State School Board Approves More School Closures, Returns Some Local Control To Intervened Districts

State education leaders continue to struggle with school closures, and are increasingly highlighting the need for reform of the state school funding formula.

The West Virginia Board of Education approved the closure of two elementary schools in Wayne County at their regular meeting Wednesday. Dunlow Elementary School and Genoa Elementary School will close at the end of the current school year and merge into Crum PreK-8, East Lynn Elementary School, and Wayne Elementary School.

Superintendent Todd Alexander told the board that the closures will make up about a third of a more than $4 million budget cut the district needs to make this year. 

“We’re on the financial watch list. The state has recommended that our carryover should be $5 million or more,” he said. “As we proceed into next year, we’re going to have increased PEIA cost, and there’s talk in the legislature of raises, which is going to raise some of the local cost as well. We also have a replacement construction project that’s getting ready to happen.”

Alexander also reported that like most of the state, Wayne County Schools have seen a steep decline in enrollment in recent years.

“Over the past decade, we’ve lost 1,600 students, and that 1,600 students equates to the enrollment population of nine of our current schools,” he said. “We also suffered a loss of 220 students this year, 215 to 220 students this school year, which was a loss of $1.3 million in state revenue that we’re facing for next year.”

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, 19 school closures and consolidations have been proposed so far in the 2025-2026 school year, and almost all have been approved. The West Virginia Department of Education has acknowledged that school closures have accelerated in recent years, reporting that 25 schools were closed in 2024 alone. In the previous five years together, 53 schools were closed.

Board president Paul Hardesty commended Wayne County leaders for making a difficult decision to avoid a financial crisis like the one in Hancock County Schools.

“The legislature has pushed local control for 10 years,” he said. “‘We don’t want Charleston. We don’t want these unelected bureaucrats telling people what to do in Charleston.’ So we let Hancock County do what they wanted to do. Well, they ran the car in the ditch, and then the legislature calls me and calls (state Superintendent Michele Blatt) and says, ‘Hey, take them over. Gotta stop.’”

Hardesty said Wayne County’s issues, as well as most across the state, are brought on by a public education system he said has been broken for more than 30 years. He also aimed to clarify prior statements on the school funding formula.

“Look at the facts. Tough decisions have to be made to try to eradicate a broken system,” Hardesty said. “I’m not casting blame with the legislature. I’m looking for help. It is going to take all parties concerned, the legislature, the administration, this department.”

Return of Local Control

The board also voted to return local control to two of the school districts under state intervention in recent years.

The board voted to end West Virginia Department of Education oversight of Pocahontas County Schools after one year.

Meanwhile, the board voted to return policy-making authority to the Logan County Board of Education, which has been under full state intervention since October 2022. Other areas of county operations will remain under state board control.

Hardesty thanked the county leaders for steering the districts back in the right direction and expressed a desire to see all 55 county boards standing autonomously.

“We do not want to be in the business of taking over counties and having to put people in place,” he said. “That’s not our goal. That’s not our desire, but, as I stated earlier sometimes, it’s a necessity.”