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Members of the Wetzel County Board of Education made it clear last week they have no desire to consolidate the county's high schools. That's a perfectly understandable decision given the stance of those who support Paden City keeping its high school, but given the district's finances and current enrollment trends at Magnolia, Paden City, Hundred and Valley high schools, continuing with a business-as-usual attitude does nothing to serve students and their families and could quickly lead to higher taxes and fewer services.
Consider these enrollment figures for the 2022-23 school year, as compared to 2015-16:
n Paden City -- 166 students in 2022-23, down 10% since 2015-16;
n Magnolia -- 328 students, down about 25% since 2015-16;
n Hundred -- 106 students, down 10%;
n Valley -- 137 students, down almost 25%.
Those are not sustainable figures to continue to operate four high schools in a county with 14,170 people.
The board had been given options by Superintendent Cassie Porter for two new high schools, but last week's actions have put that to rest, for now. That doesn't mean, though, that board members should not start considering new options that best serve students with better educational services and the county's taxpayers through more stable taxes.
Kicking the can too far down the road will do nothing to help the high schools in Wetzel County forge a new future. The time to act is now.