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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Raises Special Education Teacher and Aide Pay and Requires Certified Staff to Fill Classroom Vacancies
Last action · January 29, 2026: To House EducationSponsors: Pritt and 3 others
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia House Bill 4941 increases pay for special education aides and teachers, defines critical staff vacancies, and requires certified board staff to teach in unfilled classrooms.
Changes compensation structures and sets mandatory classroom deployment rules for certified administrative staff, directly altering working conditions and pay scales for school district personnel.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Special Education Aides
Aide II and Aide V personnel in self-contained classrooms have their salaries matched to Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teachers, with Aide V receiving an additional 5% raise.
Self-Contained Special Education Teachers
Special Education Teachers in self-contained classrooms receive a 10% salary increase.
Certified County Board Staff
Board staff holding certification in a critical vacancy subject area are required to teach in classrooms until a permanent hire is completed.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of a pay increase do self-contained special education teachers receive under the bill?
What is required of certified board staff when a critical vacancy occurs?
How are Aide V salaries in self-contained special education calculated?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Education
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Education then Finance
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Classroom Reassignment for Board Staff
The bill shifts policy by legally requiring certified administrative or board staff to step into classrooms to cover critical staffing shortages.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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