In early November 2025, I received a message asking if I had heard the latest rumors: an
employee for the county school district escorted from the premises! Financial malfeasance run
rampant! Intrigued, I also began asking questions and quickly realized residents were flush with
speculation and frustration. So, in this article, I wish to discuss the current situation facing the
Hancock County School District. For brevity, I’ll dispense with speculation and stick to what we
know; then, I’d like to give the libertarian perspective on the matter.
For those following the current financial crisis facing the Hancock County School District, many
of you are wondering what the future holds. People are worried: teachers and administrators
concerned about their jobs, parents worried about their children’s education, and school
consolidation. But how did we get here, and what are the solutions? Let’s start with a timeline of
events leading up to the present:
- July 2025: District believed in surplus of $1.6M, but accounting errors revealed $2M shortfall.
- September/October 2025: Aid advance denied; Superintendent Dan Enich hires independent consultants alongside WVDE; crisis scope emerges by November.
- November 17th: Board removes finance director Joe Campinelli (4-0 vote) amid deficits and late reports; plans cuts (143.5 positions over formula), possible closures/consolidation by February; postpones iPad purchases, reduces software costs, evaluates contracts.
- December 2025: Public backlash grows; petition against closures; WVDE releases findings; Dec. 16th meeting covers enrollment/funding; Enich details accounting failures and enrollment issues; residents voice concerns.
- January 2026: Projections show inability to meet Jan. 19 and February payrolls; Enich requests $475K aid; auditor confirms issues; Rep. Pat McGeehan proposes emergency funding bill (passed House on Jan. 19 as HB 4574 and HB 4575, appropriating $8M); state Board of Education intervenes on Jan. 16, fires Enich and assistant superintendent, declares emergency due to overstaffing and mismanagement; possible missed payroll
- Jan. 19 (funding aims to prevent); final auditor report Jan. 26.
I bet many of you are wondering: How did we get here? How could the board of education be so
incompetent? Who’s responsible? I just can’t believe this—is there no accountability? But here’s
the thing: The financial fiasco in Hancock County is systemic in these institutions and
exemplifies the inherent flaws in government-run systems, compulsory schooling, and anywhere
that you lack options. Without free markets and flexibility, there’s no reason to be efficient and
fiscally responsible; errors like inflated surpluses turning into massive deficits go unchecked.
There is no incentive to improve the quality of education. It becomes an adults’ jobs program
filled with administrators and bad stewards. Good, vibrant, enthusiastic teachers aren’t allowed
to be creative. Poor-performing teachers are protected by public sector unions that become
coffers for politicians, bribed by the fees collected, and the system is slowly drained of any
quality. Taxpayers are left with the bill.
But what about my public education?
No need to worry about that. The West Virginia Constitution guarantees “free” public education
—not that anything in this world is free—so it isn’t going anywhere but your options are still
limited.
Full disclosure: I’m a libertarian. Don’t panic—I’m not here to dismantle these institutions. I’d
have better luck drinking an entire bottle of the cheapest single-barrel Kentucky bourbon and
waking up early to scale Seneca Rocks than I would disrupting West Virginia’s public education.
I know, I know—we have the Hope Scholarship now, and I’m glad about that. It gives parents
and children options that may better suit their needs. But even with the Hope Scholarship, as
with any government funding, there are always strings attached. Do as I say or I’ll take your
funding away! It doesn’t matter if it’s county, state, or federal—the story’s always the same.
Mission creep follows. Rinse, recycle, repeat. The examples are everywhere (I told myself I
wouldn’t digress): CON laws prevent options in healthcare; doctors in hospital systems hire tons
of administrators and overcharge because they know you have to have health insurance.
Insurance providers don’t want to pay these exorbitant prices, and even if they weren’t wildly
inflated, would they still want to pay? There’s no incentive to give you quality insurance because
you have to buy in or you get penalized, while they continue to be subsidized. Rinse, recycle,
repeat. Nothing changes!
The economic challenges of the rust belt and West Virginia as a whole present obstacles that
make providing these services and funding these programs a serious challenge. There’s never
been a better time to explore these options and assess these challenges than when you have a
crisis like this. Revenue sources that used to exist have dried up; old habits die hard. We want
to keep things going, and we want to provide jobs, I get it, I do… but “modern problems require
modern solutions.” It’s time to get creative.
In conclusion, from a libertarian’s perspective, West Virginia’s education system would thrive by
embracing true school choice, expanding programs like the Hope Scholarship without the
bureaucratic strings, and reducing government monopolies to foster competition and innovation.
This approach not only addresses fiscal crises like Hancock County’s but empowers families in
the Mountain State to pursue personalized, efficient education paths free from the inefficiencies
of centralized control, ultimately building a stronger, more resilient future for all West Virginians.
Joseph Anthony Steiner
Region 1 Rep. for the LPWV
E: josephsteiner@lpwv.org