MADISON, W.Va. — The decline of student enrollment in Boone County, brought on by the struggling coal industry, has lead to 60 teacher and administrator cuts, but Superintendent John Hudson says those employees will be able to explore other career opportunities in West Virginia.
The Boone County Education Association is scheduled to host a job fair Friday for new and displaced teachers at the Madison Civic Center from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Representatives from eight counties will be on hand to talk to teachers who have lost their jobs. School officials from Kanawha, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, Putnam, Raleigh, Roane, Wyoming and Berkeley counties — where there are teacher vacancies — will be in attendance.
“We are allowing our teachers to go and get information about that district or even interview or make application,” Hudson said. “We hope that it will lead to employment for several of our teachers that were displaced.”
Hudson recommended the layoffs to the county board of education in February and said, since then, the board approved the cuts and met with teachers about their jobs.
“We hate that what has occurred as a result of our loss of enrollment and loss of local tax collections that necessitated this reduction enforce,” he said.
The county has lost approximately 60 students since Oct. 2015, Hudson said.
He said it means a lot to have assistance from other school districts during this challenging time.
“As West Virginians, I think we often support each other, so this is just a way that we can help them and then help our teachers. At some point in the future, we may need some assistance,” he said. “We truly care about our teachers.”
In the coming weeks, Boone County Schools will be posting teacher positions they have available, which will be “very few,” Hudson said.