Maintenance and engineering managers in K-12 school districts face a difficult challenge: relying on often-shrinking budgets provided by taxpayer dollars as they try to pay for repairs and renovations that ensure the safety and reliability of school facilities. Complicating this issue is the challenge of decreasing student enrollment in public schools nationwide. Consider the situation facing West Virginia’s public schools.
The state’s school board recently approved another round of school closures in the state after county superintendents repeated a similar problem: student enrollment is rapidly declining and causing financial distress, according to West Virginia Watch.
The state saw a wave of proposed school closures in 2024 as counties faced budget holes spurred by student population loss. West Virginia’s overall population is declining. Roughly 4,000 students left public schools this year. Some of those students left to attend private and charter schools or to be homeschooled. Under the current school funding formula, counties receive state funding based on the number of students.
Fifty-three schools have closed in the last five years, and counties have proposed or been approved to close 25 schools. More than 10,000 students statewide opted this year to use the Hope Scholarship, the state’s broad education savings account program that gives roughly $4,400 per student in taxpayer money to families to use for private school, homeschooling and more.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
