West Virginia

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Alicia Ross – WV Profile

Student Body Information

POPULATION & GRADUATION RATES

In West Virginia, the total enrollment in school as of October 2021 is 252,357 students (1). Private school attendance is estimated to be 5.14%, or roughly 12,970, of students (2). The graduation rate is 92.1% statewide (3). White students graduated at a rate of 92.4%, Black students graduated at a rate of 86.1%, Hispanic students graduated at a rate of 92.8%, and a rate of 87.53% for students of two or more races.

  1. West Virginia Balanced Scorecard, https://wveis.k12.wv.us/essa/dashboard.html
  2. School Choice in West Virginia, https://ballotpedia.org/School_choice_in_West_Virginia
  3. W.Va. releases high school graduation rates, J.D. Cain, https://register-herald.com
RACE 

The chart above reflects the demographic make up of West Virginia students, showing that, in the 2018-2019 school year, minorities only occupied about 10% of the student population.

The chart was created by me!

US Department of Education Headcount Enrollment Summary, https://zoomwv.k12.wv.us/Dashboard/dashboard/2056 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

As of 2016, West Virginia accounts for the smallest percentage of English Language Learners across the country, with 0.9% of students being included in this category.

National Center of Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_204.20.asp

POVERTY RATES

The national average percentage of students on free or reduced lunch lies at 52.11%. West Virginia falls just below this average with 49.4% of students qualifying (1).

If children have parents with an income below 130% of the nationally defined poverty level, they qualify for free lunch, while students with parents earning an income between 130% and 185% of the poverty level qualify for reduced lunch (2).

  1. National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_204.10.asp
  2. Kids Count Data Center, https://datacenter.kidscount.org

Finances

STATE BUDGET

Public Education accounts for 44.9% of the state budget, or a little over 2 billion dollars in 2021. The next two largest expenditures were Health and Human Resources (24.7%) and Military Affairs and Public Safety (9.7%).

State of West Virginia Executive Budget, 2021, https://budget.wv.gov/executivebudget/Documents/FY%2021%20Budget%20Bill%20Presentation.pdf

PER PUPIL EXPENDITURES
  • National Average: $12,624 (1)
  • West Virginia Average: $13,256.12 (2)
    • Federal Contribution: $1,905.76
    • State/Local Contribution: $11,350.36
  • Low: Preston County Schools, $9,130 (3)
  • High: Doddridge County Schools, $26,343 (3)
  1. Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics#:~:text=U.S.%20and%20World%20Education%20Spending&text=Schools%20in%20the%20United%20States,operation%20and%20Development%20(OECD)
  2. West Virginia Balanced Scorecard, https://wveis.k12.wv.us/essa/dashboard.html
  3. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, https://oese.ed.gov/ppe/west-virginia/

Teachers

SALARY

The average teacher salary in West Virginia is $50,261. This is far below the national average of $65,293. This is also below the minimum living wage in West Virginia ($50,412), which is the necessary income for a family of one adult and one child to have an adequate standard of living. West Virginia ranks #49 for teacher salaries across the country.

National Education Association, https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank

UNIONS

Both the American Federation of Teachers and the West Virginia Education Association have a presence. The AFT has 1,684,544 members nationwide (1), and the WVEA has about 10,000 members (2).

  1. Union Facts, https://www.unionfacts.com/union/American_Federation_of_Teachers
  2. West Virginia Education Association, https://www.wvea.org/aboutwvea
MERIT PAY

West Virginia does not operate on a merit pay scale or have any other effectiveness-based reward programs. Teacher salaries are determined primarily by years of experience and advanced degrees.

National Council on Teacher Quality, https://www.nctq.org/yearbook/state/WV-Pay-Scales-and-Performance-Pay-72

Proficiency and Testing

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS (NAEP)

West Virginia has historically fallen behind the nation when it comes to standardized testing results. In 2019, eighth grade students in West Virginia averaged at 272 on the mathematics section of the test, while national eighth graders scored 281. This score is only higher than 3 other states/jurisdictions in the country: New Mexico, Alabama, and Washington DC.

Students that performed at or above the “proficient” level accounted for 24% (compared to 33% nationally) and at or above the “basic” level accounted for 62%.

The Nation’s Report Card: 2019 Mathematics Snapshot of West Virginia 8th Grade Public Schools, https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2019/pdf/2020013WV8.pdf

ACHIEVEMENT GAPS

The resulting data from the 8th Grade NAEP test clearly shows a significant gap between White and Black students, and Eligible Free/Reduced Lunch students vs Ineligible Free/Reduced Lunch students.

The above chart shows the results of the mathematics section, categorized by race and socioeconomic class. The only two races that had categorized results were White students and Black students, which is why all other races were excluded in the chart.

The chart was made by me!

The Nation’s Report Card: 2019 Mathematics Snapshot of West Virginia 8th Grade Public Schools, https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2019/pdf/2020013WV8.pdf

Data Analysis

West Virginia data unveils two predominant inequities within the state: achievement gaps based on race, and low salaries for teachers.

As demonstrated in the chart above, Black students scored significantly lower on the NAEP test than their White peers. While a number of factors can contribute to these discrepancies, perhaps a large part of the racial inequity can be found in the absence of minorities in both the student body and in faculty. Less than 1% of teachers in West Virginia are Black, with an overwhelming 97.4% of staff being White (NCES, 2018). A lack of role models and sense of community among Black students can contribute largely to their success or detriment, as discussed in the book Becoming a Teacher by LaQuisha Hall. Additionally, in their journal article “The Impact of White Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis”, Douglas et al (2008) suggest that society and educational ideologies have made it more likely for White teachers to “work from within a hegemonic, Western, epistemological framework, which often predisposes them to have lower expectations of Black students and a lack of respect for the students’ families and primary culture” (pg. 3).  When Black students are not supported and understood in the classroom, it is no surprise that their test scores have repeatedly been lower than White students’ test scores.

Despite these clear racial inequities within West Virginia public schools, it appears that West Virginia is taking steps in a backwards direction. Just this March, the state legislation passed an “Anti-Racism Act”, which attempts to combat the infamous Critical Race Theory and prevents students from learning about white privilege (Karbal, 2022). This is seriously dangerous in a predominantly White and conservative state — with few people to challenge these views, how will White students learn that the differences between them and their peers of color are a result of systemic failure, and not a difference of intelligence or ability? How will Black students (and other minorities) feel supported and welcomed into an environment where they are already a very clear minority? Rather than attempting to fix racial inequities and addressing performance differences among races and classes, West Virginia legislation appears to be focused on what can and can’t be discussed in the classroom.

Furthermore, teachers are highly underpaid in West Virginia, with the statewide average salary being over $15,000 lower than the national average. The low salary contributes largely to West Virginia staffing shortages and low teacher retention. Teacher salaries are set and funded at the state level. Thus, the state government is the only body that can effectively change teacher’s salaries. While there is no clear reason why teachers are undervalued and underpaid across the nation, it is evident that change is necessary. That is why teacher’s unions in West Virginia have been fighting for the last several years for raises. Back in 2018, teachers led a state-wide strike, leading to public school closures for 9 days. They demanded a pay raise of 5%, and ultimately received what they asked for (Schoen, 2018). This year, in an attempt to combat teacher shortages, the state government agreed to another 5% raise for teachers, effective July 1st (King, 2022).

  1. National Teacher and Principal Survey, National Center of Education Statistics, (2017-2018), https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_fltable01_t1s.asp 
  2. Becoming a Teacher. (2020). Hall, LaQuisha.
  3. Douglas, B., Lewis, C. W., Douglas, A., Scott, M. E., & Garrison-Wade, D. (2008). The Impact of White Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ839497.pdf

  4. “Amid efforts to stem discussions of race in classrooms, WV lawmakers push for larger control of education policy”, Ian Karbal, 2022, https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2022/03/06/wv-lawmakers-push-for-larger-control-of-education-policy/ 

  5. Schoen, John. (2018). West Virginia teachers strike sheds light on stagnant wages for educators across the US. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/05/west-virginia-teachers-strike-teacher-salaries-stagnant-across-us.html
  6. King, Anna. (2022). West Virginia educators can expect a pay raise. https://www.wowktv.com/news/education/west-virginia-educators-can-expect-a-pay-raise/

 

In the News: Voucher Program

In 2021, West Virginia legislators authorized an Educational Savings Program called the Hope Scholarship to operate within the state. This program launched in early 2022. With the application’s only restriction being that the student needed to be enrolled in public school for the last 45 days, the Hope Scholarship is advertised as being an equitable, pro-school-choice program that can provide for everyone across the state (edchoice.org). The money can also be used for any education-related expenses, which include, but are not limited to, private school tuition, tutoring, transportation, and summer programs. However, this scholarship only provides up 38% of the per-student spending to each student, which equates to between $4,000-5000, while the average private school tuition is well above $6,000 (Greene, 2021). In other words, if families want to enroll their student in a private school, they still have to pay a significant portion of the tuition out-of-pocket. Affluent families will be further advantaged and can easily afford private schools with this additional money, while those living in poverty fall further behind and are stuck in public schools. If this program were truly an “equitable” program, it would serve disadvantaged, low-income students with a higher priority than those that are already financially well off.

Based on the aforementioned data, West Virginia already faces a very significant gap between low-income and high-income student achievement. Only 50% of Free/Reduced Lunch students scored at or above the “basic” level on statewide testing, which is 21% lower than students who are not on Free/Reduced Lunch (The Nation’s Report Card, 2019). Pushing this voucher program further will only widen this gap. Tax dollars, which are used to fund this voucher, will no longer go directly to public schools, decreasing overall funding. Wealthier students will have greater flexibility to transfer to private schools, which do not require state standardized testing. When high test scores inevitably begin to diminish among public schools, along with state funding, public schools could face budget cuts, even lower wages for teachers, and closures. As we have seen in many places around the country, the promotion of voucher programs that are not specifically intended to benefit low-income, high-needs families only hurt those that are already hurting, and help those that are economically sound.

  1. EdChoice: Hope Scholarship Program, https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/hope-scholarship-program/#student_funding
  2. “West Virginia Poised to Spend More on Vouchers, Less on Public Schools”, Peter Greene, 2021, https://forbes.com

References

  1. Association, N. E. (2022, April 26). Educator pay and student spending: How does your state rank? NEA. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank
  2. Cain, J. D. (2021, April 20). W.Va. releases high school graduation rates. Herald. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.register-herald.com/news/state_region/w-va-releases-high-school-graduation-rates/article_54d5ad04-a546-58b5-9ff0-2d61c0ba6817.html#:~:text=Statewide%2C%20with%20a%20cumulative%20graduation,racial%20students%20at%2087.53%20percent
  3. Douglas, B., Lewis, C. W., Douglas, A., Scott, M. E., & Garrison-Wade, D. (2008). The Impact of White Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ839497.pdf
  4. English Language Learner Student Enrollment. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_204.20.asp
  5. Greene, P. (2021, March 22). West Virginia poised to spend more on vouchers, less on public schools. Forbes. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2021/03/22/west-virginia-poised-to-spend-more-on-vouchers-less-on-public-schools/?sh=2a4f306a506a
  6. Hanson, M. (2022, March 21). U.S. public education spending statistics [2022]: Per pupil + total. Education Data Initiative. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics#:~:text=U.S.%20and%20World%20Education%20Spending&text=Schools%20in%20the%20United%20States,operation%20and%20Development%20(OECD)
  7. Hope Scholarship Program. EdChoice. (2022, February 4). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/hope-scholarship-program/#student_funding
  8. Justice, J. (2021). State of West Virginia Executive Budget. State of West Virginia.
  9. Karbal, I. (2022, March 7). WV lawmakers push for control of education policy. Mountain State Spotlight. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2022/03/06/wv-lawmakers-push-for-larger-control-of-education-policy/%C2%A0
  10. King, A. (2022, March 30). West Virginia educators can expect a pay raise. WOWK 13 News. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.wowktv.com/news/education/west-virginia-educators-can-expect-a-pay-raise/
  11. Per pupil expenditures: West Virginia. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2020, September 16). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://oese.ed.gov/ppe/west-virginia/ 
  12. Public School Student Eligibility for Free or Reduced Lunch, 2016. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_204.10.asp
  13. Schoen, J. W. (2018, March 5). West Virginia Teachers strike sheds light on stagnant wages for educators across the US. CNBC. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/05/west-virginia-teachers-strike-teacher-salaries-stagnant-across-us.html
  14. School choice in West Virginia. Ballotpedia. (2016). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://ballotpedia.org/School_choice_in_West_Virginia
  15. US Department of Education. (2019). The Nation’s Report Card: 2019 West Virginia Snapshot. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2019/pdf/2020013WV8.pdf
  16. West Virginia Department of Education. (2021). West Virginia Balanced Scorecard. WV Balanced Scorecard. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://wveis.k12.wv.us/essa/dashboard.html