BOE to make recommendation on Fellowsville and Rowlesburg closure

KINGWOOD — The Preston County Board of Education (BOE) will vote Tuesday on the possible closing of Fellowsville and Rowlesburg schools, but it’s not the final step in closure.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Preston High auditorium to consider the superintendent’s recommendation that both schools close at the end of the 2018-’19 school year.
If the BOE votes to proceed with the closures, it must ask the State Board of Education to allow it to amend the county’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan to include the closures. These 10-year plans are required by the state.
The application must include documentation of all hearings, public comments and other actions regarding the closings; justification for the proposed closing, supported by information on enrollment, facilities, finance, personnel, transportation and educational programs; contain assurances that State Code has been followed; and be signed by the county superintendent.
The state board will vote on the amendment, which is essentially voting on whether to approve the school closure.
The state board’s next meeting is Wednesday and Thursday, and the amendment to Preston’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan is not on the agenda. The state board meeting after that is tentatively set for Dec. 12-13. That agenda is not yet available.
According to a State Board of Education spokeswoman, the procedures for school closings are laid out in 18-5-13a of the West Virginia State Code and State Board of Education Policy 6204.
These begin with requiring the county BOE to prepare in writing the reasons and supporting data for proposed closings and make that information available in the county office at least 30 days before the public hearing.
Copies also have to be sent to the principal of any affected schools and the chair of the Local School Improvement Council. An executive summary is sent to the State Department of Education.
The documentation had to include information on enrollment, facilities, finances, transportation, personnel and educational programs.
Public hearings, which concluded last week, are also required. Separate hearings are required if more than one school is slated for closure or consolidation.
The hearings must be completed, “on or before Dec. 31 of the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the closures or consolidations are to be effective.”