ELKINS – The Randolph County Board of Education decided at a special meeting Thursday night to report to the state that the county school system will not be able to balance its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Brad Smith, the Randolph County Schools’ treasurer and director of finance and purchasing, went over budget details for nearly 90 minutes during Thursday’s meeting, and then told BOE members Rachel Anger, Phil Chua, Janie Newlon, Sherri Collett and Ed Daniels that it was time for them to make a decision.

“Are we going to try and whittle away $460,000, or will I report to the state tomorrow that I cannot provide a balanced budget?” Smith said.

Chua responded, “Well, it’s going to be this year and next year. We are not going to balance the budget next year for sure. I mean, even if we close four schools in the fall, it’s not going to take effect until next year.”

Newlon then asked Smith if he thought he could actually “whittle away” the $460,000 needed to balance the budget.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Shawn Dilly said, “I think we’ve already whittled every place we feel comfortable, based on what we know is the actual way the budget functions.”

Anger said a vote will have to be made to finalize the budget decision during a May 29 special meeting, that had already been scheduled to approve the final budget and any necessary personnel actions. 

“The state may say there’s no need to have that meeting,” Smith noted. “I will let you guys know as soon as I hear back from them.”

After the meeting, Smith told The Inter-Mountain that after he reports to the state on Friday that the budget can’t be balanced, Randolph County Schools will go on the state Board of Education’s “watch list.”

“Certainly we will be on the watch list, if not more,” Smith said. “We are required by state code to provide a balanced budget each year, and at this point that’s not going to happen in Randolph County. I will be reporting that to the Department of Education tomorrow.”

Smith said he assumes the state will come in and take over operations of Randolph County Schools in some fashion.

“My guess is there will be some form of takeover,” Smith said. “I don’t know what the state is going to do, but by code we have to provide a balanced budget. So I would assume that a takeover would be the next step.”

The Inter-Mountain will publish a full article about the special meeting in the Saturday edition.