WV Hope Scholarship constitutional, rules Supreme Court

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) -The Hope Scholarship is constitutional in West Virginia, following a state Supreme Court ruling on Thursday. The program lets children who have been attending public school instead attend private schools or homeschool by giving them state funds. West Virginians we talked to support this program and see it as a good use of government resources.

“So, I think anything that could help the younger generation to get in school and be able to get an education and further their career, I think it’s a great thing,” said Tyler Sudlock from Summersville

“I feel, you know, that it’s better for the parent to have their decision, what they want to do with their children, so I feel it’s a good thing - you know, we pay for roads, clearly not roads getting worked on. Let that get worked on,” said Andre, a man from Bluefield.

The Hope Scholarship had previously met some controversy when it was ruled unconstitutional by a Kanawha county judge. Many of those who are against the hope scholarship say this will take away money reserved for education...Thereby making things more difficult for students who continue to attend public schools.

WVVA previously spoke with the president of the West Virginia Education Association on the topic who said, “The proponents of this will say it’s about choice. This is not about choice. Parents have a choice already. They can homeschool, public school, private school, church school, whatever they choose to do and I respect that right. This is about the public’s tax dollars paying for that choice, and taking money away from public schools to do that.”

However, Patrick Morrisey, the West Virginia Attorney General who supported the bill, says public schools won’t be affected by this and will continue to receive funding from the federal government.

“It doesn’t hurt public schools. It’s always been our goal to have strong public schools, but also to expand the options that are available for West Virginia families,” says Morrisey

To see if you qualify for the Hope Scholarship, more information can be found on their website.

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