SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the Kanawha County Schools Board of Education are facing difficult decisions as they continue to hear from employees whose positions are at risk of being eliminated.
Since last week, the board has held multiple hearings with workers seeking to retain their positions
The hearings are in response to the district’s announcement that it will cut 140 positions ahead of the 2026–2027 school year due to declining enrollment.
In its Feb.16 announcement, KCS said it had approximately 970 fewer students on Oct. 1, 2025, compared with Oct. 1, 2024.
During the hearings, the district’s legal counsel presents each case, after which the employee is given an opportunity to speak.
Two hearings were held Monday, including one for Willie Schillings, a first-grade Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teacher at Anne Bailey Elementary School.
Her position is among those being considered for elimination, and she may be transferred to another school within the district.
An ECCAT assists with instruction, behavior management, and the implementation of educational plans in the classroom.
In Schillings’ case, the county determines seniority based on time in the position. Although she has worked for the county for 20 years, she has served as an Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teacher only since August 11, 2025.
Employees hired into the position on that date drew numbers to establish their relative seniority.
Schillings said she was upset when she learned her position was being eliminated.
“I was shocked because I have 20 years and somebody that’s only had two years in our school system is taking my position, I was very shocked, upset,” she said.
Schillings said that Anne Bailey Elementary feels like a community to her family. She explained that if her position is not reinstated, she will have to transfer her grandchild and another grandchild, who is scheduled to attend Anne Bailey, to a different school because she must be present to pick them up.
She added that she believes her experience allows her to make a meaningful contribution in the classroom, especially given the students’ needs.
“They need the extra help because like I said to them (board members), there is a lot of behaviors, even in the gen ed class, first and so and special ed, and I’ve worked in special ed for 20 years, well 19 years in special ed and I can give them a lot of support with behavior and their curriculum,” Schilling said.
Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Dr. Paula Potter said the cuts are not based on employee performance or merit.
She acknowledged that the decisions are extremely difficult but expressed understanding of the employees’ perspectives.
“I do empathize with every employee again, we value them, we value what they do for our system, we value the people they are and I wish our funding formula was different, I wish our enrollment would grow, there’s many things that I wish for that just isn’t a reality right now,” Potter said.
She explained that the cuts are necessary to ensure the county’s budget remains balanced.
The funding formula, which Potter referenced, allocates money to counties based on several factors, with student enrollment being a major determinant.
Potter said she had hoped that everyone could come together to find a solution to change the outcome.
“My wish is we could all come together, all the leaders and find ways to keep people here in Kanawha County so we can see growth all the way around from our school systems to our businesses and different industries,” she said.
The board is expected to vote on the cuts Tuesday around 4 p.m.