The purpose of the study was to trace the historical and legal development of the financial support system for public elementary and secondary education in West Virginia from 1863 through November, 1984. In addition, the study provided a compiled source of data on selected aspects of the West Virginia school support system which had bearing upon the 1975 legislation that successfully challenged the constitutionality of the state school finance system. In the case of Pauley et al. v. Bailey et al., the method of financing public schools in West Virginia was declared unconstitutional on May 11, 1982, and the court directed the Legislature to completely redesign the West Virginia system of public school finance.

In order for the educational and legislative leaders to fulfill meeting the court's criteria, an awareness of the changes and carryover of past doctrines and practices into the present situation was deemed to be of great importance. The study provided a historical review of significant legislation and cases affecting the evolution of the West Virginia school finance system. Designated periods of time in education history were presented through the utilization of both a chronological and topical approach. Evaluative criteria, such as equity in funding, adequacy in educational opportunity, efficiency of organization, and formula alterations were incorporated into the study in order to identify the significant changes in the developmental process of school finance.