Like a family, he said, the school systems need to keep budgets in line with the standard of living. But again, like they did in the 1930s, Williams said consolidation proponents face opponents tied to those little red schoolhouses. But I'm confident we can't afford that in West Virginia. Officials know consolidation is not just about figures and numbers and the bottom line, said Jo Blackwood, who coordinates consolidation plans for Kanawha County. And we're sensitive to that.
Communities feel schools are their livelihood.
When you have a school taken away, it's like taking the heart out of a community. If Pickens High School gets consolidated, Principal Jim Biggs said the rural, close-knit community in Randolph County would probably be torn up. Biggs acknowledged that the community has had some battles over consolidating the 43- student school, which serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. But most people in the area are against it. And most outsiders, after they visit the community, understand the school's situation.