WEST virginia legislature
2026 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 5453
By Delegates Ellington, Statler , Toney, Hornby, Willis, Shamblin, Bell, Pritt, Campbell, Dean, and Hanshaw (Mr. Speaker)
[Introduced; referred
to the Committee on]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §18-9A-27, relating to establishing a revised method of school aid funding; clarifying the base fund and establishing a supplemental fund; setting forth categories within the supplemental fund; providing for reporting; and providing for oversight.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
(a) Base funding. – Effective for the school year 2027/2028, all counties in this state shall be funded by a block grant in the amount of $8,000 per enrolled student. For purposes of the base funding amount, counties that have less than 1,200 enrolled pupils per county shall be funded at the minimum level of 1,200 pupils in that county.
(b) Supplemental funding for special needs students. – Effective for the school year 2027/2028, all counties in this state shall receive additional funding through a fund hereby created and known as the "Supplemental School Aid Fund." This fund shall be appropriated by the Legislature, based upon the number of Tier II and Tier III special needs students the county has. The funding shall be based on a per pupil allotment of $8,000 per Tier II and Tier III special needs students. The primary purpose for this supplemental fund shall be for the benefit of Tier II and Tier III special needs students, but may additionally be utilized as otherwise set forth in subsection (c).
(c) Additional supplemental funding. – Effective for the school year 2027/2028, all counties in this state may request funding for special cases through the Supplemental School Aid Fund created in subsection (b), which may include but are not limited to the following extraordinary expenses related to:
(1) Transportation;
(2) Vocational and technical education centers;
(3) Alternative learning centers; and
(4) Pilot programs.
(d) Discretion. – The funds available through subsection (c) may be distributed as funds are available and through the discretion of the State Department of Education.
(e) Classification. – Counties shall provide a written request to the State Department of Education to explain what additional funding they require based upon the items listed in subsection (c) of this section. The State Department of Education may distribute the money based upon the needs demonstrated per county for the classifications set forth in subsection (c).
(f) Reporting. – The distribution of funds provided in this section shall be reviewed by the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability ("LOCEA") at least yearly. The State Department of Education shall prepare this report.
(g) Oversight. - The money provided and distributed through this section shall be utilized at the discretion of the county; however, the Legislature shall maintain oversight in the event of maladministration by a county and reserves the right to restrict funds to counties that engage in maladministration.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish a revised method of school aid funding.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.