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The West Virginia Board of Education voted Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in Roane County Schools.
A finance report presented to the board by Alexandra Criner, director of the Office of Accountability for the West Virginia Department of Education, showed that the county is facing significant, immediate financial issues.
“Due to declining enrollment, failure to approve a consolidation plan, lack of sufficient personnel action and other operational decisions, Roane County Schools is out of compliance with West Virginia code §118-26 and is facing a significant projected budget deficit for fiscal year ’26,” Criner said.
The report points to several factors including declining enrollment and the construction of a new school building despite a county building utilization rate of just 45%.
Board member Paul Hardesty called some of the report’s findings “very disturbing,” such as using federal funds to purchase furniture.
“From 2022 to 2026: a $1.4 million carry over in ‘22, a projected deficit of $2.9 million in ‘26. That’s a $4.3 million swing in five years,” he said.
Board member Gregory Wooten put it more bluntly to the Roane County leaders present.
“Honestly, if we’re looking at Roane County as a corporation, you guys are bankrupt. You’re absolutely bankrupt,” he said.
It is the seventh time this year the board has intervened in a local school system.
Wooten said when the state has to step into a county school district, it always comes down to administration.
“When we keep having these discussions about potential county takeovers, very little discussion about when maybe the test scores are not all that good,” Wooten said. “100% of the time it is always about the business of running a school district.”
Hardesty told Roane County school leaders that they are “hemorrhaging cash,” and suggested that mandatory training for county school board members may need to be revised to put a greater emphasis on financial literacy.
“I think we’ve got a large number of board members in the state of West Virginia that have no concept, or little concept, of the budget in their respective counties,” he said. “I’m not trying to throw stones. I’ll stand by that statement. I’ve served with some that could not read a budget.”
The state legislature has passed bills amending training requirements for county board of education members two years in a row.
Board member Debra Sullivan questioned the state’s own role in allowing Roane County to reach such a severe level of mismanagement. She alluded to state accreditation reports on which the district’s finances were marked as “meets requirements” by state auditors as recently as 2024.
“I assumed, and perhaps this is where I’m assuming incorrectly, that that stamp of approval is somehow tied to their annual audit that all schools, all counties, must submit,” Sullivan said. “Am I wrong?”
Criner – who noted that the state’s Office of Finance staff was attending a conference and was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting – said that a checklist is used to certify categories in the accreditation reports.
“They earn certain points for certain pieces on that, and then the office of school finance provides us with the listing of who needs assistance and who meets requirements,” she said.
Sullivan noted that county treasurer is an unfunded position, not listed in the state school aid funding formula. She also pointed towards the rise in school choice, exacerbating declining enrollment, as key drivers to financial issues for school districts across the state.
“I can imagine that between Hope Scholarships and charter schools, that it must be exceedingly difficult for counties to project what their enrollment is going to be,” Sullivan said. “I looked it up and Roane lost 58 students from the previous year to last year. Interestingly, Roane had 90 students on Hope Scholarships, and had those students attended Roane County Schools, the county would have received $720,000”
She noted the issue is not unique to Roane County schools, and she will be interested to see the plan that will be “developed to help Roane and other counties.”
Roane County Superintendent Michelle Stellato started in her position last week, and vowed to the state board that she, her staff and her county board will get the district back on track with state help.
“I do echo the sentiment that we are in a dire position in Roane County, but what I want to make everyone aware of is that we are going in with eyes wide open,” she said. “I have an amazing staff that is willing to do the work. We understand that it’s going to be very unpopular. We understand that we’re going to have to make very difficult decisions, but we too will make those decisions within the lens of what’s best for the children and what’s best for the county as a whole. We are going to need support.”
The board has directed county board of education members and the superintendent to work with state Department of Education staff to develop a comprehensive plan. A progress report from Roane County Schools is required at the August 2025 WVBE meeting.
Board Officer Elections
Board president Nancy White announced she would not seek re-election after serving one year as board president, opting instead to nominate Hardesty for the position. Hardesty previously served as president from 2022-2024.
“I am humbled by the support and confidence that my fellow board members have placed in me,” Hardesty said in a written statement after the meeting. “This board faces many challenges this upcoming year. We will face those challenges head on, with the purposes of doing what is in the best interests of our 241,000 students across the state.”
Victor Gabriel was re-elected vice-president and F. Scott Rotruck was re-elected secretary. White was elected as the board’s financial officer.
“It’s been one of my greatest honors of my professional life to serve this esteemed institution and to work alongside such dedicated educators, leaders and public servants,” a visibly emotional White said. “I remain confident in the board’s continued leadership and its vision for the future, and I am thankful for the trust you placed in me and will always carry deep respect for the mission and people of this organization.”
Literacy Progress
There were moments of positivity in the meeting, as the state was recently identified in a national report as one of four states that are showing steady annual gains in 3rd-grade literacy.
According to Upswing Lab’s analysis, West Virginia is among the few states growing early literacy by at least 3-4% over the past three years. The Mountain State’s 5% increase places it among the four states and 260 school districts identified. Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina are the other states going against the trend of stagnant achievement since the Covid-19 pandemic ended.
House Bill 3035, also known as the Third Grade Success Act, passed the state legislature in 2023. It aims to address low reading and math test scores across the state with a focus on fundamentals and individualized interventions with teaching aides and paraprofessionals in grades one through three.