FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — The future of the Fayette County School system, which remains under control of the State Board, was the hottest topic of discussion in America’s “coolest small town” Tuesday night during a gathering of hundreds of parents, students, and concerned residents voicing their opinions on Superintendent Terry George’s sweeping consolidation proposal.
The plan calls for the closure of six schools. It consolidates four high schools into one, transforms Oak Hill high school into a middle school, and builds a new elementary school in Mt. Hope.
Supporters of the proposal have pointed to the desperate need for upgraded facilities in Fayette County, where a number of schools have sections that students can’t enter due to dilapidation.
“I am fearful that if we don’t get the emotion out of it and make some positive decisions here that Fayette County will continue it’s long slide into oblivion,” Bruce Cassis said.
Cassis, a local dentist, has strong ties to the area, where five of his children attended Fayette County schools. He was one of many in the county who voiced support for the plan after Fayette County rejected a bond issue for the third time in fifteen years this past June.
“No plan is ever perfect, but this is as close as it’s ever been,” he said. “We’re not going to do any better.”
Superintendent Terry George’s plan calls for a new $50 million high school, with much of the funding coming from consolidation and funding from the state School Building Authority.
The State Board of Education will vote on whether to change the county’s comprehensive school facilities plan at a meeting Wednesday in Charleston.
“They may have questions they want for clarifications that they may want to ask me,” Terry George said. “I’ll do my best to bring clarity to whatever issue that they have some concern with.”
While a great deal of supporters turned out Tuesday night, the strongest opposition came from parents, alumni, and students from Meadow Bridge High School. There concerns centered chiefly on extremely long travel times, whether by car or bus, for students leaving Meadow Bridge for a new county-wide high school.
“We’re going to do everything to make certain that their students are safe,” George said. “If this plan is successfully passed tomorrow, then we’re committed to moving forward with a proposal to the School Building Authority.”
Safety isn’t the only concern from those out of the Meadow Bridge community. The long travel times could create a disadvantage for students wishing to participate in extra-cirricular activities.
“He’s not going to be a part of anything,” said Susan Moore, referring to her young grandson. “If he wants to participate in sports, the band, or any other extra activities. How’s he going to practice? How’s he going to be a part of anything?”
Moore’s grandson, who is in kindergarten, is a long way from entering high school, but it’s his generation that would be most likely to be impacted by the future switch.
“I’m getting ready to go to Meadow Bridge now,” she said. “If no deer run out in front of me or no traffic or other obstacles, I can be home maybe in an hour in a car.”
But like many others, Cassis believes the stakes are simply too high because of Fayette County’s size and lack of population density.
“Fayette County is geographically challenged,” he said. “We’ve got schools all over the place. The cost to maintain those schools is no longer obtainable. Just doing the right thing means moving forward–build something better than what we have now.”
There were plenty of teachers who packed into the Fayetteville High School auditorium. Though opinions were mixed in some cases, support for improved facilities was near the top of their priorities in supporting the plan.
“I travel around the state in my profession, and many times people will say ‘oh, you’re from Fayette County,'” Sherry Keffer, an educator in the county for more than three decades, said after the meeting. “What I want to see is the time I can go into another county and they can say, ‘wow, you’re from Fayette County.'”