Kanawha County superintendent addresses consolidation concerns

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – Kanawha County Superintendent Dr. Tom Williams took time on Monday to explain the motion to close six area schools ahead of public hearings, which begin Tuesday.

The plans to consolidate the schools were first announced in August. The proposal includes the closure of East Bank Middle School and McKinley Middle School by the end of this school year. East Bank students would go to DuPont Middle School and McKinley students would go to Hayes Middle School.

Also on the table is the closure of four elementary schools to create one new school building. Those schools include Mary Ingles Elementary School, Belle Elementary School, Malden Elementary School and Midland Trail Elementary School.

In August, Dr. Williams said the proposal to consolidate the schools was due to budgetary reasons. He says funding is on a per-pupil basis, and when the school system loses students they lose funding, and consolidation helps to combat those lost funds. There has been a 15% decrease in student enrollment over 10 years.

On Monday, Williams addressed looming concerns as well as more details as to why he thinks it needs to be done.

“Unfortunately over the last 10 years, we’ve lost approximately 5,000 students, and our schools are funded on the number of students we have. As much as I would like to keep our schools smaller, and everyone likes their neighborhood school, we’re just not able to financially do that,” Williams said.

The superintendent said there is, however, a positive side to consolidations when it comes to school opportunities.

“There are more opportunities in bands, clubs, and things like that. You have more students, and so you’re able to have a wider variety of clubs, athletics, arts programs, and things of that nature,” Williams said.

A hearing on the potential consolidation is set for Tuesday, Oct. 8, regarding the potential consolidation of East Bank Middle School into DuPont Middle School. It’s set for 6 p.m. at Riverside High School.

There will be additional public hearings for the consolidations of the schools. Each school will have its own hearing date and time as listed:

• McKinley Middle School – 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at St. Albans High School
• Belle Elementary School – 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School
• Mary Ingles Elementary School – 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at Riverside High School
• Malden Elementary School – 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at Riverside High School
• Midland Trail Elementary School – 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Riverside High School

More information on each proposed consolidation is available on the Kanawha County Schools website. That’s also where people who want to speak at the hearings can learn how to sign up.

Back in 2023, three elementary schools were closed and consolidated: Grandview, Marmet and Weimer. All three were closed at the end of the 2023-2024 school year .

These students were transferred to different schools. Grandview students went to Mary C. Snow and Edgewood, Weimer was split between Alban and Bridgeview Elementary, and Marmet transferred three miles away to Chesapeake.

According to a report written in May 2023, the district lost around 4,400 students in the last 10 years, which is a decrease of 15%.

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