West Virginia Principals Association

2025 Legislative Session Proclamations

The first day of the West Virginia Legislature is January 8, 2025.  This is an important and eventful time in education, and the West Virginia School Principals Association believes many important programmatic/structural legislations may occur. 

The WVPA works with West Virginia policymakers to recommend and support educational topics such as assessment, attendance, discipline and assessment issues, professional salaries, and PEIA benefits.  We strongly believe that in this year, our children, need effective learning opportunities, a safe and protective environment, and efficient physical, behavioral and mental health services. 

We adamantly believe that the 2020 pandemic created the need for school supports of extended leaning times, improved access to internet service for all along with modern ventilation systems and educational facilities.  Now, the WVPA supports the proper funding of public schools and adamantly opposes school vouchers, charter schools and loosening of child–protective requirements in home schools which are unnecessary and dangerous for educating children in our state.

The West Virginia Principals Association recognizes that 2025 is a year of vital support and development of programs and content for students and educators throughout our state.  Although many financial challenges exist, it is imperative that our Governor and Legislature resolve to support and properly fund public education.  The WVAEMSP strongly supports the following:

  1. The WVPA strongly believes school and student safety is the most important factor for West Virginia children.  We strongly recommend each West Virginia school have a full-time principal, assistant principal and counselor in place to assure need areas in safety, mental health for students and staff, rising achievement and expanded community relations may be properly addressed.
  2. We strongly believe that 2025-26 school funding should remain at pre-pandemic levels and that NO additional tax reforms be put into place without a thorough study of legislative actions and effects on state and county systems, including delivery of services for students and staff.
  3. No reduction in PEIA financial support of services from the State of West Virginia, including a reinstatement of accrued sick days for the application of retirement or insurance benefits.
  4. Professional pay for all professional educators and support staff, particularly in light of possible PEIA increases.
  5. A refusal to increase school vouchers, and modifications to current charter school legislation. There should be a plan to increase oversight of home schooling, including academic achievement and health of the home schooled student
  6. A long-term plan to recognize, respect, recruit and promote the profession of education and teaching throughout West Virginia to career-minded adults and students, and positive public support and funding of reading, textual literacy, arts programs and school libraries.

WVPA 2025 Educational/Governmental Resolutions

Whereas the WVPA supports students’ need for school safety, and recognizes that effective behavioral and mental health practices begin at an early age, and whereas the WVPA supports the cognitive, emotional and social well-being of the children of West Virginia and recognizes these qualities contribute to a positive and contributing citizenry:

  1. BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to provide the full financial funding of school administrators and counselors to the students of West Virginia with a full-time counselor in every school and strongly recommend each West Virginia school have a full-time principal and assistant principal in place to assure need areas in safety, achievement and community relations may be properly addressed.
  • Whereas the WVPA supports the current benefit packages provided to public employees and acknowledges that they have been provided in lieu of salary raises in the past, and that any reduction of these benefits and the lack of pay increases in relation to neighboring states and costs of living increases are equal to systematic and purposeful decreases in compensation and respect for public education:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to support professional pay increases for all employees in the West Virginia educational system, and the recognition by all governmental agencies including elected officials, of the importance and respect for public schools, students and staff.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to provide the full financial funding of PEIA benefits package.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to not reduce educational funding of West Virginia Public Schools in 2025, or to divert additional funding to charter schools or educational vouchers for any child.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to reinstate the practice of accruing unused sick days to retirement or insurance purposes. 

  • Whereas the WVAEMSP supports the removal of inauthentic and one size fits all accountability:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA supports Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to support a fair and relevant accountability process that accurately reflects a school’s performance with a variety of measurable objectives, not a single, one-day test result or punitive attendance and discipline policies.

  • Whereas the WVPA supports the public school structure that has successfully and continuously provided a comprehensive system of cognitive, emotional and physical support to the children of West Virginia:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA advocates Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to support the existence of public schools and their financial stability by denying legislation that would allow the increased existence of school vouchers and increased funding for charter schools from taxpayer funded resources.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, the WVPA advocates Governor Morrisey and the WV Legislature to recognize critical staffing issues and support the existence of public school personnel by creating a long-term plan to recognize and promote the profession of education and teaching throughout the State to career-minded adults and students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.