The West Virginia Republican members of the House rammed through an omnibus education bill that authorized charters for the first time in the state. Every Democrat opposed the bill, and seven Republicans broke ranks to oppose it. It passed 51-47.
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed Wednesday its education omnibus bill (House Bill 206), after replacing its cap of 10 charter schools statewide with a cap of three until July 1, 2023.
But the bill would allow three more charter schools every three years after that.
The number allowed as the years roll by would be unlimited. If the bill ultimately becomes law, these would be the state’s first charter schools.
The final passage vote, after 11 p.m. Wednesday, was 51-47, largely with Republicans for it and Democrats against.
The House then recessed its side of the special legislative session on education. The state Senate, which is also led by Republicans, will now have to decide what to do with the bill.
Both chambers must agree on the same version to send it to Republican Gov. Jim Justice for his signature or veto.
The deal was strongly opposed by teachers even though it included pay raises and new money for counselors and other support staff.
West Virginia’s teachers struck twice, with opposition to charters one of their demands.
Governor Jim Justice pledged to block charters. Let’s see if he betrays the teachers as the Legislature did. After the bill passed, he congratulated the House, so a veto is unlikely.
West Virginia is a rural state. It does not need two parallel publicly funded school systems. It does not need charter schools. It needs investment in public schools, which are underfunded.
Betsy DeVos must be sipping champagne.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Let’s see if this is finally the time when education becomes the big political issue it should be. Will this create a grassroots response (parents, not just teachers) as, for example, abortion, war, or police killings? Will the people of West Virginia get as outraged by this as they do when coal is the issue?
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Education issues normally do not get much “traction” at the national level. And this is the way it should be. K-12 education is primarily a state/municipal issue, and should be handled at the state/municipal level. The word “education” does not appear anywhere in the US Constitution, but nearly all states are constitutionally empowered to operate “common” schools.
The 2020 presidential election is going to be about issues like the economy, and jobs/unemployment, and other “pocketbook” issues. None of the current crop of dem “hopefuls” is going to spend much emphasis on what is already a state/municipal issues.
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Wrong again, Charles.
Federal mandates have messed up K-12 across the nation. Yes, it must be an issue.
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Time to can the “education does not appear anywhere in the US Constitution” argument. Neither do the words medical research, computer, automobile, telegraph, assault rifle, jobs, unemployment, and certainly not information technology. I understand that people like you who think they know everything but know very little outside of their immediate range of experience like to infer things that make your world simplistic. I know it’s asking you a lot to read, but try the last sentence of Article I section 8 and the constitutional history of the nation to at least try to understand why you don’t know what you’re writing about. And try the 4th and 3rd from last sentences in the same section together with the 2nd Amendment and you might understand why the “right” to arm oneself to “protect” against the “tyranny” of the federal government is a big fat lie.
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2nd amendment rights fools think they share an enemy with billionaire business predators and that that insulates them. They think their long guns will protect them from the shared enemy. And, then they think their white privilege will protect them from ruling class’ aerial surveillance and drones. They are the suckers to whom the Koch’s peddle their PR, “freedom and liberty”.
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Ed reformers hold public school funding hostage until they get their list of demands met on vouchers and charter schools. They did the same thing in Illinois. The public school portions were just a vehicle to get vouchers.
Once again, public school students take a back seat to The Agenda. Our students are used as a bargaining chip to promote, fund and expand charters and vouchers.
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Well, one could look at the bright side in WV. Public school students at least get something out of this ed reform deal, more than the usual “nothing”. They at least got some nominal amount for counselors. Most of the charter/voucher deals off nothing at all to public school students.
Ed reformers accidentally supported the public school students in the state while lobbying on behalf of their preferred privatized systems.
Maybe next year someone will actually perform some work that is intended to benefit public school families, instead of a tacked on afterthought to the main agenda, which is charters and vouchers.
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“With every Democrat opposed.” WILL THE VOTERS GET THIS? In so many places voting Republican is so very deeply ingrained.
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Will the national Democrats understand that charters and vouchers are part of the same agenda?
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Crucial question
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This may be the most maddening aspect of Dems complicity in this mess. It’s so damn obvious to anyone who pays a modicum of attention. Add testing to the formula: c+v+t=cpp (criminal public policy)
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I like this one: “Also passed Wednesday was House Bill 158, which says the state school board would be required to create a rule that holds students accountable for their scores on statewide standardized tests. The bill now heads to the Senate.”
WVA already keeps test-score impact on evaluations low, & recently rejected raising the %age. Sounds to me like they’re thumbing their noses at fed DofEd– suggesting that perhaps ed-reform “accountability systems” put the cart before the horse. Of course, opting out is the most effective measure. But something tells me if state-stdzd-test scores started showing up on report cards as a significant % of student grade, we might have a groundswell of parent agitation against fed-imposed testing.
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They have already been thumbing their noses at the teachers that walked out earlier this year.
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This is a back door way of blaming the teachers. After all, who is responsible for getting them prepared for the standardized tests? I don’t believe students should be held accountable, what ever that means, for standardized test scores in any case, but the WVA teachers have caused the Repugs so much trouble, they are looking for some way to get them. Between charters and test scores, they are gunning for teachers. I would be interested to know if those tests will be required of charter students. Such stupidity. Doesn’t anyone ever read the research? Are they all owned by those who profit off of these perverse decisions?
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I’m not sure I follow your reasoning: if the idea was to punish teachers, wouldn’t they have raised the % test scores count in teacher evaluation? [WVA’s test score counts 10%: compare NJ’s at 35%.] And it’s the test scores, not student grades that “count” in the upside-down ed-reform bureaucracy.
But you’ve made me reconsider my optimistic interpretation of the intention: perhaps legislature thinks if stdzd test scores affect student grades, parents will blame teachers, or maybe that parents/ kids will be forced to “get serious” about test-prep—both doubtful; they’re playing w/fire. I’m betting when they get down to implementation they’ll find a way to weasel out of it.
Regardless, I agree, state stdzd tests are just data-collectors & should never affect student grades. Which is what makes them virtually useless to teaching/ learning, which is why they need to be put back in their place as “snapshots” delivered every 3-4 yrs.
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I am wondering why the sudden switch to student accountability from obvious teacher bashing. I don’t believe it. When students in predominantly poor communities do poorly, i seriously doubt that they are going to double down on their lazy students and their negligent parents although that is not an unfamiliar meme. If they truly do go that route, then it is to the benefit of those families and their teachers to start organizing strong community support for their schools before they start announcing charter takeovers. If they aren’t going to turn and go after teachers directly, they will go after public schools altogether. Bottom line is I am highly suspicious of the motives of legislators.
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No doubt you’re right, these legislators have earned deep skepticism.
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Time to cancel the plans to make a trip to the lovely W. Va. The state boycotts by the LGBT community get visibility. The NEA and AFT could take a page from their book.
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Orlando Sentinel
“Florida Voucher Schools Criticized in Parent Letters to State”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/os-ne-voucher-schools-complaints-20190620-bnbqxlminbe4rdsyhzqwcoppfy-story.html
“The Florida Department of Education also received complaints about 13 other private schools in Orange, Lake and Seminole counties between August and March. All of the schools accept state vouchers for tuition payments. Most of those who complained received letters from the education department saying there was nothing it could do because it doesn’t regulate private schools.”
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