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School Choice in the Mountain State – The Hope Scholarship Debate · Randy Unscripted

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  Randy Black: Randy Black.
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  Randy Black. Randy Black. Randy Black. Randy Black. Randy Black. Black. Randy Black. Randy Black. He's a troublemaker. Welcome back to Randium Scripted. I'm your host, Randy Black, and this is the podcast where I just talk about
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  whatever happens to come across my mind.
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  And today, we're diving into one of the most talked about and controversial
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  educational issues
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  in the state of West Virginia where I live right now, and that's school choice and the expanding hope scholarship program.
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  Now whether you're a parent, an educator, a taxpayer, or just someone who cares about our state's future, this episode is probably for you.
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  We're gonna talk about what the HOPE scholarship is, how it works,
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  why it's growing, and the data and statistics behind it, and some of the main arguments on both sides of the issue.
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  So first, what exactly are we talking about? Well, the HOPE scholarship program was created by the West Virginia legislature in 2021.
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  It's essentially a school choice program in in the more technical terms. It's an an educational savings account, an ESA,
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  and it allows families to take the state share of funding for their child's public school education
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  and use it for other educational options like private schools, homeschooling,
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  tutoring, curriculum,
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  and certain educational services.
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  The idea is that
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  parents can tailor an education
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  that best fits their child's needs.
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  Historically,
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  it was limited to students either entering kindergarten or those who had attended public school for a certain period.
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  But as of the twenty sixth, twenty seventh school year coming up, the the program
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  will be open
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  to all school aged children who live in West Virginia, making it truly universal
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  with eligibility for tens of thousands of more families becoming available.
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  Now let's talk numbers because
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  they help tell the story of how fast this program's growing.
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  In its first year, that was the 2223 school year, about 2,333
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  students participated.
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  By the 2324
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  school year, that grew to 5,443
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  students. That's about 2.4%
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  of all students enrolled in the public school in West Virginia.
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  Now fast forward to 2425,
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  and over 10,500
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  students were receiving hope scholarship funds,
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  nearly doubling the previous year's numbers.
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  According to the state treasurer's office, nearly 15,000
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  students
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  are expected to be participating in this current school year, the 2526
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  year, another significant jump that we've seen.
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  And most importantly, under the new policy,
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  there's an there is no longer a cap on eligibility starting next school year. So, potentially, every school aged child in West Virginia could receive a Hope Scholarship starting in the twenty sixth, twenty seventh school year.
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  The dollar amounts here matter.
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  For the 2425
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  school year,
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  the Hope Scholarship awarded
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  about $4,921
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  per student.
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  The award amount varies each year because it's tied to the amount of state aid funding per per pupil
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  for the public schools.
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  For the 2526
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  school year, the current school year projections have it roughly at $5,267
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  per student.
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  And for the 2627
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  school year is expected as of right now to be around $5,435
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  per student.
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  That's a lot of money,
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  but
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  it's still less than what many private schools charge in tuition
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  or what it would cost to fully fund some specialized educational options for students.
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  Let's get to the pros.
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  These are what the supporters say
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  as to why this program matters.
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  The first is parental empowerment.
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  Supporters argue that parents know their children best. If the local public school isn't working for a student, whether it's academically,
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  socially, or or otherwise,
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  the Hope Scholarship gives
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  those families options.
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  The second argument is about growth and access.
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  The rapid increase in participation suggests that many families are choosing to try something different
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  from private schools to homeschooling and microschools
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  instead of a one size fits all approach
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  that we see
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  in public education.
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  Third argument here, the third pro is the fiscal impact.
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  Some fiscal analysts
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  show that
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  even though public schools lose funding when students leave,
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  most districts retain
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  over 98%
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  of their budgets,
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  and the program itself
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  resulted in only a small net cost to the state government in 2024.
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  In fact, one study even estimated
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  net benefits for local taxpayers,
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  about $27,000,000
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  when all the costs and savings were factored in.
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  Advocates for this program cite this to say the program can expand choice
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  without devastating public school budgets.
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  Now let's hear the other side of the conversation. Not everybody thinks this is a good idea.
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  The first argument is that it's diverting funds from public schools.
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  Critics point out that when students leave public schools, state funding goes with them. This matters because schools receive funds based on enrollment.
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  Some reports show districts losing state dollars and personnel when student counts shrink.
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  Their second argument is limited accountability.
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  Unlike public schools, there's no requirement for private providers to adhere to accountability standards, no income eligibility caps, and no consistent reporting on academic outcomes.
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  Critics argue
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  that makes assessment of the program's effectiveness extremely difficult.
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  Their third argument we hear a lot is about equity concerns.
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  Because the scholarship amount usually doesn't fully cover private school tuition,
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  families with additional resources often get the greatest benefit, potentially leaving out families for whom the scholarship isn't enough on its own.
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  And then we have the argument against against it with the topic of enrollment and staffing challenges.
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  Some local school officials and analysts link
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  part of the public school enrollment decline statewide
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  to this program, nearly 7%
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  in recent years.
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  That's contributing to the school consolidations and staffing issues for some districts.
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  So where does this leave West Virginia? What does it mean for the families and for the schools?
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  The HOPE scholarship is one of the most expansive school choice programs in the country by design,
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  and it's growing fast both in participant numbers and the amount of public money involved.
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  That's why so many people are watching it so closely.
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  For some families, it's opened doors that they didn't have before.
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  For others, it's raised concerns about funding and sustainability for the public school system that still serves the vast majority of West Virginia's children.
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  I want you to think about this.
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  What do you think school choice should look like in our state, in the state of West Virginia?
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  Is the HOPE scholarship helping most families
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  or just a few?
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  And how do we balance freedom of choice
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  with the responsibility to ensure constitutional public education for all?
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  Reach out. Let me know your story.
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  Let me know how you feel.
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  Send me an email, Randy@RandallBlack.com.
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  Let me know what you think because I wanna know how is this affecting your home, how is this affecting your school, and how is it affecting your community?
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  Thanks for listening to this episode of Randy Unscripted. I'm Randy Black, and until next time, let's keep asking tough questions. Let's keep having honest conversations.
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  And most importantly,
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  let's make sure we keep it unscripted.