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HJR 4

To amend the West Virginia Constitution to change the term of office of the members of the West Virginia Board of Education from nine years to five years.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Larry Kump

Amends the constitution to change West Virginia Board of Education terms from nine to five years, keeping nine governor-appointed members with Senate approval and existing governan

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Bill Summary · HJR 4

Overview

  • Bill: House Joint Resolution 4 (HJR 4)
  • Session: West Virginia 2026 Regular Session
  • Purpose: Amend the West Virginia Constitution to change the term of office for members of the West Virginia Board of Education from nine years to five years.
  • Sponsor: Delegate Kump (co-sponsor: Larry Kump)
  • Status: Introduced January 14, 2026; referred to Education and then Judiciary committees

What the bill would do

  • Amend Article XII, Section 12-2 of the West Virginia Constitution.
  • Change the term length for West Virginia Board of Education members from nine years to five years.
  • Maintain the current structure of the Board: nine members appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the Senate, for overlapping terms.
  • Retain existing rules regarding qualifications, removal, and other governance provisions, with the primary change being the term length.
  • The initial term designations for the first appointments would be aligned to a sequence of one through nine years to implement the staggered terms, as currently outlined (the initial appointments would still be for terms of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine years, respectively), but future terms would be five years.

Key provisions and changes

  • Term length: Board members would serve five-year terms instead of nine-year terms.
  • Appointment and staggered terms: Nine members appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation, with overlapping terms to ensure continuity.
  • Political balance: No more than five members may belong to the same political party.
  • Qualifications and removal: Board members must meet constitutional qualifications; removal by the governor remains limited to official misconduct, incompetence, neglect of duty, or gross immorality, with removal procedures prescribed by law.
  • State superintendent: The Board would continue to select the state superintendent of free schools (superintendent serves at the will of the Board) and the superintendent would be a member of the Board of Public Works as currently provided in the Constitution.

Who would be affected

  • Members of the West Virginia Board of Education (current and prospective) would be affected by the change in term length.
  • Governor and Senate involved in the appointment process, given the ongoing requirement for gubernatorial appointment with Senate advice and consent.
  • State education governance structure, including the process for selecting the state superintendent and related duties.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot for ratification at the next general election in 2026.
  • If approved by voters, the amendment would alter the constitutional term length for Board of Education members beginning with future appointments, following the new five-year cycle.
  • The bill designates itself as Amendment No. 1 to the Constitution and provides a summarized purpose: to change the term length from nine to five years.

Summary in plain language

HJR 4 seeks to amend West Virginia’s Constitution to shorten the term of office for members of the West Virginia Board of Education from nine years to five years. The Board would continue to consist of nine governor-appointed members with Senate approval, serving overlapping terms to provide continuity. Other governance provisions—such as political balance limits, qualifications, and removal grounds—would remain, as would the Board’s authority to appoint the state superintendent of free schools. The amendment would be submitted to voters at the 2026 general election for ratification. If voters approve, the five-year term would take effect for future appointments, with the initial staggered terms still following the sequence set in current constitutional language.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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