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Parents and residents press Upshur County Board for data, hearings as school-closure talks loom
Summary
At a Board of Education meeting, parents and community members urged the board to pause or better justify proposed elementary school closures, citing that staff learned of plans via social media and demanding enrollment, financial and student‑placement data; board staff said State law (W.Va. Code 18-5-13a) and Board policy 6200 govern the process and hearings.
The Upshur County Board of Education heard more than an hour of public comment Tuesday as parents and residents urged the board to provide clearer data and more transparent notice before pursuing elementary‑school closures.
Board staff opened delegation time by saying the closure and consolidation process "is guided by state statute, West Virginia code 18 5 13 a, and West Virginia Board of Education policy 6,200," and that hearings, legal advertisements and informational materials would be made available at affected schools and the board office at least 30 days before hearings.
That procedural framing did not satisfy several speakers. "Our school is closing from Facebook," said Kristi Gode, who identified herself as a student, parent and staff member at Tenerton Elementary School. Gode urged greater transparency and pressed the board for specifics: "What data is being used to determine that TES should be closed? How will student placement be determined if TES closes? What are the projected financial savings… and how are those numbers calculated?" Gode also cited Community Eligibility Provision enrollment figures and said combined totals in her review approached 800 students—raising questions about the scale of any consolidation.
Cheyenne Troxell, speaking for families who rely on Rock Cave Elementary, said the school is "the heart of our rural life" and warned that closure would bring longer bus rides, reduced access to meals and counseling services and harm to local economic vitality. "Closing our school would create significant barriers for many families," she said, noting impacts on low‑income students and those with disabilities.
Becky Westfall, another community commenter, said teachers and parents were "blindsided" by the closure plans and criticized state oversight: "It is time for the state to give up control because you've really done a crappy job," she said, calling for local voices to be heard.
Speakers repeatedly asked for the analyses behind the proposal: cost‑benefit studies, projected transportation costs and any surveys of parental willingness to enroll children in much larger elementary schools. Board staff told the audience that certified enrollment figures for the county will not be available until October and that some tools used in planning, such as the county’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan, document site acreage and facility needs for specific schools.
Board staff emphasized that the five board members present (and the remote member) were in a listening role during delegation time and that any decision would follow the statutorily required hearing process.
The board did not take any formal vote on closures during the meeting. Staff set the next regular board meeting for Sept. 11 at 6:00 p.m. at Buchanan Upshur High School and said accountability information would be shared at the state board meeting on Sept. 10; formal closure hearings will be scheduled consistent with W.Va. Code 18‑5‑13a and Board Policy 6200.
