Hope Scholarship Expansion Under Fire | Charleston News

Parents in Mingo County are suing to block the state’s expanded Hope Scholarship program, arguing it drains funds from failing public schools while ignoring their children’s access to practical education alternatives. With 25,000 students now enrolled and $155 million spent this year, critics say the universal K-12 rollout—combined with outdated school funding formulas—violates constitutional obligations. State officials defend the program, calling parental frustration misplaced and urging lawmakers to tackle public education’s core issues through deregulation and teaching reform. The lawsuit seeks to halt new scholarship payments and demand transparency on how funds are distributed across counties. This marks another legal challenge for the program, which survived a prior constitutional ruling but now faces renewed scrutiny as enrollment plummets and one county’s school system is under state control. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2ff32043d14296a0