The promise of a free education is fundamental to our democracy
This commentary was originally published in the West Virginia Watch.
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia announced a lawsuit last week over the unconstitutional underfunding of public schools. I’m not exaggerating when I say this may be the most important case we have filed in my 10 years with this organization.
The promise of a free education is fundamental to our democracy itself. It’s so vital that it was enshrined as a right in our 1863 state Constitution, and courts have interpreted that right to mean that schools must not only be adequately funded, but also fairly funded from county to county.
And yet, West Virginia sits at or near the bottom of most national rankings. Politicians have blamed schools, teachers and parents for poor educational outcomes, when the true cause is in black and white on the balance sheets.
During the 2022-23 school year, West Virginia’s average per-pupil expenditure was $14,909 — a total that includes state, local and federal money. While $14,909 was the reported average, the actual amount per student spent by counties ranged from a low of $12,158 in Barbour County to a high of $22,500 in Doddridge.
That gap gets even wider when you look at only the funding within the state’s control. Combined state and local education funding per pupil ranged from $10,542 in Barbour County to $24,924 in Tyler. In a system that requires that education funding be allocated fairly, some counties receive double the funding of others — not only presenting constitutional concerns, but driving averages up in a way that hides how significantly underfunded many West Virginia counties are.
Across the country, states spend more on education in counties with high rates of students with disabilities and students experiencing poverty because providing quality education to those students is often more expensive. In West Virginia, we do just the opposite: we spend less in counties with the greatest need, and more in counties with higher property wealth.
Chief among the many flaws in West Virginia’s school funding system is the failure to account for special education services. West Virginia’s special education funding is worse than it was decades ago. Because these services are required by law, failure to provide sufficient funding means that school districts need to dip into funding that would otherwise be used for general education services, or to cover the costs of keeping schools operational.
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Notes and links on the taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI and Jill Underly.
“Did you know my school was bad like this when you decided to put me here?” she asked.
Madison’s district, despite an elite university pipeline, hypereducated leadership, and a shiny, new strategic plan, suffers the same frailties as Milwaukee’s: basement performance, backbreaking spending. But while Milwaukee is pulling out of its tailspin due to courageouschoices from the top, Madison is ponderously ambling to nowhere. Just ask the locals. “You need the marketing, and you need the product,” as a parent told a reporter. “I’m missing the product.”
2025-2026 Madison 4k-3rd grade Early Literacy Screener report: The bar moves faster than the kids.
Joe Gothard, Becky Kundert and Sonia Spencer Remarks on Madison’s K-12 Literacy Crisis.
2026-2027 Madison K-12 $pending continues to grow, fueled by a 9.7% (!) property tax increase. Total spending will be at least $706,000,000 for 25,003 students, or $28,236 per student.
May 2026 Madison School District Presentation: 7,095 adults for 25,003 students (3.52 students per adult!)
2024-2025 Early Literacy Screener Map.
Map: Foundations of Reading Results: 2015–2024
Where have all the students gone?
3,887 Madison 4 year old to third grade students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.
Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results. May, 2026: 7,095 Staff for 25,003 students; $pending > $26k per student!
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic.
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?
China’s PhD Glut Drives Top Graduates to High School Teaching Jobs
