In the wake of a public revelation that recent Roane County school closures will double its debt, Professor Christina Weiland calls on the West Virginia Legislature to reform both the funding formula that is driving much of the school closures and the school closure process in an op-ed for the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Weiland, who is herself an alumna of the now-closed Geary Elementary and Middle School, explains that the closure of Roane's Geary and Walton P-8 schools at the end of the 2025-26 school year has rendered the district out of compliance with state code on its administrative-to-instructional-staff ratio. The district now faces a $1.44 million penalty.
"How did a school closures plan presented as a solution to Roane's financial woes instead dig the district into a much deeper hole?" asks Weiland.
Weiland questions how the Roane closures were approved by the county and the State Board.
She notes that 139 West Virginia public schools have closed in the past 15 years, with four counties proposing additional closures this school year. Districts, she argues, must be required to disclose foreseeable financial consequences in proposed closures, and the Department of Education and the State Board of Education should be required to evaluate all school closures proposals for potential penalties before granting approval.
"The daily commute to the only public schools still open in the county now stretches to two to three hours round trip, even for the youngest students," writes Weiland. She goes on to write that communities deserve solutions to the shortcomings of the current processes that will keep small rural public schools open and thriving.
You can read the commentary here.
This story was written by Jeanne Hodesh, Marsal Family School of Education
