Many people have been impatient about finding solutions for how to handle the situation with the school in Harman closing, and rightfully so. A lot is at stake. As for me, I have been diligent and taken some time to reflect on all the information at hand and what solutions can realistically be reached.

Until recently, not many options were available to rural communities. When a public school closed due to plummeting enrollment numbers (as is the case in Harman), there was no choice but to fully consolidate or homeschool the students. However, the Republican-led legislature in recent years has created new programs aimed at giving opportunity and flexibility to students.

Thankfully these options now exist, among which are public charter schools. Though relatively new in our state, public charter schools show promising outcomes and have considerable resources. In short, a public charter school is one which has five founding board members and operates like a non-profit organization.

It is a “public” charter school in that the state provides funding to the school at the rate of 99% of a public school. The other 1% goes to the county board for any expenses incurred for which they may need to be reimbursed. There is also a law which states that any public-school building which is vacated must be given someone to one who seeks to create a charter school.

If the Harman School becomes a public charter school, it could hypothetically keep the building and the students in it. There are some challenges, however. In WV a 99% rate for a public school is approximately $8,000 per pupil. If we multiply that by 100 students it brings us to $800,000, well short of the $1.7 million that the Harman School incurs annually for operations.

To close this large discrepancy, the charter board may take advantage of two things. As a body with considerable autonomy, they can cut costs by not having to pay for many expenses that the state requires public schools have. The second thing is that they may designate the size of their school district larger to allow more kids to apply to increase enrollment.

The next problem is that the deadline for applying to charter a school that begins classes in 2025 passed in August. This is not flexible because the law dictates this deadline. However, by the power vested in me by the people of this district, I will try to pass a bill which would waive this deadline for our community. I cannot guarantee such a waiver, but I feel confident that my colleagues in the legislature will understand the need for it and pass it.

I facilitated a meeting recently with community leaders from Harman at the Randolph County school board to propose this idea. I am well acquainted with the Chairman of the Public Charter School Board, and he’s expressed willingness to help us in this unique and time-sensitive situation.

The best-case scenario would be for me to obtain the waiver next session (which is February to April this year), have five members of the Harman community step up to form a board, and have them apply for charter. I am happy to help them facilitate any or all of these steps. In this situation, the community would keep their school, and the county would be severed from the financial liability that would cause them to go in the red.

Ultimately, this will require the greater Harman community to come together and accept responsibility for this institution, but I have no doubt that the community has the will and the ability to follow through. They have shown as much by the dedication they’ve had to their kids, which is enormous.

Elias Coop-Gonzalez is a Delegate representing the 67th House district. He is a former public and private school student in Randolph County, and currently a college student at Liberty University. Aside from school, he works for Defender Gear, a patriotic apparel company.