(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

As the new school year nears, it’s worthwhile to consider the future of our public schools — particularly as West Virginia’s workforce ages and we continue to struggle to compete against our neighboring states.

Consider these enrollment trends from the West Virginia Department of Education:

In the 2017-18 school year, West Virginia enrolled 270,613 public school students. For the 2024-25 school year, again, using the state’s own data, that enrollment was at 241,013 — an 11% decline.

Broken down to our Mid-Ohio Valley counties, the numbers show similar trends, with real cause for concern in some counties.

* Wood County in the 2017-18 school year had 12,605 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 11,076 students — a 12.1% decrease.

* Jackson County in the 2017-18 school year had 4,654 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 3,968 students — a 14.7% decrease.

* Ritchie County in the 2017-18 school year had 1,457 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 1,130 students — a 22.4% decrease.

* Wirt County in the 2017-18 school year had 1,035 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 862 students — a 16.7% decrease.

* Roane County in the 2017-18 school year had 2,226 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 1,630 students — a 26.8% decrease.

* Pleasants County in the 2017-18 school year had 1,145 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 1,040 students — a 9.2% decrease.

* Tyler County also remained under an 11% enrollment decrease for the period. In 2017-18 the district had 1,291 students while in 2024-25 it enrolled 1,184 students, a decline of 8.3%.

* Doddridge County, on the other hand, in the 2017-18 school year had 1,116 students. In the 2024-25 school year it enrolled 1,203 students — a 7.8% increase.

What makes the declines in enrollment even more concerning is that, at the same time, many county school budgets in the state ballooned, with some districts complaining they still didn’t have enough to spend.

To be fair, this happened at a time when some of our local counties raked in millions more in property tax revenue from the natural gas industry and from mineral rights owners, which meant more money for school districts. Some of that money did go back into the state school aid formula. But still, the underlying point is that even with fewer students to educate, the cost of running a public school system in our region has quickly gotten out of control. Instead of adding teachers or other educational tools to aid student growth, many districts added administrators. Instead of focusing on items to increase student achievement, districts spent millions building turf practice fields.

What does all this mean for the future? That’s the question education and elected leaders in West Virginia need to figure out. First, there’s nothing on the horizon to suggest a turnaround in student enrollment. Not only is West Virginia battling decades of population loss, the state itself, despite a commitment from Gov. Patrick Morrisey to be more competitive with our neighboring states, continues to fall behind. And then there are the students who left public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and later as part of the HOPE Scholarship plan, which allows families seeking other educational options for their child to use taxpayer funding to help offset the cost. Those students aren’t coming back. Unless something changes, there are going to be continued student enrollment decreases in nearly all counties.

What’s the solution? Fewer county boards of education? Perhaps. Former West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee had long been a proponent of going from 55 separate county boards to perhaps 30. One of the challenges today in many counties is in finding board members who understand their responsibility to the taxpayers and also to the students (look at what happened recently in Tyler County and elsewhere). Fewer boards of education could possibly lead to better, more qualified candidates expressing interest.

Here’s what is clear: With the state experiencing a significant decline in student enrollment over the past eight years, serious discussions need to be happening on public education’s future.

Continuing to do business the way it’s always been done is no longer acceptable. It’s time to put students first and figure out just how public education should function moving ahead.