Preston County begins process of closing 2 schools

KINGWOOD, W.Va. (WBOY) — Two schools in Preston County may be closing after the county board of education voted to begin the closure process Monday evening.

Impact statements and data related to the possible closures of Fellowsville Elementary School and Rowlesburg School have been posted in all county school locations, Preston County Schools announced Tuesday . The public review period for the data is from Sept. 24 to Oct. 28.

According to the agenda from the Preston County Board of Education meeting held Monday night, the two proposals are to close Fellowsville Elementary School and merge those students into South Preston School, and to close Rowlesburg School and move those students into Aurora School.

If moved forward, both closures would take effect after the 2024-25 school year.

All board members voted to begin the process of both closures. After the public comment period and hearings have been held at all schools affected—both the ones closing and the ones taking the additional students—the county board of education will vote to send the matters to the West Virginia State Board of Education before the end of the year. The state board would then have to approve the closures for them to become official.

Preston County’s Board of Education Levy failed during the Primary Election earlier this year , although a version of that levy will be on the ballot again in November. When a previous levy was proposed in 2018, school officials said that they were already facing the possible closures of the two schools due to finances.

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