CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate is raising concerns about emergency funding bills that would provide financial assistance to school districts, including Hancock County Schools.
House Bills 45-74 and 45-75 were fast-tracked through the House of Delegates during the opening week of the legislative session. The legislation is designed to deliver short-term state funding to districts facing immediate budget shortfalls.
In the Senate, however, lawmakers have expressed skepticism about approving emergency aid for districts that recently invested in major capital projects. In Hancock County, that concern centers on the construction of a new athletic complex, a multi-million-dollar development that expanded and modernized athletic facilities across the district.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jay Taylor has indicated he is unwilling to support additional funding without stronger financial accountability, particularly in cases where districts moved forward with large-scale projects while later seeking state assistance. Taylor says he can’t
vote for bad behavior by a local school board – especially after they spent money to upgrade their district athletic facilities while in dire financial straits.
Hancock County Schools invested in new and upgraded athletic fields at its high schools, including the construction of baseball and softball fields with artificial turf, improved dugouts, fencing, and other sports-related infrastructure at schools such as Weir High and Oak Glen High, projects estimated at $2.6 million. These projects together represented millions of dollars in general fund spending on athletics facilities in recent years. The district also expanded a physical education area at Weir High School and made upgrades to existing fields at Oak Glen High.
While a financial catastrophe was brewing that would leave the district scrambling to make payroll in January 2026, the district celebrated how it spent its money with an opening ceremony for the multi-million dollar Oak Glen fields in March 2025. The project was part of broader capital improvements funded in part by a voter‑approved bond levy in November 2024.
State education officials have cited these expenditures as a contributing factor in the district’s current financial shortfall and state takeover due to concerns over budget stability and use of general funds
The bills are now under Senate review, where debate is expected to continue over fiscal responsibility and the role of the state in supporting financially distressed school districts.
