CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The State Board of Education adopted a resolution Tuesday requesting the School Building Authority vote unanimously in favor of the amendment to the Fayette County Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan (CEFP) during their next meeting on Monday, December 14.
State Board of Education President Mike Green said the state has a responsibility to make sure students in Fayette County, which is currently run by the State Board, are not subjected to dilapidated facilities.
“Fayette County is a take-over county,” he said. “We have intervened in Fayette County. And as a result of that and the conditions that exist in the school there, the Board feels that an obligation by law to deal with and address these particular deficiencies.”
Initially, the School Building Authority rejected the amendment in September because of the failed bond issues in Fayette County.
“I think the Authority, having been introduced to the project late and having been introduced to a project that required 39 million dollars, it was kind of a sticker shock there,” SBA Executive Director David Sneed said.
Fayette County has long attempted to pass a bond issue to address their school facilities, but have failed to top 40 percent in favor in any of the three elections (2001, 2009, and 2015).
When the most recent bond issue failed in June, new Fayette County Superintendent Terry George acted quickly to come up with an alternative plan to address the problems.
The plan would consolidate four high schools into one new county-wide school in the Oak Hill area, would move Collins Middle School students into Oak Hill High School, and bring in a new elementary school.
In October, the same day that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jeff Kessler toured the schools in Fayette County for himself, the county filed a lawsuit against the SBA for rejecting the amendment without hearing the county present their case.
In November, the SBA put the amendment back on the agenda and heard from George.
“Everything that has transpired since then has evolved from that initial meeting and it’s unfortunate because I think we could have gotten a lot accomplished had we worked together upfront,” Sneed said.
Tuesday’s vote by the State Board of Education is another chip in the momentum of the Fayette County CEFP, with Mike Green calling it an obligation.
“I hope that the School Building Authority takes what the Board has put forward in this resolution very seriously,” Green said. “Understand that we are very seriously looking at the issues of Fayette County. We support the CEFP. We encourage them to vote in favor of providing the funding for that particular county.”
In the resolution, McDowell, Mingo, and Lincoln counties are cited in support of Fayette County as school systems that received SBA funding despite inability to pass a bond issue.
“Bottom line is that the State Board would like to have a united front in asking the School Building Authority to give priority funding to Fayette County for their project that they have before us,” Sneed said.
If the SBA chooses to adopt the amendment, Fayette County will look to bring $17 million in local dollars to the table over a three year period.
Fayette County requested $39 million from the SBA over that same three-year span.
Sneed said the SBA has received approximately $149 million in requests this year, with only $50 million available for schools.