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West Side School Consolidation Effort Expands: New Education Building Should Include Resources for Whole Community Proponents Assert

Posted on: Friday, 9 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Anna L. Mallory, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

Jun. 9--A group of Charleston's West Side residents plans to take yet another proposal for school consolidation to the Kanawha County Board of Education on Monday.

This time, proponents say if a school is built on Florida Street and Kanawha Boulevard, it should include resources for the entire community, including full-service health clinics and adult education classes.

Ralph "Deanie" Miller, a long-time West Side resident, has written confirmation from FamilyCare clinic that officials there want at least 5,000 square feet of office space. He said he's working with Dow and Verizon to secure more funding.

"We want to do it in a more elaborate way," Miller said. "This gives legs and arms to the academic success of the kids," he said.

The community school concept is not new to the county.

Cedar Grove Community School serves students in grades K-8 and does not include complete clinic facilities. Miller wants the new school to have three doctor's offices and a dentist.

He said the plan would help bring the community to the school and would keep students from being bused elsewhere. With the school so close, students still could walk to school.

If approved, the school would be built on the former Cabell school property.

Miller said he's spoken to county Superintendent Ron Duerring about the plan, but unveiled it to a group of about 20 residents at special meeting of the Maximizing the Achievement of African-American Children in Kanawha County group.

That advocacy group met to help mobilize the black community. Co-chairwoman Barbara Oden said too many black people on the West Side are passive and do not understand what's going on around them.

Five West Side elementary schools are slated to close: Chandler, Glenwood, Grandview, J.E. Robins and Watts. Different groups of residents have suggested everything from keeping the faltering schools to renovating or building two new structures.

The board has until Oct. 1 to submit a new plan to the School Building Authority. Last year, the SBA, the state's funding source for new schools, rejected a plan to build two schools.

Chuck Wilson, facilities director for the county, has said renovating the schools would be more costly than building new ones.

After many meetings with the community, board members said last month they needed to move as quickly as possible on a cemented proposal.

Board member Barbara Welch said this group still has time to make its case. She was the sole board member to attend MAACK's meeting.

"I am absolutely incensed that we have children in schools in such bad as shape as Glenwood," she said.

About 20 residents stayed at the meeting, but many plan to meet at 11 a.m. today at Roosevelt Community Center to discuss plans.

Ideas include having instructors from West Virginia State Community and Technical College teach computer certification and nursing classes. Similar projects are underway in Clay County, according to school president Ervin Griffin.

He also said the school then could be used as a hub for not only children, but for seniors, too. He proposed picking up federal grants reserved for minorities and low-income people.

"We've got to go beyond education. We've got to do something," Miller said.

The school board meets at 6 p.m. Monday at 200 Elizabeth St.

To contact staff writer Anna L. Mallory, use e-mail or call 348-5163.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Charleston Gazette

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