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West Virginia Board of Education approves county public school closing, consolidation plans

Photo Courtesy/WV Board of Education Upshur County resident Abigail Jeffries urged members of the West Virginia Board of Education to reject a request to close Rock Cave Elementary School.

CHARLESTON – Despite the objections of several residents, the West Virginia Board of Education said its hands were tied when it came to halting proposed school closing and consolidation plans for six counties and 15 schools, calling on lawmakers to provide flexibility.

The state Board of Education met Wednesday morning for its regular monthly meeting at the Department of Education offices on the campus of the State Capitol Complex.

The bulk of the state board’s agenda was filled with requests from six counties to approve amendments to their comprehensive educational facilities plans, which involve the closing of 15 public elementary, middle, and high schools, consolidating those students with existing schools in the counties.

The first hour of Wednesday’s state school board meeting was taken up with public comment, with residents of several counties asking board members to vote against the comprehensive educational facilities plan amendments.

However, the state board only has the final say over county school closure/consolidation plans as far as making sure the county boards follow State Code and existing Department of Education policies. School closure and consolidation decisions are made at the local level by county boards of education.

County school systems rely on property taxes, bonds and levies, and funding through the complicated state school aid formula which is primarily based on student enrollment. The Department of Education finalizes student enrollment numbers every October, which then determines how much money county school systems get from the school aid formula the next school year.

According to this year’s headcount report, there were 234,957 students enrolled in the state’s 55-county school system, a 2.52% decrease from fall enrollment this time last school year of 241,024 and a 15.32% decrease from the 277,452 fall enrollment number in 2015 a decade ago.

State Board of Education President Paul Hardesty told meeting attendees that it was up to the Legislature to amend the school aid formula to provide counties greater flexibility to keep smaller schools open.

“This time it’s six (counties),” Hardesty said. “Next time will it be nine? Will it be 10? I don’t know. But the mileage in our counties remains the same. Our population shrinks, but yet the way we’re counted by headcount for funding remains the same. I’m not poking holes at 134 (lawmakers). I’m not trying to tell them how to do their job, but we have to stop the bleeding and find a way to address this formula.”

The state board approved several school closures and consolidations.

In Wetzel County, Magnolia High School and Valley High School will close, along with Short Line School, New Martinsville School, and Hundred Heritage School (grades 6-8 only), with those students being consolidated into a newly constructed school in Porter Falls.

In Randolph County, Harman K-12 School will close and be merged into Jennings Randolph Elementary School, Elkins Middle School, and Elkins High School. North Elementary School will also close and be merged into Jennings Randolph Elementary.

“I cannot believe I now live here in the United States and I’m in a county that is choosing to close rural schools,” said Trish Bucher, a Randolph County resident from Zimbabwe. “Vote to preserve Harman School and give our children a future.”

In Roane County, Geary Elementary Middle School and Walton Elementary Middle School will close and be consolidated into Spencer Elementary and Spencer Middle School. Pre-Kindergarten students in Roane County will also be moved into available space at Roane County High School.

“I know you all are the middle men…but how can we move more kids into a school that already has problems housing the kids they have,” said Roane County parent Velvet Nichols. “Adding more kids to the school will make it impossible for them.”

In Upshur County, Rock Cave Elementary School will close and be consolidated with French Creek Elementary School. Upshur County resident Abigail Jeffries spoke against the closure of Rock Cave Elementary.

“It would be fiscally irresponsible to vacate a school building, particularly one that has had multiple updates since the last SBA (School Building Authority) assessment in 2019…Why would the board take unnecessary risk with the children in our communities,” Jeffries said. “Being heavy-handed with school closures…will cause detriment both known and unknown, not only to our communities but to the state’s growth.”

In Barbour County, Belington Middle School, Kasson Elementary/Middle School (grades 6-8 only) and Philippi Middle School will be consolidated into Philip Barbour High School. Junior Elementary School will close and be consolidated with Belington Elementary School. And fifth grade students from the closing middle schools will be merged with the county’s elementary schools.

“As I read through the school closure and consolidation documents – and there were literally thousands of pages of them – I was reminded time and again of the very tough decisions the counties are having to make,” said state board member Debra Sullivan. “Surely no one would choose to close schools, causing heartache and headaches for everyone involved. How do we stop having to make such daunting decisions?”

The number of public schools in the state decreased from 637 schools last year to 618 schools as of October for a 2.98% decrease. The closure of the 15 schools approved by the state board Wednesday represent a 2.4% decrease in schools. Both Hardesty and Sullivan said until the Legislature changes the school aid formula to provide flexibility to county school systems, more closures are inevitable.

“I want to be as transparent and honest with you as I can,” Hardesty said. “We have to get a legislative fix with regards to the formula or we’re going to continue to have tough conversations as we’re having today.”

“I believe in the people of our state, and I know that we can strengthen our public schools without continuing to close our community schools,” Sullivan said. “It is shocking to realize that in the past eight years alone, over 70 schools have closed or consolidated. Small schools are just that. They’re smaller, but their impact is often huge.”

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com

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