Opposition to WV House Finance Originating Bill Regarding Hope Scholarship Program
ALEC Action sent the following issue alert to members of the West Virginia House of Delegates opposing legislation that would impose extremely concerning restrictions on the Hope Scholarship Program and families that it serves.
The Hope Scholarship Program has made West Virginia a national leader in education freedom and parental empowerment. In fact, the state ranks 5th in the country in ALEC’s 2026 Index of State Education Freedom. If passed, the House Finance Originating Bill would implement several concerning changes to the Hope Scholarship Program including:
- Lowering scholarship values to $5,250 per student per year, with no adjustment for inflation or increase in overall education spending. Currently, scholarship values simply equal the state’s average per-pupil spend in public schools.
- Removing numerous items from the list of eligible education expenses like tutoring services, college entrance exam fees and preparatory courses, after-school and summer education programs, alternative education programs, online courses, and more.
- Removing the Hope Scholarship Board’s ability to approve additional educational expenses on an as needed basis.
- Requiring students using an individualized instruction program to take the comprehensive statewide student growth assessments required of public-school students.
ALEC Action stands with Hope Scholarship families and will continue to fight for their ability to choose the best education for their kids.
February 20, 2026
To: Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
From: ALEC Action
Re: Opposition to House Finance Originating Bill Regarding Hope Scholarship Program
Dear Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates,
ALEC Action, the 501(c)(4) sister organization of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), strongly opposes the recently introduced House Finance Originating Bill that would impose new restrictions on students participating in the Hope Scholarship Program. West Virginia has become a national model for parental empowerment thanks to the Hope Scholarship Program, and 16 other states have followed West Virginia’s lead to create education freedom for all students. We encourage you to vote no on any effort that restricts the Hope Scholarship Program and jeopardizes West Virginia’s status as a national leader in education freedom.
During the 2022-2023 school year, the first year families could obtain a Hope Scholarship, 2,333 students participated in the program. Today, 14,221 students are using the program to attend a school that better fits their needs – a more than five-fold increase in participation. Demand from parents for education freedom is soaring, and the Hope Scholarship Program is set to meet that demand when it goes fully universal next year. Unfortunately, the restrictions proposed in the House Finance Originating Bill risk limiting the program’s effectiveness and the state’s ability to meet parental demand moving forward.
The Hope Scholarship Program’s original purpose is simple: to provide options for a parent to better meet the individual education needs of their child. Every student has their own unique educational needs, and these can only be met when parents are empowered to make the best educational decisions for their kids.
Lawmakers from around the country consider the Hope Scholarship Program to be the gold standard, a fact demonstrated by the adoption of the Hope Scholarship Program as ALEC’s official model policy for education savings account (ESA) programs. It is also a major reason that West Virginia ranks 5th nationally in ALEC’s 2026 Index of State Education Freedom.
ALEC Action strongly supports the Hope Scholarship Program and encourages you to vote no on the House Finance Originating Bill that will restrict it.
