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State residents taking the General Educational Development (GED) exam - won't have to pay the $50 testing fee.
Lawmakers passed a bill in the final days of the regular session that allows the state Board of Education to develop a program that pays the fees for test takers.
The estimated annual cost of the program is about $260,000.
About 5,200 West Virginians take the GED test each year.
There are about 328,000 West Virginians without a high school diploma.
Stan Hopkins, assistant state superintendent for Technical and Adult Education Services, said state education officials have been lobbying the Legislature to find a way to make it easier for people to access the testing.
Hopkins said the $50 test fee might not sound like a lot of money to most people. But without at least a high school education, a person is hard-pressed to find a good-paying job, or any job at all.
GED classes are offered at the Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Thursday afternoon from 3 to 6 p.m. C-GCC follows an open door policy and encourages new students to come in and sign up. Testing is also offered at the Career Center. The next test is on April 16th and 17th. You must register a week in advance. Call 354-6151 for more information.
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