When The Doors Close

[imported_Counts]

Thanks for the Info When people think of Lee consolidation they think of only to two main schools involved and not The smaller ones that were really feeling the pinch. Also no one seems to remember that PV is already a consolidated school O wonder if those kids would be better off if it was still East stone gap and Big Stone Gap?

And to the guy that said consolidation was like a person buying a new coat because it was in style LOL I look at it this way......My Brother in law has a 20+ year old car that has 350,000 miles on it he ends up spending close to $100 - $150 a month to keep it on the road and even then there has been more that one time that we have gotten a call in the middle of the night to pick him up since "Old Bessy" was not in working order. Sure it gets him back and forth to work (usually) but not exactly the car you would want to rely on to take your kids on a trip.

IMHO many of the schools in this area are like this old car it may get you from point A to point B but you may be late and you make be sick from the leak in the exoust system LOL

[TheBeast]

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The economic effects of high school closure in Appalachia and Pound would be devastating-

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How would it be so devistating economically. The school doesn't generate revenue for the town, what little revenue it does generate is for itself. Oh I forgot the tremendous amount of money that people traveling in and staying at hotels and spending in all the restaraunts in these towns for a football game. I can see it being devistating that the town gets to keep the money it spends on the schools now and put that money elsewhere in the town.

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I do not think the prroposed renovations at the smaller schools will be a ten year fix- they could be refurbished to last for some time

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How could these not be a 10-15 year fix. The problems that get fixed now may last longer than that but we are still talking about 60 year old buildings and by that time 70-80 year old buildings and new problems have risen and these will need to be fixed. Whereas a new building will last much longer with new advances in materials in workmanship, thus making them cheaper to build than keep maintaining the old in the long run.

[jake_norris]

This post not directed to anyone.

Consolidation is going to happen. Why are so many fighting it? I've been inside just about every high school in the county, and it's not a very sound argument to say that we couldn't stand for an upgrade. Some benefits to consolidating:

Comfort. Personally it would be nice to go to school where you aren't burning up in the summer and freezing in the winter. Improved, more efficient heating and AIR CONDITIONING would also be nice.

Classroom size. More students does not have to equal overcrowded classrooms. New schools equipped with comfortable, larger classrooms make a better environment for students to learn and teachers to teach.

Sports. Yes the new high schools would obviously have better teams. Also schools could pick up sports currently not offered like soccer, lacrosse, whatever. More college interest, more opportunities for athletes, better coaching, better facilities, etc etc etc.

Teachers. Fewer teaching jobs gives an opportunity to reward good teachers with positions and weed out bad teachers, unfortunately all teachers are not equally good at their jobs.

Maintenance. New buildings are a fresh start, and if properly taken care of can be made to last for years and years.

And saving the best for last. Obviously educational benefits. Bigger schools get more funding. More money allows the schools to expand what they can teach and offer. AP classes, Honors, clubs, student organizations (FBLA, FCCLA, hell even FFA), special education, chorus, art, dance, etc etc etc. Students leave high school prepared for college.

Something has to be done. Why not do it right??

[imported_Skeptical]

that's like right now im at VT and we didn't have but about 20 students per class but my smallest class has like 40 people

and over 75% of people i see up here has either played lacross or soccer. If we consolidate like vikings_baseball_3 said we might get these sports.

[ChrisSabo]

I don't think the economies of Pound and Appy will go down if/when the schools leave. In all honesty, the economies of those towns are already pretty bad. The 4-lane has killed most of the towns in this area. No businesses are going to come into the area either until we get a county wide water system.

New, bigger schools won't fix that problem. Nothing will really. But I do feel that consolidation needs to happen. Whether or not it will is yet to be determined.

Most of the fight was about how things were being done. And how the cash was being spent. Where would you put the exrta classrooms in Wise? Basham never figured that one out? Buy out the courthouse? Give the rest of the world a chance at some input and most of the opposition might go away on it's own. PV is the ONLY school in the county with room to grow. Acess to the 4-lane, too. But you still have all the elementary schools to deal with, and now with the power plant idea floating around we have a new "cash cow" in the county, don't we? [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] If it brings as many jobs and folks as it could all today's plans would be too small.... again... [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

One more thing- best I can recall the Jonesville and Pennington Middel schools were both scrapped and they kept the high school buildings. That is where they lost they buildings in the system in those towns. PG High was already fed by 3 elem schools, PG, Elk Knob and St Charles.

[swvacsas]

The economic effects of school closure in Pound are pretty straightforward. A consolidated high school is of economic benefit only to the town that school is located in- only Wise and/or Big Stone will benefit from consolidation- unlikely Coeburn would survive under a consolidation plan.
A lot of people who work at the high school live in Pound. Close the school and those jobs are lost or transferred out of town. Will those people affected by the school closing continue to live in Pound? Not many folks are going to move to a rural community where the high school is miles away. The lack of new residents and the loss of jobs would form part of a vicious circle that would further depress the economy in Pound. The bypassing of town by 23 and the effects of walmartization have certainly hurt- school closure is piling on.
The concentration of the industrial parks in Wise and the development of the Duffield park have not helped Pound. Jobs are needed in Pound. Pound cannot survive as a bedroom town for Wise and Duffield. Severance tax money has gone out of Pound (even more out of Appalachia)to fund development in other areas. Wise and Big Stone get part of the severance tax. Is this fair? The main thing Pound has to show for its tax dollars is the school system- take it away and taxes from Pound will be thrown down the drain.
If the advocates of consolidation are serious- let them agree to build the new high schools in Pound and Appalachia.

[imported_Sportsman]

While I respect your opinion, I don't see the argument for the economic impact that any of the schools have on their community, as for what you are saying in that they add to the town economically. If anything the schools are a big drain on the businesses in the town. If it were not for the generosity of the businesses located in each community, there would be no athletic programs in our schools, I'll repeat that.....If it were not for the generosity of the local businesses, there would be no athletic programs in our schools. Just go and ask one of the local merchants how much they contribute in donations to their local school.

I've never been a proponent of consolidation, but I'm open minded enough to listen to the pros and cons of both scenarios.

[img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]So closing the schools is gonna save the biz? What a novel concept? I may open a store. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]