The West Virginia school board has voted to close or consolidate six schools in Kanawha County as the district has lost thousands of students over the last few years.
West Virginia Watch reports that the closures have been prompted by a population decline in the state. In addition, thousands of students have opted to leave public schools for the Hope Scholarship, the state’s education savings account program.
School districts, including Kanawha County, are struggling financially after losing some funding tied to the number of students they have.
“We are at the point now where we cannot continue to cut positions without merging or consolidating,” Kanawha County Superintendent Tom Williams said.
Parents and school officials expressed concerns about larger class sizes, longer bus routes and communities losing their schools.
“In this time of decreasing enrollment, county boards of education are having to make very difficult decisions,” said Nancy White, president of the West Virginia Board of Education. “Today is difficult, it’s painful, but it’s necessary. Counties cannot sustain operating at previous capacities while losing two-, three- or 4,000 students from its public schools. That’s what is happening.”
Kanawha County has lost 5,000 students over the past 11 years, equating to a $30 million drop in funding, according to Williams. More than 1,200 students left to use the Hope Scholarship. For October, Kanawha County has an enrollment of 23,144 students, down 320 from last year.
The board approved a plan to close and consolidate Belle Elementary School, Mary Ingles Elementary School, Malden Elementary School and Midland Trail Elementary School. A new school is proposed to be built at the location of the former DuPont Junior High, which has been torn down. McKinley Middle School will be closed and merged into Hayes Middle School. East Bank Middle School will be closed and consolidated into DuPont Middle School.
Age of the buildings has been a factor in consolidation as well, according to Micah Whitlow, director of the state's Office of School Facilities. West Virginia school buildings are on average 50 years old.
