CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Residents and leaders in Eastern Kanawha County are reacting to the West Virginia Board of Education voting to close six schools in the county.
The board met Wednesday where they put their stamp on the decisions made by the Kanawha County Board of Education in October. The Kanawha County BOE voted to consolidate East Bank Middle School with Dupont Middle School and McKinley Middle School with Hayes Middle School. The board also voted to close Belle Elementary, Mary Ingles Elementary, Malden Elementary and Midland Trail Elementary and consolidate all the students into a new school.
Tom Williams
The recent decisions have stemmed from the county and state’s drops in population, as Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Tom Williams revealed that 5,000 students have left the county in the last 11 years, which includes over 300 from last school year to the start of the fall semester.
State School Superintendent Michele Blatt also announced in Wednesday’s hearing that West Virginia as a whole has lost 4,023 students from last school year to this year.
Delegate-elect Tresa Howell, who graduated from East Bank High School before its consolidation, says other schools have recently closed in the area, and it will likely not make for any future prosperity.
Tresa Howell
“You have recently closed the doors just this year on Marmet Elementary, so what do you think will happen in the Upper Kanawha Valley? Will it be a destination for business growth and families or a ghost town?” Howell said at the hearing. “The superintendent is preparing for his retirement with the push to close many schools while these children and families are planning for their future.”
One of the main frustrations brought up in most every school consolidation hearing in October was new bus times for students. Bruce Cox, a staff member at East Bank Middle School, spoke at multiple consolidations with a focus on bus routes and the provided ride times from KCS.
On Wednesday, Cox stood before the state school board and presented a similar argument that the bus times provided were not accurate with how long East Bank students will spend on the bus next year. Cox says one route for now-East Bank students to get to Dupont Middle will not be doable.
“The Paint Creek route starts at Burnwell 6:10 a.m., makes 34 stops and arrives at East Bank at 7:25. That’s one hour and 15 minutes. Add the 17 minutes it will take to get to Dupont, and you have 1 hour and 32 minutes. KCS shows this at 47 minutes. That’s almost double,” Cox said.
Cox says the Cabin Creek route is even worse.
“Let’s also look at the Cabin Creek route,” Cox said. “It starts at 1928 Dakota Road in Esdale at 6:06 a.m., makes 33 stops and arrives at East Bank at 7:35, a total (of) 1 hour and 29 minutes. Next year, this bus won’t have to go all the way to East Bank, so we’ll only need to add nine minutes to Dupont, making it 1 hour and 38 minutes. KCS shows this in their proposed at 30 minutes. That’s triple the time.”
Cox says these routes will not be within the state’s 45-minute limit to students’ bus rides, and there are no options to shave off time in the future.
“Dr. Williams was asked what they do if the routes exceed the 45-minute state guidelines, he merely stated that we can get a waiver for that,” Cox said. “Dr. Williams has further added that new software will allow them to look at re-routing KCS routes. You cannot re-route Paint Creek, Cabin Creek, Campbells Creek, Witcher Hollow, or Little Creek, or virtually the entire Eastern Kanawha County.
Howell asked board members how extended bus times will affect the county’s students moving forward.
“Are you aware these kids live on narrow, two-lane roads without sidewalks, catching the bus in the dark hours of the morning?” Howell said. “Adults do not enjoy a one-to-one-and-a-half-hour ride to work, so what will be the impact on these kids’ health and well-being?”
East Bank Middle School and McKinley Middle School will close at the end of the 2024-2025 academic school year. Belle Elementary, Mary Ingles Elementary, Malden Elementary School and Midland Trail Elementary School will consolidate into a new facility if the School Building Authority provides funding for the building.