BECKLEY, W.Va. — A consolidation plan for three Raleigh County elementary schools is getting mixed reactions from area residents.
The Raleigh County Board of Education held a public hearing at each of the three schools throughout October. Under the proposed plan Crab Orchard, Lester and Sophia-Soak Creek Elementary Schools will close at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year.
All students from Crab Orchard Elementary and some students from Lester and Sophia-Soak Creek Elementary Schools will go to the new Ridgeview Elementary under construction. The remaining students at Lester will be moved to Fairdale Elementary while the rest of Sophia-Soak Creek’s will go to Coal City.
Parents and faculty who attended the Crab Orchard and Lester hearings did not give any feedback for or against the changes. The hearing at Sophia-Soak Creek was a different story.
A three way intersection in the town of Sophia marks the junction of Robert C. Byrd Drive and West Main Street. Under the plan, it would also mark the boundary for whether students attend the new Ridgeview Elementary or the existing Coal City Elementary. The distance to each school from town is only .5 of a mile difference. Parent frustrations did not relate to the extra distance.
The new Ridgeview Elementary will be served by the City of Sophia for utilities and emergency services. Coal City is an unincorporated community. Parents and guardians like Geneva Cruey disapprove of sending Sophia students outside of Sophia limits for school. Cruey’s great grandson lives in Sophia but will be sent to Coal City pending the plan’s approval.
“I don’t think it’s right that our kids will be going to Coal City,” Cruey said to the board. “This here (Ridgeview) is actually in Sophia city limits.”
Raleigh County Schools Superintendent David Price said he, along with the board, understand everyone’s concerns.
“Anytime there’s redistricting, parents are nervous about that. It’s obvious, but at the same time it always works out.”
Several parents began speaking out on how they believe their kids should be sent where their money is supporting police, fire, EMS and utilities for the campus. Price said parents who want their kids to attend the new elementary school can fill out an out-of-district form and transport them. A few parents said they felt this was unfair as not all parents can afford to drive their kids to school.
“I just think our kids our being discriminated”, Cruey said. “I mean, I don’t know how the rest of the parents feel. I don’t like the idea of them going to Coal City when they’ll have a new school. They said that this is going to be a top-notch school.”
Price said the current consolidation plan took around a year and a half to create. Board members even drove the proposed bus routes in their personal vehicles and timed them. The West Virginia Board of Education does not allow elementary bus routes to exceed 45 minutes.
“We had to get that cleaned up, that’s not good”, Price said. “Then we looked at everything else. Then we started looking at what are the enrollments of the three schools, and the facility utilization. So then we have to go back and (think) what are the transportation routes and how long are they?”
The $17 million Ridgeview Elementary, which can hold 575 students at full capacity, will be equipped with the latest in safety and educational technology.
Among the features include solar panels to help power the building, an apple orchard for students to learn agricultural skills and interactive playground equipment. Students will be able to draw structures on smart tablets then build them outside using large blocks.
The board will vote at the end of October to either keep the consolidation plan or alter it. If is passes, they will take it to the West Virginia Board of Education for final approval.