State Board of Education Declares State Of Emergency In Another School District

The West Virginia Board of Education declared a state of emergency in Wyoming County Schools Wednesday after a special circumstances review of the district. The review, conducted by West Virginia Department of Education staff in June, “yielded concerns with board governance, including issues with transparency, meeting management, and public confidence.” 

“Executive sessions were inconsistently documented and conducted without clear procedures,” Alexandra Criner, director of the Office of Accountability for the West Virginia Department of Education, said.  “Several central office leadership challenges were identified, including communication concerns, which included attempts to coordinate interview responses during our visit, outdated Title IX coordinator information, a lack of consistent focus on instructional leadership with prioritization of facilities over academics, canceled leadership meetings, and limited superintendent accessibility, and the elimination of a key director position without planning impacted instructional support.” 

Criner’s lengthy list of policy violations and procedural issues also included the mismanagement of personnel investigations and a fear of retaliation among staff who speak out, as well as $590,000 in unspent federal funds nearing expiration at the time of the state’s visit. 

As has become standard in recent years with state reviews of school districts, the review also found the district exceeded funded positions in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.  

Further discussion of the state of Wyoming County Schools was conducted in executive session, but the board’s declaration of a state of emergency included a requirement for the district to create a comprehensive plan to address deficiencies. Additionally, all Wyoming County Board of Education members were ordered to attend an additional training session focused on Board of Education member roles, expected meeting decorum, open meeting requirements, and fiduciary responsibility. 

The board also discussed a personnel matter at Marion County Schools in executive session. However, before ending the public segment, Criner said the Office of Accountability began receiving correspondence in February from Marion County stakeholders after a controversy surrounding the local board’s decision not to renew the superintendent’s contract. 

“While the superintendent was ultimately renewed for an additional year, the decision was made to conduct an on-site review of Marion County Schools based on the nature of the concerns submitted,” Criner said. “The Office of Accountability made visits to Marion County Schools to interview Board of Education members, selected central office staff and school principals, and subsequently produced a report outlining findings and requiring a corrective action plan to be developed through a collaborative approach. That plan was submitted to the Office of Accountability by Marion County Schools and was approved with one required revision.” 

A Somber Update 

Logan County Schools have been under some level of state control since 2022. They are gaining back local control, but the district’s financial outlook is concerning.  

Despite improvements to the district’s finances and procedures, county superintendent Dr. Sonya White laid out Logan County Schools’ stark situation to the West Virginia Board of Education Wednesday.  

She said like many districts in the state, the county has had to make dramatic cuts in both professional and service personnel at all levels due to being over state funding levels. White also said early numbers for this year show that the district of just over 4,000 students is losing enrollment at an alarming rate.  

“The loss of 312 students negatively impacts our funding by at least $2 million annually,” she said. “Closing multiple schools is not something I wanted to do in my first year. But we cannot continue to ignore the writing on the wall when it comes to being financially responsible with dwindling funds we have.” 

The loss of 312 students for the 2026-2027 school year comes after a loss of 318 students last year. White said the enrollment loss has been a recognized trend since at least 2009, but identified several recent changes that have accelerated the situation. 

“People moving out of the area, school choice options, and the Hope Scholarship are contributing factors to the drastic decrease in enrollment in recent years,” she said.  

White said she has prepared closing documents for three schools in the district that have had enrollments below 100 students for the last four years. She said the buildings themselves are some of the oldest in the county, each requiring millions of dollars of work in upkeep and renovation. 

The board voted to return control of federal programs back to Logan County Schools to manage and operate, but the district remains under state intervention.