McDowell County Board of Education transfers former Welch Elementary to City of Welch

The McDowell County Board of Education approved the transfer of the former Welch Elementary School building to the City of Welch at a board meeting held the morning of Feb. 20, 2026, according to BOE action taken that day. The original report of the transfer ends mid-sentence with the fragment "clears a major administrative hurdle that city leaders said has," a clause that remains incomplete in available materials.

The transfer comes as students have begun classes at Coalfield Elementary, a new Pre-K through 5 facility built on Tom’s Mountain in Welch near Mount View High School. Construction on Coalfield began in 2023, the project was funded by the West Virginia School Building Authority with local funds also used, and the state fire marshal approved the new building for occupancy the week before the school opened, with the first full day of school for McDowell County falling on a Tuesday as reported in coverage of the opening.

Amanda Peyton, assistant school superintendent for McDowell County Public Schools, described student reactions at the new school, saying "They were excited" and "We had some secrets they didn’t know about." Peyton also confirmed program details tied to wellbeing, stating "Coal our therapy dog was there" and "Now the kids from Kimball and Fall River get to enjoy Coal and have a therapy dog. Coal will be living in the school with them." Administrators installed a new playground the weekend before the first full day, provided ergonomic seating in classrooms, and staged kindergarten orientation with a phased start for kindergarten students on the Wednesday and Thursday after the opening.

The Coalfield project implements consolidation plans mapped in the county CEFP identified as McDowell County Schools CEFP 2020100.016.3, which lists Welch, Fall River, and Kimball elementaries as "Part of a new consolidated Fall River, Kimball, Welch Elementary School." The CEFP also maps two high school attendance areas: the Mount View High School attendance area includes Mount View Middle School plus Fall River, Kimball, and Welch elementaries; the River View High School attendance area includes Sandy River Middle School, Bradshaw Elementary, Iaeger Elementary, and Southside PreK-8 School. CEFP excerpts note that Fall River Elementary "would become Career Technical Center after consolidation" and enumerate improvement categories such as roof repair, accessibility improvements, HVAC and plumbing renovations, and furnishing and equipment improvements.

Local redevelopment efforts proceed alongside school consolidation. Reconnecting McDowell purchased the former Best Furniture and Katzen buildings and attached parking lots in downtown Welch for $92,000 for a planned Teachers Village of about 30 housing units, with the American Federation of Teachers identified as the lead partner and a street-level coffee shop among proposed amenities to address long-standing teacher housing shortages in the county.

Key public records remain to be obtained to clarify the transfer details and future uses: the BOE minutes for the Feb. 20, 2026 meeting, the deed or transfer instrument conveying the former Welch Elementary to the City of Welch, any City of Welch council action accepting the property, and updated BOE decisions about the disposition of Fall River and Kimball schools. A dedication ceremony for Coalfield Elementary has been announced but no date has been provided.