Fewer Students, More Merger Talk

This is the third article in a series about school consolidation in Wetzel County. The articles cover topics discussed in two impact statements approved by the school board Oct. 14.

Longstanding population declines in Wetzel County and its school system are at the root of the push to consolidate four high schools into two.

The topic of lower enrollment was a focal point at an Aug. 30 school board session on consolidation and in draft and final impact statements that the school system completed in subsequent weeks.

“Students at Magnolia High School and Paden City High School do not have the same opportunities because of the small enrollment at each school,” a first draft of one impact statement said. “Students will have access to an expanded curriculum, specialized staffing and specialized resources when they consolidate with existing Magnolia High School.”

The first draft of the other statement about merging the student bodies of Hundred and Valley high schools echoed that point.

Wetzel County Schools published the final impact statements on its website last week. This publication obtained three earlier drafts for each proposed merger by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to the West Virginia Department of Education.

Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassandra Porter denied a Sept. 30 FOIA request for any consolidation documents that had been submitted to the state. She said a newspaper had misquoted her about the plans being sent. In an Oct. 11 response to a follow-up FOIA request, Porter shared a link to the final impact statements that were posted online that day but also said, “Nothing has been submitted to the West Virginia State Board of Education.”

The final impact statements, approved Monday by a 4-1 vote, were worded a bit differently than earlier drafts but made the same point. The statements describe the two proposed mergers as strategic moves to expand educational opportunities for all high school students in the county.

“Due to the smaller enrollment, students do not have access to the same range of courses and extracurricular activities as students at larger schools,” according to the PCHS-Magnolia statement. “By consolidating, students will benefit from an expanded curriculum and broader opportunities.”

The documents include the following population and enrollment data points:

• Wetzel County’s population has dropped from 16,537 in 2010 to an estimated 13,786 today. The population is down 16.6 percent, compared with an increase of 7.7 percent for the United States and a decline of 4.3 percent for West Virginia over the same period.

• Wetzel County has about 800 fewer students in 2024 as it did in 2010.

• PCHS and Magnolia comprise two-thirds of the county’s school enrollment.

• The enrollment declines at each school for the past decade are 20 fewer students at PCHS, 117 at Magnolia, 30 at Hundred and 48 at Valley.

“Of our four high schools, Paden City’s enrollment has stayed the most consistent from then to now,” attendance and student services director Todd Barcus said at the Aug. 30 board meeting. But the impact statement calling for the merger of PCHS into Magnolia’s building said students in Paden City are suffering from “poor program utilization due to current enrollment.”

The statement for Hundred and Valley said future educational needs at Hundred are compromised in part by current and projected enrollments. Combining the schools would enable the county to expand the range of courses and extracurricular activities.

Chief personnel officer Benjamin McPherson said on Aug. 30 that the ideal number of students for a high school is 600-900. “That’s where your scheduling becomes more efficient ... and you can still offer electives.” Magnolia’s building would serve a projected 529 students if students from PCHS and Magnolia consolidate under a new name, school colors and mascot.

Treasurer Jeff Lancaster, who has worked for Wetzel County Schools since 2001, said he has changed his mind about consolidation because the impetus for action now is different than it was during an attempt to close PCHS in 2010.

“The narrative was money,” he said. “You’ve not heard us talk funds one time now. It’s changed. And it’s what’s changed my opinion.”

Read our previous articles in this series:

• Wetzel County Defends School Consolidation Plans

• The Wheels on the Bus Keep Rollin’