It is now likely that a dispute concerning the Nicholas County, West Virginia consolidation will head to mediation.   West Virginia schools superintendent Steve Paine said FEMA had given a favorable impression of extending a funding deadline to build new schools in the county.   Both the mediator and the governor could now get involved in the dispute. 

According to Paine, “It is really important for us to work with the local board of education more than ever right now.   I think they can come up with a solution with this mediator in a process being led by the governor and FEMA.   I think it will work”.

Earlier in October, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the West Virginia Board of Education in a consolidation case involving the schools, which reversed a lower court decision.   The ruling sends the consolidation decision back to the starting point with no end in sight. 

Pain has faith the state and local Boards of Education will cooperate and he said he “… looks forward to the state board working with the Nicholas County Board” and called them all good people. 

The dispute arose two years ago after floods hit Nicholas County and destroyed Richwood High and Middle and Summersville Middle Schools.   Following a series of public meetings, the county board decided on a plan of consolidation and opted to use an alternative form of FEMA funding which would pool all flood recovery money into a single pool to rebuild all three schools, plus two others. 

The state board twice rejected the plan, saying the local board members had not listened to concerns from Richwood residents and that there might be better alternatives. 

Now, the parties will head to mediation where they can discuss the matter and make a decision about how to apply the FEMA money to the rebuilding process.