The bill introduced on January 29, 2026, aims to amend the Code of West Virginia by establishing a new section, Article 2L, which focuses on the consolidation of the state's 55 county-based school districts into 11 regional districts. This consolidation is set to take effect on July 1, 2030. The bill outlines the specific counties that will comprise each of the 11 regional districts, ensuring a structured approach to the reorganization of the school system.

The proposed regional districts are as follows: Region 1 includes McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming; Region 2 consists of Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, and Wayne; Region 3 is made up of Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Putnam; Region 4 includes Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas, and Webster; Region 5 comprises Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt, and Wood; Region 6 consists of Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor; Region 7 includes Barbour, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur; Region 8 is made up of Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton; Region 9 consists of Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan; Region 10 includes Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel; and Region 11 comprises Brooke and Hancock. The bill's intent is to streamline the governance of education in West Virginia by reducing the number of school boards and creating larger, more efficient regional entities.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 18-2L-1