EdChoice on K-12 education proposals in West Virginia

INDIANAPOLIS—EdChoice, a national nonprofit organization that promotes state-based educational choice programs, released the following statement from President and CEO Robert Enlow on the latest legislative action on K-12 education in West Virginia:

“West Virginia is well positioned to deliver educational opportunity to families across the state.

“A few weeks ago, the State Senate passed a package of reforms that created many new options for students, including open enrollment for public schools, charter schools and education savings accounts. The Governor and some members of the House are reluctant to embrace those proposals; the House omnibus bill that heads back to the Senate next week provides far fewer options, which is disheartening.

“The good news is there’s still time for collaboration, and one thing we’ve learned in more than 20 years of advocating for educational choice nationally is that change takes time and grows best from the ground up. K-12 education is a state issue—not just because that’s where it’s primarily funded. West Virginians, not outsiders, should be the ones proposing solutions to the state’s educational issues.

“That’s why we work with and rely on partners on the ground that listen to and stand up for West Virginians and their needs. Those needs include making sure all students can access a schooling option that works best for them—whether that’s public, private, charter or otherwise. Those options should be robust and available to all, not arbitrarily capped or limited.

“We hope that lawmakers will continue to work to find common ground on behalf of West Virginia students, but even if they don’t, the foundation has been laid for future conversations. We will continue to bolster our partnerships in West Virginia well beyond this legislative session and to provide research and other information to support the case for educational choice.”

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