By Charles Boothe, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals is now considering whether to dissolve a permanent injunction against the Hope Scholarship Act, which sets aside funding each year for some parents to send their children to private schools.
The act passed the Legislature last year and by May 3,000 students had been approved for the program for the 2022-23 school, with more than $4,200 set aside for each student.
However, in July Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Joanna Tabit ruled the Hope Scholarship Act violated the state’s Constitution, which requires the state to provide “for a thorough and efficient system of free schools.”
Tabit agreed with the West Virginia Department of Education that the millions of dollars for the program drains money from public schools and incentivizes parents to take their children out of public schools…
