BOE members insist there's no interest in closing two county schools, despite claims

Four incumbent Washington County Board of Education members insisted this week there is no interest in closing Hancock Middle Senior High School or Cascade Elementary School despite concerns raised by a county commissioner.

During a meeting between the county commissioners and the Hancock Town Council on Tuesday evening, Commissioner Derek Harvey warned there was interest in closing the schools among some of the incumbent school board members running for reelection this year.

"One of the issues that I continue to hear and, you know, we have a nonpartisan school board race going on; and you know, there have been comments by at least three of the candidates that are up for reelection on the school board that have said at United Democrat functions and elsewhere, that (there is) interest in closing Hancock school and Cascade school, and that that is something that they're looking at ... ," Harvey said.

"At least two of the three are on tape saying they would support doing such a thing," Harvey claimed.

Paul Pittman, president of United Democrats of Washington County, told The Herald-Mail the issue of Hancock Middle Senior and Cascade Elementary had not come up at any of the organization's meetings.

"To the best of my knowledge, that's not true," he said. "I don't know where he got that."

Attempts to reach Harvey for further comment were unsuccessful as of Thursday evening.

That was then; this is now

In 2021, the Facilities and Enrollment Advisory Committee, a citizen-based advisory board to the school system, recommended closing those schools after reviewing the status of schools with enrollment of less than 60% of rated capacity.

Former Superintendent of Schools Boyd Michael had backed the recommendation.

But after public hearings in both communities, the school board voted June 1 to end the charge it gave the advisory board to review the closure recommendations.

And that was that, the board said.

After Harvey's remarks, three of the four board members running in this year's election cried foul; the other said she was not in favor of closing the schools and had not heard her colleagues discuss it.

"There's absolutely no truth to it," school board Vice President Stan Stouffer said. "None.

"We went through that; there is no charge for the school board to do it," Stouffer said. "There's a process you got to go through in the state to do it. And Mr. Harvey knows that … he's lying."

Stouffer said the issue "has been off the table ever since it was voted, several years ago, to keep them open."

"Nothing has changed since the last time I voted to keep Hancock and Cascade open, and it has certainly not come up in school board discussions since then," board member Pieter Bickford told The Herald-Mail. "The question was asked and answered!"

Bickford also posted a denial on social media.

"If you hear otherwise, just wanted you to know I am NOT — nor are any of my other school board members — working to close Hancock or Cascade schools," he said. "I assume the rumors that are being spread must be an effort to get the people of Hancock upset before the election. The people of Hancock and Cascade don't deserve that. The schools are open and staying that way!"

Board President Melissa Williams said there was "absolutely not" any interest in closing either school, and that "no such conversation" had taken place.

"That vote was taken years ago, and since that vote was taken, all efforts have gone into getting behind whatever efforts are possible to improve the situation at those two schools," Williams said.

"In fact, we're increasing courses at Hancock Middle Senior High School … we've had conversations about possibilities of other programs there. But the entire board has been involved in just making sure that we move forward with what we want to see happen at those two schools."

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Williams had been the lone dissenter when the board voted to end the review of schools with low enrollment. But she said closing the Hancock and Cascade schools was a moot point.

"That is a rumor. And it is one that is political in nature; that's my take on it," Williams said. "There's a method to having that rumor out there, but there's absolutely no, no truth in it."

Williams, Stouffer and Bickford are all running for re-election this year. The fourth incumbent is April Zentmeyer, who is also Harvey's mother-in-law.

"You can take this to the bank; I will not close those schools," she said. "I am not someone who is in favor of that. I'm very passionate about this subject."

Zentmeyer said she had not heard any of her colleagues on the board talking about it, but "I've heard people talking about my colleagues talking about it. But they have not said anything to me.

"We voted on it, and once we take a vote on something, it's supposed to be a done deal."

Washington County Public Schools Superintendent David Sovine on Thursday confirmed that new curricula were planned for Hancock Middle Senior, and that nobody had talked to him about closing the school.

"As a matter of fact, I have had no conversations with staff or board members regarding the closure of Hancock during my tenure," Sovine told The Herald-Mail. "There have been no discussions from a Board of Education standpoint, from superintendent to staff to board members, in terms of a discussion of closing; it just has not been discussed."

Sovine said new greenhouse, wildlife management and mechanics courses were being offered at Hancock Middle Senior this year, and that he hoped they would generate interest in bringing back a Future Farmers of America chapter at the school.

"We're looking to support Hancock, not close Hancock," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: BOE members insist there's no interest in closing two county schools, despite claims