CHARLESTON – The West Virginia State Board of Education approved the closure and consolidation plan for several schools in Barbour County on Wednesday.

During the State Board’s meeting Wednesday morning, board members approved in a 8-1 vote the consolidation plan, which would see the closure of Belington Middle School, Kasson Middle School and Philippi Middle School, all three of which will be consolidated into Philip Barbour High School, making it a grades 6-12 school.

The plan also calls for the closure of Junior Elementary School, which would be consolidated into Belington Elementary School.

Belington Elementary will later be moved into the “newly renovated” Belington Middle School building.

Before the vote, one State Board member asked Director of School Facilities Micah Whitlow if the Barbour County BOE had “adhered to all of the procedural, statutory and policy requirements that have to be met to close and consolidate those schools.” Whitlow said yes.

The same board member then asked State Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt if the closure and consolidation of the schools will “continue to ensure the delivery of a thorough and efficient education for the affected students.” Blatt said yes. No other discussion was held before the vote.

The proposal was brought before the State Board after the Barbour County BOE initially approved the consolidation plan in a 5-0 vote on Nov. 10.

In late September, the Barbour BOE released an impact statement, including supporting data, for the plan, which stated that Barbour County Schools has seen “a marked increase in the loss of student population since the COVID epidemic.” The school system has “experienced a 19.8% decrease in student population” since 2016.

According to the statement, at the end of July, the county had a total enrollment of 1,904 students, the statement reads, and lists this year’s enrollments as: Phillip-Barbour High School – 523 students; Philippi Middle School – 237; Belington Middle School – 262; Kasson Elementary Middle – 157; Philippi Elementary School – 342; Belington Elementary – 279; and Junior Elementary – 114.

Though the plan sees the closure of Kasson Middle School, the Kasson Elementary/Middle School building will still be occupied by the elementary grades.

“Kasson Elementary serves a substantial portion of the county’s north-eastern region — an area characterized by dispersed rural communities and limited infrastructure,” the impact statement from September reads. “Eliminating this facility would disproportionately impact families in these outlying areas, many of whom would face daily bus rides exceeding one hour if reassigned to other schools. Such extended travel times raise concerns not only about student well-being and academic readiness, but also about equity in access to education.

“Moreover, Kasson Elementary functions as more than just a school — it is a vital community anchor in a region where public institutions are few and far between,” according to the statement. “Its presence supports local identity, fosters community engagement, and provides a sense of continuity for families who have relied on it for generations.”

In October, the Barbour BOE and Barbour County Superintendent Eddie Vincent released another statement, explaining how the closure of Junior Elementary School, its subsequent consolidation into Belington Elementary School and the move into the renovated Belington Middle School building will work.

According to the October statement, Junior Elementary will be closed at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

“As part of that plan, all students would then attend Belington Elementary School in the newly renovated Belington Middle School building,” the October release states. “There is a distinct possibility that the renovations planned for the Belington Middle School building will not be completed by the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Therefore, the transition to the building will not take place until the start of the 2027-2028 school year.

“Since the building will not be fully ready for students by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, current fourth-graders at Junior Elementary will attend fifth grade at the Belington Elementary School campus for the 2026-2027 school year, ensuring a seamless and stable experience for students as they matriculate to middle school the year after.”

After the Barbour County BOE’s vote in November, Vincent told The Inter-Mountain that the transition into the middle school building will take time, as officials need to move the middle school students into the high school before they can begin the process of transforming the building into an elementary school.

“It’s going to take some time to get (the plan) completed because the first phase of this program is moving our middle school kids into the high school, and the second phase will be the closure and movement of the two elementary schools into one of the middle school buildings,” Vincent told The Inter-Mountain. “So that’s a second-year part of the plan.”

Hearings for the closures and consolidations were held on Oct. 28 at Kasson Elementary/Middle School and at Philippi Middle School; on Oct. 29 at Philip Barbour High School and at Belington Middle School; and on Oct. 30 at Belington Elementary School and at Junior Elementary School.

Vincent also explained that he understood and appreciated that Barbour County residents have bonds and emotional attachments with their schools, whether former or current.

“Nobody likes doing this kind of thing,” Vincent said. “Ultimately, we did what we feel is best for Barbour County Schools, both from an instructional and an achievement standpoint, and from a financial standpoint.”

When asked if he had anything he would like to say to the students that the closures and consolidations will affect, Vincent said that Barbour County students are resilient, and that the kids are “going to be fine” and have “great opportunities.”

“The whole reason we’re doing this is every kid in Barbour County is going to end up in the 6-12 (school) at some point, and we’re really going to try to provide opportunities for kids before they get to high school,” Vincent said. “So that’s the purpose of this. We want qualified teachers for our middle school students… all the kids in Barbour County will eventually end up there. So we’re excited about those opinions for kids and those possibilities, and we’re going to work hard to make sure this plan works and it’s a good thing for everybody.”