Legal Tab to Close PCHS Nears $100K

The price that Wetzel County Schools paid for its expert witness in a failed bid to close Paden City High School quadrupled in August, according to invoices obtained through the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

The school system also paid more than $20,000 in legal fees in August to defend the closure of PCHS, bringing the overall cost to nearly $100,000.

The cost of closing PCHS previously stood at $59,475.74. More than $55,000 of that was incurred in July alone, after Paden City residents sued Superintendent Cassandra Porter. Wetzel County’s circuit judge ruled against her July 31. The legal fees have continued to mount because Porter appealed the ruling to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Board of Education member Jimmy Glasscock raised the issue of the legal fees for closing PCHS at the Sept. 24 board meeting. “I would like to have a special meeting and know exactly where the money is, how much we’re into” now that the case has been appealed, Glasscock said after treasurer Jeffrey Lancaster’s budget presentation.

“I’m willing to discuss anything you want to discuss,” Lancaster said. “... I've been nothing but an open book when it comes to finances for the public or certainly for board members and the superintendent.”

Rather than hold a special meeting, the board agreed to address the topic at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 8.

The biggest legal expense in August related to closing PCHS was $20,535 for services provided by Bowles Rice, a Charleston-based firm. Two of its lawyers — William Lorensen at $265 per hour and Kenneth Webb at $435 per hour — logged the most time on the appeal. Richard Boothby ($395/hour) and Howard Seufer Jr. ($460/hour) also tallied billable hours on the case.

Wetzel County Schools (or Bowles Rice) was less transparent in replying to a second FOIA request about legal fees. The first response redacted much of the “Description” field on the invoices for May, June and July but included details like which school officials met with the lawyers. The entire “Description” field was redacted from the August invoice.

When asked in a follow-up FOIA request to describe the type of information that was redacted, Porter refused. She cited a court precedent that said explanations about redactions from FOIA responses only have to be provided in court. “You may institute proceedings for injunctive or declaratory relief in the circuit court of Wetzel County should you desire to do so,” Porter wrote.

The Bowles Rice invoice for August indicates that the firm paid $15,952.50 to Ann Arbor Technical Services. That is on top of the $5,000 retainer that Bowles Rice paid to the chemistry and environmental science firm in July.

Ann Arbor Technical Services President and CEO Philip Simon testified as Wetzel County’s expert witness that month. A separate invoice from Ann Arbor Technical Services indicates that the company billed Wetzel County Schools for another 4 ½ hours of services from Aug. 1 to Aug. 14.

Bowles Rice also paid a certified court reporter $1,280.40 in August. The law firm paid more than $1,000 for legal computer research charges and photocopies.

The breakdown of the legal fees for closing Paden City High School to date are:

• May: $933.75

• June: $3,407.50

•  July: $55,134.49

• August: $38,811.14

That brings the total cost to $98,286.88. The case also may lead to legal fees at the state level. The West Virginia Board of Education discussed the case in executive session under “personnel and legal matters” as part of its Sept. 11 meeting.

On top of the legal fees, Wetzel County Schools paid $50,000 to conduct a survey on school consolidation this year. All of those costs combined could cover three entry-level teachers’ salaries for a year, according to the county’s 2024-25 salary schedule.