photo by: Ed Parsons

A large crowd shows up Wednesday at Valley High School to the final Wetzel County school consolidation hearing.

PINE GROVE — Around 150 people attended and nearly two dozen signed up to speak at a public hearing on Wetzel County school consolidation Wednesday at Valley High School.

It was the final hearing before the Wetzel County Board of Education votes at 9 a.m. Friday on whether to consolidate the county’s four high schools into two.

That proposal would combine Paden City and Magnolia high schools into a new high school in Magnolia’s building, while consolidating Valley and Hundred high schools into a new high school in Valley’s building.

If passed Friday, the school district will send the impact statement and consolidation plan to the West Virginia Board of Education in Charleston for approval. If it passes there, the consolidations would take effect beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

Students, residents, teachers, business leaders and others took to the podium to speak to the board about their concerns. The board heard from people both in favor and opposition to the plan.

The first three speakers were Valley high school students who told the board they were in favor of consolidation. They spoke mainly about welcoming Hundred students to Valley, not bullying them. They also stressed the increased opportunities that would be offered.

Others spoke about teacher shortages and loss of enrollment at all schools.

Hundred High math teacher Sean Snedden spoke against consolidation and questioned the administration about job postings, certified teachers, the impact statement, and lack of direct communication from the superintendent and teachers.

Hundred teacher Beverly VanScyoc spoke about the loss of students and teachers that Wetzel County would see from the Hundred area if the school closes.

Wetzel County teacher JD Morris discussed the positive effects the consolidation would have on the students and on the school system. He felt consolidation was the right thing to do instead of continuing down the same road.

Hundred graduate Rachel Hilton made her concerns known about the amount of time Hundred students would spend on the bus and the poor condition of the roads. Retired teacher Howard Henderson, a 1973 Hundred graduate, said closing Hundred would “devastate” the community. He also stressed the problems with transportation for Hundred students to Valley.

“You have to look at the whole picture when you look into closing schools,” Henderson said, “and I don’t think there has been enough thought into the planning process. I would think you would get all the teachers aware of closing and get them on board and well informed. I don’t think that happened.”

Henderson said more diverse studies need to happen before going ahead with consolidation.

“I think there needs to be an economic study,” he said, “because if you abandon that Hundred High School building and leave that building empty and don’t have the foresight to develop a business or have a business come in to create jobs or opportunities, you’re basically just drying up that community. And I think that is morally not right.”