PICKENS — An entire community was rejoicing Wednesday morning, the day after Randolph County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly canceled a public hearing to determine the fate of Pickens K-12 School.

About 90 minutes before the school closure hearing was to take place on Tuesday afternoon, Dilly announced on social media that “new information related to funding” had been received that “may support keeping Pickens open for an additional year.”

The announcement was greeted with “a sigh of relief” throughout the entire Pickens community, Diana Betler, the chair of the Pickens School Local School Improvement Council, told the Inter-Mountain Wednesday.

“We are very happy and very grateful for all the things that happened to make this possible,” Betler said. “We’re not exactly sure of all the things that happened to make it possible, but we sure are glad.”

Betler said she hadn’t visited Pickens School on Wednesday, but noted she was in contact with the school and that the students were “beyond happy.”

“This decision has been weighing heavy on their minds and hearts since school started,” Betler said. “It has been very hard on the students, teachers, families, parents and the entire community. Everyone is just really relieved now.”

Tuesday’s decision marked the second time this year that a hearing to vote on closing the Pickens school was canceled. Back in January, after the BOE voted 4-1 against closing Harman School, Dilly’s proposal to close Pickens was formally withdrawn.

“We were very prepared for the hearing if it would have happened,” Betler said. “We were ready to let everyone know our thoughts and what Pickens is all about. We are glad with how it all came out, but we were prepared for the hearing if it would have happened.”

Betler said the Pickens LSIC has not been told of where the additional funding came from in order to keep the school open.

“We have not heard anything, but we know that Finance Director Mr. Brad Smith and Superintendent Dilly have been working hard to try and figure something out,” Betler said. “We are just happy that something was found to keep our school open.”

Betler said it’s the intent of the LSIC to collaborate with whoever they can to make sure Pickens remains open.

“We want to work with these folks, both the county folks and the state folks,” Betler said. “We want to do what it is that we need to do to keep this from happening a third year in a row. We are going to continue to do what we do, and that is work with our kids every day to help them learn and grow, work with the community, and work with our teachers and our principal.”

Dilly proposed closure and consolidation for multiple schools after the Randolph County school system was placed in a State of Emergency by the West Virginia Department of Education in June.

During a special public hearing Oct. 8, the Randolph BOE voted 4-1 to close Harman K-12 School, and 5-0 to close North Elementary. A public hearing and vote to close Coalton Elementary and Midland Elementary is scheduled for Oct. 28 at Elkins High School.

A regular Randolph County Board of Education meeting is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Office.