CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state School Building Authority voted Monday to reconsider Fayette County’s school consolidation plan after it was initially rejected in September.
Fayette County School Superintendent Terry George will present the county’s plan to members of the SBA Tuesday morning in Charleston.
“We’re very pleased,” said George about the SBA’s decision to put the plan back on its agenda. “We have not changed the amendment. I just think that they took the opportunity to reconsider and also I think that we were able to provide them with some additional facts concerning the financing of our project.”
The plan, which would combine four of the county’s five high schools, was proposed by George earlier this year. Those schools include Fayetteville, Oak Hill, Midland trail and Meadow Bridge — and two other schools. Oak Hill High School would become the new site for Collins Middle School. A consolidated high school would be in the Oak Hill area.
The SBA did not look at the plan any further due to the ongoing disagreement in the county and school bond issues that have been shutdown every year, since the 1970s, by Fayette County voters.
SBA Executive Director David Snead said even though they voted to take a second look at the plan, they still have concerns.
“There’s always been a question about travel and other issues there in Fayette County. There are some remote areas. I think there will be a lot of pointed questions still asked about the project,” Snead said.
George said there are a total of six schools in the county he would like to close.
“There are six schools that I just consider to be unsafe and not conducive to education, therefore; we would like to close those, move students into a facility where they know they can be safe every day and that the staff will have some stability knowing that they’re going to be in that building all year long to conduct the classes,” he said.
The conditions at Fayette County schools have been a controversial topic of discussion in recent months. Karen Ellis, a parent to a student at Rosedale Elementary School, said the structural problems is something she worries about every day when she sends her child to school.
“They’re horrible,” Ellis said about the buildings. “The kids that are at those schools that are breathing that coal dust every day, that are walking through buildings that have mold and mildew in them. Their parents fear every day that something is going to happen with the buildings falling in or caving in.”
Shawna Sparks, another parent to students at both Collins Middle and New River Elementary schools, said her kids deal with many issues every day including walking by orange fencing outside to get to their classrooms.
“It’s not what the children of this century should have to deal with to get the education that they need,” she said. “I’m very pleased that they’re (SBA) at least giving us a chance for Mr. George to present his plan, which I completely and totally and fully support.”
Sparks said there’s a lot of benefits to approving the plan which would, not only help remove children out of condemned buildings, but would also allow the county to become more financially sustainable.
Many state officials, including gubernatorial candidates Bill Cole (R-Mercer, 06) and Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall, 02), have visited the schools in Fayette County. Snead said once they hear the county’s plan, they too, want to work with school officials to decide what the next step is.
“We haven’t really had the opportunity as a staff to get out and work with Fayette County to kind of vet all those issues out,” he said. “Given that opportunity, I think we’ll eventually help Fayette County and that’s what our job is.”
George said Fayette is requesting nearly $36.9 million in funds from the SBA over the course of three years. Fayette schools plan to fund $17 million in local dollars.
The SBA began hearing funding requests from several dozen county school systems Monday and will continue to on Tuesday, including Fayette’s plan, at the West Virginia Lottery Building.
The authority has about $50 million to distribute. Final decisions on which projects to fund will be announced next month.