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Community speakers urge Raleigh County Board to keep Mabscott Elementary open
Summary
Multiple speakers at the Raleigh County Board of Education meeting urged the board not to close Mabscott Elementary, citing its role serving many foster and special-needs students and arguing the district’s reported reserves and budget make closure unnecessary.
Multiple community members told the Raleigh County Board of Education they want Mabscott Elementary School to remain open, emphasizing the school’s role as a community hub and a stable source of services for vulnerable students.
Jess Farley, a retired Raleigh County teacher and pastor, described Mabscott as "a town school" that provides food boxes, holiday gifts, counseling and large student musicals that include the whole school. "They have closets for these very special children," Farley said, adding that many students are foster children with no other advocates. Farley urged the board to value the school’s social supports when weighing consolidation.
Dr. Patricia Graham Harvey, who spoke in public comment, told the board "There is no financial crisis in Raleigh County" and cited district figures she said support keeping Mabscott open: a carryover fund of $6,500,000, an excess levy bringing in $56,800,000 and a proposed budget of $221,300,000. "I'm thinking Mabscott School is only 0.5 of 1% of your budget," she said, arguing that the long-term costs and community impact of closing a school outweigh short-term savings. Harvey suggested alternatives—such as revisiting technology refresh costs—rather than a permanent closure.
Virginia Kinkade, a paraprofessional at Mabscott, said staff at the school provide daily emotional and practical support to students, including a "worry box" and individualized care that many children would lose if the school closed. "This is the one true home these students have," Kinkade said, urging the board to consider non-financial harms to children in any consolidation decision.
The board did not take a vote on school closure during the meeting; the public comments were recorded in the meeting’s public-comment period. The school and financial figures referenced by speakers were presented as part of their testimony and reflect claims made during public comment, not an independent district announcement.
