The news that Harman School will not be closed brings mixed reactions among local people. Of course, some are pleased if they live or work in Harman or like to stop at that brave little school library that also served as a public library and visitors’ center for tourists in Randolph County.

However, others believe this decision will disadvantage all the children who go to schools in other parts of the county. Many parents with children in public schools resent the idea that more money should be spent on children in one small school and less should be paid per student in larger schools or in more populated areas of Randolph County. This is one of those cases when the West Virginia school choice policies hurt the majority in favor of the minority.

I remember 25 years ago when Harman School had some of the best test scores in Randolph County, and my students from Harman were among the best students we had in teacher education at Davis & Elkins College. In those days we had more students and much better test scores across the county than we do now. Times have changed since public schools have lost students who now use their “Hope Scholarship” to pay for private or home schooling.

The WV Legislature has created a situation that is so confusing that it fails to provide a clear schedule for classes or real standards for achievement. We get students in Targeted Tutoring who need help learning to read after their parents have paid for private schooling. Not only are students failing to develop basic skills; they are also not learning to attend school each day.

Attendance is one of the best predictors of success, but the public school schedules are so convoluted that working parents cannot be sure when the students will be expected at school. There may be a two-hour delay or three-hour early out any day of the week, and teacher training days may happen in the middle of the week for no good reason. The idea of time-on-task does not exist.

We cannot blame Dr. Dilly or anyone else in Randolph County for our sad decline in academic achievement. In our small population a haphazard concept of school choice really limits the quality of all school choices. If we want to build capacity for good public education, we need to pool resources and think about basic requirements like teacher certification, a full 180-day calendar of quality education, and we need to pass a levy to pay the bills. All these things require time for careful consideration.

I would like to propose that a group of concerned parents, teachers, and citizens meet regularly at Kump Education Center across from Kroger on the first Friday of every month at 4 p.m.

If you are interested in joining this group, please send me your email address and topics to be discussed. The mailing address is Kump Education Center, Post Office Box1106, Elkins, WV 26241.