Jackson Middle School Principal Jeffery Kisner speaks to the Wood County Board of Education Thursday night during a public hearing held at the school. The board later voted to close and merge VanDevender Middle School with Jackson Middle School and 45% of those students will attend Jackson in the 2025-2026 school year. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — After five public hearings the Wood County Board of Education unanimously voted Thursday night to close and merge VanDevender Middle School with Jackson and Hamilton Middle Schools and Fairplains Elementary will close and merge with Martin Elementary.

The closure and merger will take place at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.

“It’s one of those unattractive things that we have to do to make sure that we have the right number of schools, we have the right assets in place to provide a good education for all of our students, and sometimes we have to do undesirable things like closing schools,” board member Rick Olcott said. “We want the public to understand that these changes are part of a comprehensive, ongoing process to right-size our facilities and resources to match the changing student population.”

Superintendent Christie Willis said during the hearings that over the past decade, Wood County schools have seen a 1,929 decrease in student population. VanDevender, which had a peak enrollment of 415 students in the 2017-2018 school year, now has only 248 students as of August 2024. She said this has resulted in the school operating at just 34.1% of its 728-student capacity. To address the underutilization, she said the consolidation plan calls for merging approximately 55% of VanDevender’s students into Hamilton and 45% into Jackson. She said this would bring the combined enrollments to 580 students at Hamilton (74% utilization) and 520 students at Jackson (71.4% utilization).

To support the merged middle schools, Willis said the district also plans to increase staffing in each core content area, such as English, math, and science. She said each will have six teachers per grade level. She said this “teaming” approach is intended to help students better connect with their peers and teachers, especially in the critical first year of the transition.

VanDevender Middle School eighth-grader Aaron Campbell spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Thursday night during a public hearing held at Hamilton Middle School about the proposed closure and merger of VanDevender and Hamilton Middle schools. Campbell said he had concerns his classmates would struggle with the merger as it is a farther walk for them and that they might not be accepted in their new school. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“We’re trying to increase the educational opportunities for these students in the merger,” Willis said. “So we are adding those teachers so that we can have that teaming concept, so the teachers have students that they can get to know, especially that first year, (it’s) very important to get to know the students and make sure that they feel welcome into the buildings.”

Concerns were brought up by VanDevender staff and students about the welcome they might receive during the public hearings. Jamee Dalrymple, the school nurse for VanDevender, shared her personal experience of facing discrimination.

“I have people that side eye me and look me up and down. I’m a professional, I’m a registered nurse, and I get treated in a discriminating way,” Dalrymple said.

She said she worries that the new students might face similar challenges.

Aaron Campbell, an eighth-grader at VanDevender, said he had concerns for his younger peers that will have to transfer out of the close-knit “Vandy” community.

“I just don’t think they would feel very at home at any other school,’ Campbell said. “Part of it is that people look down on us, and that’s a lot of what brings us together.”

Jeffrey Kisner, the principal of Jackson, addressed those concerns highlighting the dedication of the staff and the efforts to support students during these challenging times.

“It does not matter who walks through those doors. We’re here to educate and to provide for them and to try to love them to the best of our ability and just be there for them,” Kisner said. “Doesn’t matter where you’re coming from, the education, the love, the support that you’re going to get should be equal, no matter where we’re at, doesn’t matter the building,” Kisner said. “I believe in the professionalism of the staff here, and those to come.”

Board member Judy Johnson shared her experiences of previous school consolidations, where she said it increased resources and community building led to successful transitions.

“When Jefferson Elementary consolidated, it was a great experience,” Johnson said. “We learned from each other, built a strong community, and provided an even better education for our students. I’m confident the leadership and community involvement will make these transitions positive as well.”

Willis said the next step is for the district to provide the required documentation to the West Virginia State Board of Education by mid-November. She said the state board will then consider and vote on the proposed closures at its meeting on Dec. 11.

Willis said there will be an informational meeting for the community regarding the new Lubeck Elementary School on Monday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. in the gymnasium of the school. She said this is an opportunity for community members to learn about anticipated timelines and plans for the new school that will be built. She said members of the community will be given the opportunity to sign up to speak and ask questions at the meeting.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com