CHARLESTON — A Roane County delegate has introduced a bill that would pause school closures and consolidations for two years to allow for the state legislature to make education funding formula revisions, but the bill, if passed, would not go into effect until June 1.

On Feb. 11, Delegate Erica Moore, R-District 15, introduced House Bill 5434 which would amend and reenact §18-5-13a of the Code of West Virginia to pause school closures to allow for revisions to the school aid funding formula. If passed, the bill would also create a moratorium for a period of two years on school closings and consolidations to allow for an optional emergency levy election to be held.

Moore is the only sponsor on the bill. HB 5434 is currently sitting in the House Education Committee.

HB 5434 states that any planned school closings or consolidations set forth in §18-5-13a shall be paused “to allow for appropriate school funding formula revisions by the Legislature to take effect.” This will only happen provided that those revisions are passed by the legislature, and such revisions are deemed “significant enough to change the outcome of the closure and/or consolidation.” Otherwise, HB 5434 states that planned school closings or consolidations shall continue as scheduled.

The bill also states that all minimum expenses associated with planned school closings and consolidations shall be supplemented by the state until the possible revisions are made. According to HB 5434, the monetary amount of minimum expenses the state will provide “shall be equal to the amount of estimated savings for a school closure or consolidation.”

Also under HB 5434, if a school is in the process of being closed, but the closure process has not been completed, the closure will be paused to permit that school’s county board of education to vote whether to hold an emergency levy election. A county board of education could also vote to allow for appropriate school funding formula revisions to take effect, if the state legislature passes such revisions.

If a county board of education votes to move forward with an emergency levy election, such a levy election shall be held in the form of a special election, HB 5434 states.

HB 5434 shall not apply to schools who have already been closed. If passed, HB 5434 will be put in effect by June 1.