LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. –Logan County Board of Education members heard from the public and addressed questions about the proposed closure of one of their elementary schools and the consolidation of its students into another school.
The board has proposed closing Verdunville Elementary School after a rockslide occurred on April 8 due to heavy rainfall. The rockslide forced the school to close until after Spring Break on April 21. If the closure is approved, students would be consolidated into Omar Elementary School.
Williamson Shriver cleaned up the slip and put barriers in place; however, American Geotech determined that the site would require additional extensive repairs costing approximately $600,000. This phase-two work prompted the school board to vote to send Verdunville students to Omar at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.
One concern resident raised was transportation. Resident Zachary McDonald asked the board why Verdunville students couldn’t have been sent to Holden instead of Omar.
“When we planned, we out, why didn’t we, instead of sending them to Omar, which is actually between 20 to 35 minutes down the road, why didn’t we send them to Holden, that would make a lot more sense, it’s 10 minutes,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent Jeff Kelly responded that parents were given a choice of where to send their children, and most opted for Omar.
McDonald also raised concerns about safety, noting that Omar was considered unsafe nearly 10 years ago.
County Superintendent Dr. Sonya White, who assumed the role on November 1, said students are their main focus.
“Our goal is to ensure that every student has access to safe, supportive, enriching educational environment,” White said before residents spoke.
Also, during her remarks, White attributed the proposed closure to a decline in enrollment, noting that this is a statewide issue.
She said that the West Virginia Department of Education released enrollment numbers at the beginning of this school year, showing that Logan County had 318 fewer students enrolled compared to August 2024.
White said that due to the decline in enrollment, the county has experienced about $1.8 million in reduced funding.
“This impacts our ability to sustain programs and conduct necessary maintenance to the facilities in our county,” she said.
She said the consolidation would save the county $861,000 dollars annually.
There was no word on when a final vote would occur.