Ross

COALTON — Longtime local businessman and former state legislator Mike Ross has organized a “Save Our School” meeting that will be held Thursday afternoon at the Coalton Fire Hall.

The meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m., is to bring together residents opposed to the Randolph County Board of Education’s proposed plan to close Coalton Elementary and Midland Elementary Schools.

The BOE will vote on the closing and consolidation of the two schools during a public hearing and meeting slated for Oct. 28 at the Elkins High School theatre.

Ross, who said he “has lived in Coalton the past 87 years,” is hoping to rally support within the community to keep Coalton Elementary School open.

“We’d like to keep our school in Coalton,” Ross told The Inter-Mountain. “We have a gymnasium, good roads, a brand new water system, and 146 little kids that would like to go to school close to home.”

Ross talked about a waiver request that will have to be approved by the BOE if a vote goes through to close Coalton. The waiver has to do with how long students can ride on a bus each day. If students are going to be on the bus for longer than what state code recommends, a waiver must be approved by the state BOE.

“They will have to get a waiver because they are going to be putting some of those little kids on the bus before 6 a.m. in the morning,” Ross said. “That’s not only difficult for the kids, but it’s tough on the parents, when they have to work and do all the other things that go along with raising kids.”

Ross said he doesn’t see anything good about busing elementary children from Coalton to Elkins.

“You take some of those little kids and they have a hard time even getting up into a big bus. They don’t have small buses, they’re 72-passenger buses,” Ross said. “Someone is going to help them up the steps and down the steps. Then you get there in the morning and some of them go to sleep and will be crying for their mom or dad. It’s just wrong to be wanting to do this to these children.”

Ross said Coalton has been a good school in Randolph County and should be left alone when it comes to closure and consolidation.

“You take the school out of Coalton and the kids will have nothing,” Ross said “The Board and Superintendent Shawn Dilly are not looking at the whole thing and I don’t think the Board understands that Dilly works for the Board. The Board doesn’t work for Dilly, and the Board is supposed to represent the people. Not only the kids but the parents, who have a big role in this.”

Ross was critical of Dilly and the Board’s closure and consolidation process.

“It’s a dog and pony show we are going through right now, and they’re going to send everything down to Charleston and then blame Charleston,” he said.

The Coalton Elementary hearing and meeting on Oct. 28 is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. A final vote will be made by the BOE at 8:30 p.m.

“You take the schools out of these small towns and you kill the community,” Ross said. “I think it’s terrible what they are trying to do.”