MULLENS, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Wyoming County Superintendent Deidre Cline will be interviewed Monday morning by the West Virginia School Building Authority (SBA) to request funding for a new Mullens PK-8 School.
According to the West Virginia SBA, Wyoming County requests up to $15,711,654 in SBA funding for a new Mullens PK-8 School.
These funds will be used in partnership with a local bond share of $8,753,193 for a total project cost of $24,464,847.
According to the SBA, the existing Mullens Elementary School, built in 1951, and Mullens Middle School, built in 1923, are both showing significant signs of deterioration and have become inadequate for providing a safe and modern learning environment.
Mullens Elementary currently has 165 students enrolled, while Mullens Middle has 135 students enrolled.
Both buildings are facing structural issues, and the aging infrastructure of each is posing safety concerns for students and staff.
Wyoming County proposes to construct a new Mullens PK-8 School to replace the two aging, underutilized facilities.
The proposed school would not only integrate both schools into a new safer facility but also provide much-needed space for PK classrooms, eliminating the need to bus area students to other locations.
The county has selected a site for the proposed school within the town of Mullens. It is located outside of the floodplain, owned by the Board of Education, and offers accessibility to all necessary utilities and roads.
In May of 2022, the citizens of Wyoming County passed a bond of $20,175,000 in support of projects totaling over $33,000,000 for educational facilities.
Proceeds from the bond would be used in conjunction with SBA funds for this project, the number one priority in the county’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP).
Upon completion of the superintendent’s interviews on November 13 and 14, 2023, the SBA Staff will compile all information gathered in the discussions, site visits, and correspondence to make calculated, funding recommendations to the full Authority in the December 11, 2023 quarterly meeting.Â