KINGWOOD — After six weeks of silence, members of the Preston County Board of Education talked about their thoughts leading up to Tuesday’s vote to table consolidating two schools.
Board President Jack Keim said no more than two BOE members could attend any of the public meetings, which were not board meetings, to avoid having a quorum present. At the public hearings, they were advised by their attorney to only listen and accept information provided.
The five broke their silence Tuesday, before voting 4-1 to table the closure of Rowlesburg and Fellowsville schools and seek a state waiver on the time constraints for closure, so they could again put a levy before voters.
Pam Feathers
Feathers applauded the community members, superintendent and staff for their work gathering information. The community has, “involuntarily educated yourselves on other topics, regarding the structure, mechanics and undeniably complicated logistics of our educational system,” Feathers said.
“Why did you wait until we got here to fight? Why does it take something like this for people to get involved?”
She did the same, Feathers said, when six years ago her son had an un qualified math teacher. A series of teachers and subs, ending with a long-term, RESA-certified substitute who had a psychology degree with no math certification followed, she said.
She talked with a succession of principals and superintendents, and her son still struggles in math today at college, Feathers said. Her only degree is in being a Mom, cheerleading coach and volunteer. In 2016, she ran for the BOE.
“I admit with no hesitation that I had never given any consideration to the possibility of school closure, much less being responsible, and my vote actually counting for that,” she said.
“I didn’t sign on for this. I wanted my son to pass math, but I educated myself.” Others need to do the same, she said.
She said the board and administration have failed to run the system efficiently. “We are stuck in, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’” It shouldn’t have required the current situation for them to look into such savings as lawn care contracts, Feathers said.
Without changes, “we will find ourselves back here,” she predicted, and unless communities work together, another state takeover of Preston County Schools is likely.
“It’s your responsibility as a parent and as a community member to seek the information,” she stressed.
“Mac” McCrum
McCrum said members of his family have taught in Preston County since 1918. He, his father, two brothers and wife were principals, his mother a teacher. He has worked in every county school except Aurora and Fellowsville as a teacher or principal.
He seconded the motion to start the school closings process, McCrum said, and he’s glad, because it got people involved.
In 1988 parents were threatened that, if they did not pass a bond to build Preston High School (PHS), their children would be put into trailers, McCrum said. “I’ve said I would not threaten people for a vote ever since.”
“We know that our decisions affect children throughout the county,” he noted. The proposed school closings would save $1,315,260.23 annually.
That’s about 3 percent of annual expenditures, he said, and he’s unsure on the building savings, because the buildings would have to be dealt with. He is concerned about the plan to split Rowlesburg students among three schools.
He does not know if, as some claim, students were taken from the Rowlesburg and Fellowsville attendance areas. He does believe the K-12 enrollment will increase after this year because some parents hold their kids out of pre-K.
He checked with realtors, who said those considering a move ask if small schools are there?
Many have promised to pass a levy to keep the schools, McCrum said, but it’s been more than 45 years since these areas have voted for a levy. “I believe that we would just be wasting the money,” he said, adding it is, “almost certain” the rest of the county will not support a levy that calls mainly to save Fellowsville and Rowlesburg.
“I am worried that financially we might be going down the road to takeover again,” McCrum said. He conceded that, “There is no emergency currently, but I don’t want to have one again.”
Bob Ridenour
Ridenour said the board had been encouraged to think of all 4,416 students in Preston County. “I’ve tried to do that,” he said.
A former math teacher, he said that while both sides quote statistics to support their points of view, he knows statistics can be found for anything. He preferred to base his decision on his background, not statistics, he said.
“As a former baseball coach, it was always a truism that three strikes and you’re out. Well, we’re tried two excess levies, and we’ve struck out twice. It’s my opinion that we should go for that third strike.”
The $42,500 cost of holding a levy election with paper ballots, “is miniscule in the whole picture. We have the possibility of providing all the students in Preston County with a minimum of $10 million, and it’s probably going to be more than that,” through a levy.
Jeff Zigray
Zigray, also a retired teacher, was elected to the board in May and voted against tabling action. He studied finances, loss of students that mean lost money and where cuts are being made. “One of the most shocking places I saw was books,” Zigray said.
As a substitute teacher, he learned there is only one set of classroom books. “I was shocked that we didn’t have enough money to buy each one of our kids books.” There is a conversion to computers over the next three years, he said, but when a student wants to take a textbook home and it has to be returned the next day, “it kind of breaks your heart.”
With loss of enrollment requiring cutting four to five teachers next year, where do you cut? The most obvious place is at PHS, because the state doesn’t limit class size at that level. About 15 teachers have been cut there in the last few years, and with them go advanced course offerings, he said.
Every county not on a watch list by the state has passed a levy, Zigray said. “It’s like a correlation.” He’s been told the watch list for state takeover no longer exists but got no confirmation from the state.
“I’m all for the small classes,” he said, and data showing students do better in small classes is probably accurate. He enjoyed walking through Central Preston and knowing every student. But he’s subbed at South Preston, where some Rowlesburg students would go, and it seems like a small class setting.
He hates to stop using the Rowlesburg building.
“But it does come down to money. We’ve cut and we’ve cut and we’ve cut.” Roofs at PHS and the bus garage leak. Nurses and guidance counselors each serve up to three schools.
South’s utility bills are high. Converting to solar or wind might work, but what’s it cost to convert?
“The levies are not passing.”
Jack Keim
“Tough decision. Really, really tough decision,” Keim said. He is in his 13th year on the BOE. He was president when South Preston was moved from Tunnelton to Denver and when Central Preston Middle was moved to PHS.
In the last six weeks he visited Fellowsville and Rowlesburg and talked to students and staff. All are great, he said, but some of the statistics are scary. Since 2012-‘13 the state has lost an estimated 13,945 students. That meant $57 million went from school funding back to the state’s general fund.
Some legislators say part of the money went for teacher raises, which Keim said weren’t enough to encourage teachers to stay in West Virginia. And in Preston, the $1.3 million contingency fund can disappear quickly if a boiler or HVAC fails.
Some said to charge organizations to use the schools. That’s done now, Keim said. From 2016-‘18 Fellowsville Athletic Association was billed $5,545 and has paid $645. Cutting positions won’t solve the problem, he said.
Attempts to pass levies have failed. People have told him they will not vote for a levy aimed at keeping the schools open. The county has an older population on fixed incomes.
“I guarantee you Preston County will not pass that full levy,” Keim said. He contested claims that no one was informed about the last levy.
No matter how we vote, 50 percent will disagree, he said.
