West Virginia’s Hope Program Needs Greater Transparency

The State Treasurer’s Office recently released its first Hope annual report cover- ing the first year of operation, 2022-2023. Overall, the program spent $7,771,761 with 26,079,114 going to 108 participating non- public schools. About 93% of the participating schools were religious schools, nearly 100% being Christian. These school funds were awarded to 1,717 students. Additionally, Individual instructional plans (IIPs), which are used for customized education at home or another location and include students who attend a micro-school, paid for 529 students. In total, Hope awards went to 2,333 students. 

The report shows that the Hope program is largely an urban-oriented program with about 60% of Hope awards going to the ten most populated counties, accounting for 1,382 students. While Kanawha County accounted for 337 Hope awards, Berkeley County ranked second with 208 Hope awards and Jefferson County ranked sixth with 114 awards. Morgan County had 18 Hope students. 

What do we know about the Hope program in Berkeley County besides the number of students receiving Hope funds? 

First, we must make assumptions about the fiscal impact of Hope awards. Assuming that each student received the full-year funding of $4,298.60, the county school board lost $894,100 in taxpayer funds. We do not know the number of students, if any, who received pro-tata funds due to leaving the public school system after the start of the school year. 

We do not know the grade levels of the Hope students. We do not know from which schools the Hope students exited. It is one thing if the 114 students left several schools but it is something different if Hope students exited from just two or three schools or if nearly all came from the same grade level. This is especially important because statewide 55% of Hope funds went to students in kindergarten or first grade. Seat under-utilization can become problematic. 

We do not know where the students went to continue their education. Which schools did the Hope student go to? How many students, if any, entered TIPs and where — homeschooling or micro-schools? 

We do know the schools in the county that received Hope payments: Faith Christian Academy, $245,020; St. Joseph School, $191,154; and Martinsburg Christian Academy, $26,182. But we do not know if Hope students from other counties went to one or more of these schools. 

The full-year Hope award increased to $4,488.82 for the school year 2023-24 and to $4,921.79 for 2024-25. But our knowledge of the Hope program’s impact last year and this coming year will be unavailable for some time. 

The Hope program explicitly creates tension between taxpayer-funded public schools and taxpayer-funded private schools. Taxpayers need much more information about Hope schools and Hope students’ educational experiences to know how their money is being spent.