Cardinal Conversation: Buchanan County high schools consolidate

Demographic shifts and lower birth rates have left school divisions in all parts of Virginia with lower enrollment numbers. The trend is especially strong in Southwest Virginia, where many counties have lost population with the decline of coal mining.

When one of Buchanan County’s four small high schools was destroyed by a flood, county leaders decided it was time to go in a new direction.

Cardinal News reporter Meghan Mangrum is covering the story, and she spoke with Fred Echols.