The state taking over local school districts, such as what happened recently in Hancock County, has become more common in West Virginia in recent years.

With the state’s takeover of Hancock County Schools, there are now 10 county school districts out of the state’s 55 that are under some form of state control, whether that’s a complete take over or a state of emergency, where the county and state are working together to stave off that full takeover.

So nearly one-fifth of all West Virginia school districts are in such peril that the state is either monitoring their decisions or just making the decisions for them. There are words to describe that situation, too.

Alarming. Disturbing. Embarrassing.

And there’s no guarantee that other county school districts couldn’t suffer the same fate. West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty told lawmakers this past week that he could see other school districts face the same financial problems as Hancock County.

West Virginia public education is reaching a crisis point. The state department of education can’t keep adding school districts to its list of those under its full control. A drastic move could be in order.

A bill sponsored by Del. Phil Mallow, R-Marion, has been sent to the West Virginia House of Delegates’ Education Committee that would require the state to consolidate from 55 school districts to no more than 27. The bill cites challenges related to accessibility, funding, population and topography as the catalysts.

Combining districts should eliminate bureaucracy, as well as allow those districts to cast a wider net to find school board candidates with the background and experience to effectively oversee those districts.

That’s one possible answer. There could be plenty of others out there. One of them could work. A combination of them could work. It must be state government’s priority to find and implement an answer. Kicking this can down the road another year will only make it worse.

Again, the more local control a community has over its schools, the better. But far too many school districts in West Virginia are showing an inability to govern themselves. If the problem persists — or, even worse, grows — a bold move will need to be made to turn around those fortunes.

Everyone involved must remember that, in the end, school districts are there to support teachers, staff, parents and students. Those districts need put in the best positions to succeed, even if hard decisions need made to get there.