Twenty five years ago, all the talk and fighting was over closing H E White Grade School in Bomont. Parents were upset, dollars were tight, and dwindling student numbers all factored into closure plans. History is repeating itself.
   Yesterday afternoon TV-8 ran a story on closures in County Clay. Closures? Yelp, instead of just H E White closing, also on the chopping block is Lizemore Elementary. That was the first public announcement  of the upcoming plans.
  After the State Bd of Ed report last month, we knew, major change was compelled. The official wording was very artful. For those that read between the lines, it was very clear, our previous School Superintendent really screwed things up, maybe even twisted, buried questionable financial dealings, and at the very least, fibbed to his Board and/or at least was very frugal with what he made public.
  Here's the TV-8 article:
    School employee layoffs and the closure of two schools are possibilities for Clay County as school officials work to address their ongoing financial struggles.

   Clay County Interim Superintendent Joan Haynie tells Eyewitness News that the county is considering closing their two smallest schools - H.E. White Elementary School in Bomont and Lizemore Elementary School in Lizemores.

   She said all employees at those two schools have been given layoff notices and so have other employees throughout the county in the county's layoff/transfer season. While she did not have specific numbers, she said this happens every year and that the numbers this year did not differ from previous ones.

Haynie said this is all in an effort to get the county's finances and academic achievement back on track as the West Virginia Department of Education has offered their support. The state's special circumstance review of Clay County revealed declining academic achievement and using federal relief money for salaries - money that is set to expire In 2024.

Haynie said all potential layoffs and school closures will have to be voted on by the board after going through the proper procedures and having public comment.

   For Mikayla Ramsey, a parent of five children at H.E. White, she said the thought of losing their small community school and their teachers losing their jobs scares her.

   "They’re not going to cope well with changing schools or being on a bus ride for over an hour, and I worry about them," she said.

   She is not alone. Concerned parents and community members joined her on Tuesday. They said that closing the schools has been talked about for years.

   Though it still has to be voted on, they say it feels more eminent as the West Virginia State Board confirms that Clay County has submitted a waiver to extend the timeline for the school closure. This would, if approved, give them more time to start the process in this semester.

   Niffy Murdock, who is a parent at H.E. White, said she is concerned about what a potential closure would mean for travel time. She said the students at Lizemore and H.E. White would go to Clay Elementary which is 20 minutes from Lizemore but 45 minutes from H.E. Smith.

Murdock said middle schoolers in the area who go to Clay are typically on the bus for over an hour. She worries about the impact that trip could have on younger students.

   “We will fight all the way to the end because we have to. It’s our kids. It’s our future. These kids are our future and the thought of sending our kids an hour and fifteen minutes to Clay to put them in a classroom that’s already crowded - it’s just not a good idea," Murdock said.

    Haynie said it is always a challenge to balance the county budget especially when the school excess levy has not passed in Clay County in the last two years stripping the county of tens of thousands in funding.

Reasons given during a state board meeting were a lack of trust in former county board members and superintendent Joe Paxton who resigned days before the 2022 election. There also was a perception of an abundance of federal funds.

   “We definitely want to maintain a balanced budget and without the levy, it’s going to be much more difficult to do so," she said.

   The county is still awaiting state approval for extending the timeline that would allow them to close schools at the end of this year. She said the reason for putting layoff notices out now is to prepare for a "worst case scenario" and give employees time to prepare.

   “No decisions have been made at this point in time, but we’re trying to cover all of our bases so that we can be fiscally responsible and maintain a high level of academic programs," she said.

   Some parents at the schools that are under consideration for closure feel as though the county could take a look at other things to cut.

   One of the items mentioned was that former superintendent Joe Paxton, per his contract, must still be paid to the end of year after he resigned in November.

   He was being paid on average according to state records $106,000 a year during the 2020-21 school year. The parents argue having two superintendent salaries being paid at once is not fiscally responsible.

   “I think that we could all sit down and we could all figure it out even with fundraising to keep our school open," Ramsey said.

   For longtime community member and school volunteer Fran Naylor, she is not only worried about the bus travel impacts but also potentially losing a community staple and school where everyone knows each other by name.

   She said the value in having a small community school with good teachers and only 68 students is the care and individual attention they receive at school and in the community.

   “We have a good support team here in the community. So many functions we have had and used the school for fundraisers for the children - their Christmas and their outings. It’s really an important part of life for them. And if we don’t do it, who is?” she said.

   A spokesperson with the West Virginia Department of Education said that the process requires the local board to "conduct public hearings, develop specific plans and provide a variety of information to the public.  "This item will not be on the February agenda for the state board but will likely be a future agenda item, according to the WVBE.
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   Those worries and concerns from the parents... such were heard during the first H E White shut down process. Parents back then won the battle because the then Super, Linkypoo, did not follow state closure guidelines.  The Court battle cost the parents nearly $20K in attorney bills.
  We're ready to see the battle begin again. History repeating itself for sure

AW