by Alyssa Green

In recent meetings, the Board of Education has been communicating about the possibility of closing the nearby schools of Van High School and Whitesville Elementary School.

These decisions and conversations have caused a lot of conflict with parents, students, and teachers. Despite these issues, the Board seems adamant about closing it due to the lack of students and money.

The board has seemed adamant, continuing to move forward, but it is not open to the public just yet.

As of the new school year 2026-2027, only about two hundred or fewer students reside at these schools. Due to the lack of students and lack of funding, the Board seems to want to close these two schools to save money and resources being sent there. Teachers specifically have spoken out against the closing of the schools; for example, a retired teacher from Whitesville, Betty Ann Stein Williams, said this will impact more than the physical school.

“It’s so much more than closing a building; it impacts these students, our community,” Williams said.

Others are upset given the money they are being given to those who they say do not deserve it, and the money for the destruction, removal, and restoring the land. They wonder how much it will cost to do that, even more than keeping the schools open themselves.

Given that, within the next few years, the Whitesville elementary school will be a hundred years old.

Although the board didn’t respond to the reasons given, they still wrote them down.

The board has been getting community feedback while being open with their plans and decisions that are soon to come to meetings. In these meetings, they are allowing the community to join via call and add their opinion or just listen in to the meetings