Senator Ann Millner, Antonio Parés, and Emily Ann Gullickson on how states can bring new programs to unbundle education for their students.
We hope to see you in Salt Lake City!
