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For years, Wetzel County residents resisted the call to seriously consider how best to consolidate the county's four high schools. Paden City folks would never agree to merge with Magnolia, they said. Valley and Hundred? Folks from those communities could never work together.
That mindset kept county education officials from ever making serious headway in how best to educate students in a county with a shrinking population, a shrinking tax base and a shrinking student enrollment base. It also kept kids stuck in schools that lacked the educational tools necessary for students to be successful in this new economy.
Thankfully for students in Wetzel County, those days appear to be coming to an end. The Wetzel County Board of Education currently is discussing how best to modernize the school district for the future. To date, two proposals have been presented.
The first option would consolidate Magnolia, Paden City and Valley high schools into one new building, with Hundred High remaining in its current building.
The second option would see Magnolia and Paden City combined into a new school, with Valley and Hundred joining in a second new school.
In either scenario, the consolidated school or schools would be given a new name.
The move is being necessitated not only by fewer students, but also an expected $11 million shortfall from what the county receives from the State Aid formula.
All this is happening just as Wetzel County welcomes a new superintendent in Cassandra Porter. Wetzel County has gone through a number of superintendents in the past decade, and Porter must thread a fine line in how she handles this issue with the board and the local community.
At one time, Wetzel County's schools were among the best in West Virginia. Now, based on standardized test scores, they face real challenges in doing better for students. Porter and board of education members have much work to do to make that happen. A good start would be in figuring out how best to bring students together in modern school buildings.