Education Savings Accounts

The West Virginia House of Delegates has once again passed a bill that would establish education savings accounts, or ESAs, for public school students who are looking to switch to private or homeschool. After initially passing HB 2013 in the full chamber two weeks ago, the House opted to send the Hope Scholarship Program back to committee to address some financial concerns.

On this West Virginia Morning, public education is a major topic at the West Virginia Legislature this year with Republicans and Democrats taking different sides on charter school expansion, work stoppage and education savings accounts. We speak to each side for their perspective. Also, we have the latest news from the statehouse, on vaccine distribution, and this week’s Mountain Stage Song of the Week.

The West Virginia House of Delegates voted to recommit HB 2013, establishing the Hope Scholarship Program, to committee on Friday.

The West Virginia House of Delegates considered amendments Wednesday to a bill that would establish the Hope Scholarship Program, which creates education savings accounts in the state for certain students.

Members of the West Virginia Legislature kicked off the first week of the 2021 session introducing a flurry of education bills -- 83 total. As of Saturday, 64 bills have been introduced dedicated to K-12 education, 16 bills related to higher education, and three bills aimed at education generally.