The West Virginia Board of Education has voted to move forward with a plan to close nearly a dozen schools in Fayette County.
The state board’s vote during Wednesday’s meeting was not unanimous, board member and former Delegate Tom Campbell voed against the measure, but the county will now move forward with plans to close ten facilities and reconfigure several others.
The amendment to the county’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan also includes redistricting dozens of students, sending them to high schools in Greenbrier and Kanawha counties.
The vote came after a 9 month study by the West Virginia School Building authority. The study found it would take more than $216 million to renovate the county’s existing facilities.
The West Virginia Board of Education has been in control of Fayette County since 2010.
County voters have not approved a school excess levy for school maintenance and construction in more than 40 years, leaving many facilities in disrepair.
The state School Building Authority board must also vote to approve the consolidation plan. Fayette County officials will then return to the SBA in December to ask for more than $20 million to begin carrying out the plan.