CHARLESTON — Despite multiple Wetzel County community members making the trek to Charleston to urge rejection of the consolidation of high schools there, the West Virginia Board of Education approved all requests Wednesday, including from Wood, Clay and Preston counties.

The board held its monthly meeting Wednesday at the Department of Education offices in Charleston.

The board approved amendments to Wetzel County’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan for 2020 through 2030. The amendments included requests from the Wetzel County Board of Education to close Hundred High School and consolidate it into Valley High School and to close Paden City High School and consolidate it into Magnolia High School and New Martinsville School.

The lone nay vote on all three motions was board member Debra Sullivan.

The Wetzel County Board of Education voted 4-1 in November to close Paden City and 3-2 to close Hundred. Staff of both schools would be combined with Valley, Magnolia and New Martinsville. The timetable to close and combine the schools is the 2025-26 school year, with the new schools receiving new names, colors and mascots.

Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassie Porter said the county’s population has decreased by 15.2% since 2010, with more than 800 students leaving the county over a 10-year period. That, combined with aging schools, was the reason to merge four high schools into two.

“Wetzel County Schools is in a critical juncture facing significant demographic challenges that necessitate a thoughtful and proactive response to ensure the continued success of our educational system,” Porter said. “This proactive step is necessary to address the diminishing student population and aging infrastructures while ensuring continued access to high quality education for all students.”

“Hard times for everyone concerned,” said board member Sullivan, a retired Catholic school administrator from Kanawha County who voted against the closure of Paden City and Hundred Wednesday.

“I’ve read all your documentation, and I read the comments that came in … and I’ve heard people speak. Is there a rush to do this?” Sullivan asked. “It appears that folks don’t necessarily feel that they’ve been listened to, that they’ve had the opportunity to really weigh in … I just wonder if it would be worth you all sitting down again.”

“I honestly don’t think that we have the time,” Porter said. “We are not preparing our students the way we need to prepare them educationally. Our test scores show that we rank very, very low. We need to pool our resources together in our opinion.”

Sullivan asked Porter about how school choice programs, such as public charter schools or the Hope Scholarship educational voucher program were affecting enrollment and funding. There are no brick-and-mortar public charter schools in Wetzel County, though there are 30 Wetzel County students enrolled in one of the two statewide virtual public charter schools.

According to Porter, there are 40 former public school students now receiving the Hope Scholarship, which gives parents the option to use an equivalent portion of the per-pupil expenditure for their children from the state School Aid Formula for educational expenses, such as private or religious school tuition, homeschool, tutoring and learning aids. For the 2024-25 school year, eligible families will receive $4,921 per student from the Hope Scholarship.

“The cost of these programs to our public schools … is decimating your ability to run (schools),” Sullivan said.

The state Board of Education meeting room was packed with Wetzel County residents, school employees and students, most of whom opposed the closing of Paden City and Hundred high schools. More than 20 people addressed state board members during a public comment period prior to the vote.

“They show no creativity in the creation of this plan,” said Rodney McWilliams, president of the Paden City Foundation. “I think the material presented to you in this plan is insufficient for a decision to approve this plan. It was done in haste with the intention they had to do something, and in this case, the something is the wrong thing. I ask that this plan be voted down.”

The Hundred High School Local School Improvement Council formally opposed the school’s closure, said Hundred LSIC representative Carol Roberts.

“Despite a general decline in the school population, Hundred High School provides a high-quality education, fostering student leadership, personalized support and strong community ties,” Roberts continued. “The council urges decision-makers to reconsider the closure, emphasizing the school’s vital role in the community and its potential for continued success with the right support.”

Bill Bell, a council member in Paden City, spoke on behalf of the Paden City LSIC, accusing Wetzel County Schools of using false pretenses for pushing for the closure of Paden City High School. The district closed the high school at the beginning of summer, citing health and safety reasons due to the school sitting on top of an EPA superfund site. A circuit court ruling reopened the school.

“To be blunt, these small schools make small towns,” Bell said. “By voting to close our school and by voting to close Hundred High School, you are effectively killing our communities.”

Not all speakers opposed the consolidations. Vince Monso, a retired educator with experience in both West Virginia and Ohio, said the consolidation of the schools could be beneficial.

“Consolidation is the proactive approach, but it will require change: some convenient, some inconvenient, but with time, the problems will be ironed out,” he said. “Our current configuration is inadequate. Our four high schools struggle in different ways. Consolidating four high schools to two would combine resources – financial and human – to benefit the students.

“Students spend four short years in high school, but the education they receive will last a lifetime,” he said. “Our county waited too long. Our current students deserve action. Our current students deserve better.”

The state board also approved facilities plan amendments for the local boards of education in Wood, Clay, and Preston counties. In Wood County, they authorized the closure of Fairplains Elementary School and its merger with Martin Elementary School and the closure of VanDevender Middle School and its merger with Jackson and Hamilton middle schools.

In Clay County, the state board approved the closure of Clay Middle School and its consolidation with Clay Elementary School, Big Otter Elementary School and Clay County High School. In Preston County, the state board approved the closure of Fellowsville Elementary School and its consolidation with South Preston School, and the closure of Rowlesburg School and its merger into Aurora School.

“I’d just like to say this is a very tough time when you have to start closing down schools,” said board member Robert W. Dunlevy. “There are some advantages of this and some disadvantages. So, the outcome…is not always sad. Look forward to a brighter future with that.”

According to the Department of Education, there could be as many as 25 approved school closures by the end of this school year due to several factors, including decreasing student enrollment, leading to future reductions in enrollment-based school aid formula funding from the state. According to the department, 24 counties have closed schools within the past five years, with 53 schools closed over that five-year period.

“We’re losing students for a number of reasons and state law requires our counties to operate within balanced budgets,” said Nancy White, president of the state Board of Education, in a statement following Wednesday’s votes. “County boards are working to build robust educational opportunities that will extend learning in unique and creative ways. This is more challenging to do when resources are spread across facilities with declining enrollment. We wish these decisions were not necessary.”

The decline in student enrollment is caused by several factors, including families moving to other counties or out of state, fewer children being born and the growth in school choice options.

According to the Department of Education, there were 241,024 students enrolled in the public school system this year as of the end of October, which was down more than 4,000 students from the previous year. There are now 629 public schools – down by eight from last school year. The 241,024 children enrolled in public schools is nearly 14% less than the 280,310 students enrolled in public schools in the fall of 2014.

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)