FISCAL NOTE
Date Requested: January 29, 2026
Time Requested: 06:15 PM |
| Agency: |
Education, WV Department of |
|---|
| CBD Number: |
Version: |
Bill Number: |
Resolution Number: |
| 2958 |
Introduced |
HB4941 |
|
|---|
| CBD Subject: |
Education (K12) |
|---|
|
FUND(S):
0317
Sources of Revenue:
General Fund
Legislation creates:
Increases Existing Expenses
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
The purpose of this proposed legislation is to match the salaries of Aide II, and V (Special Education Aides) with that of Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teachers and then increasing that amount by 5% for the Aide V position; increase the pay of self-contained, special education teachers by 10%; define a critical vacancy; and to require board staff who are certified in the subject area of a critical vacancy to go to the classroom and fill that position until someone is hired to do so. In its current form, this legislation has an estimated cumulative cost to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) under the Public School Support Program (PSSP) for pay grade and salary increases for professional educators and service personnel in the amount of $6,183,927.
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2026
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2027
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
6,183,927 |
6,183,927 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
6,183,927 |
6,183,927 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
The estimated cost to the State under the Public-School Support Program (PSSP) to increase pay grades for Aide II and Aide V personnel in special education self-contained classrooms while also providing a 5% raise for these individuals and a 10% raise for special education teachers in self-contained classrooms is $6,183,927 for 2026-27 and annually thereafter.
This cost estimate includes the following increases for the pay grade changes made in the legislation:
Step 2 for service personnel salaries ($802,385)
Step 3 for fixed charges ($65,635)
Step 6 for substitute costs ($20,060)
Retirement ($61,061).
This cost estimate includes the following increases for the respective 5% and 10% salary changes made in the legislation:
Step 1 for professional educator salaries (3,826,464)
Step 2 for service personnel salaries ($596,675)
Step 3 for fixed charges ($361,813)
Step 6 for substitute costs ($110,579)
Retirement ($339,255).
The total portion of the overall additional cost attributable to professional educators is $4,528,621 and the portion attributable to service personnel is $1,655,306
Please note, county boards of education will incur additional costs for personnel employed in excess of funded, personnel employed in positions not eligible for state aid funding, personnel employed using other funding sources such as state or federal grants, and extended employment terms for professional personnel. Those additional county costs are not included in the above estimates.
The West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (CPRB) should also be consulted to obtain information relating to the additional cost, if any, to the State due to the impact of the proposed salary increases on the unfunded retirement liability of the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS).
Finally, this cost estimate does not assume the passage of other legislation that may impact the PSSP, resulting in an increased costs for the pay increases provided in this bill.
Memorandum
The bill references matching Aide II pay grades to that of Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teachers (ECCATs). However, ECCATs do not have a single uniform pay grade statewide. Under current WV Code, ECCATs may be paid at Pay Grade E or Pay Grade F, depending on their level of certification and qualifications. Because ECCATs exist across multiple pay grades, the bill does not clearly identify which pay grade is intended to serve as the benchmark for adjusting the Aide II position. As written, this creates uncertainty and should be clarified.
The bill also applies pay grade adjustments to Aide V positions in self-contained special education classrooms. Similar to ECCATs, Aide V personnel may currently be placed on either Pay Grade E or Pay Grade F, depending on certification and qualifications. Because Aide V positions already span multiple pay grades due to temporary and permanent statuses, the directive to “match” ECCAT compensation creates situations where personnel could potentially see either an increase or a decrease in their respective pay grades.
It should be noted that county boards of education employ other classifications of Aides and Autism Mentors within self-contained special education classrooms; however, these positions have been excluded from the proposed legislation. This omission could cause animosity among these position groups who would not be entitled to the pay increases referenced in the proposed legislation. If this is an oversight by the bill sponsors that would need to be added through a committee substitute, an additional cost will need to be estimated.
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Tina Payne
Email Address: tina.a.payne@k12.wv.us