From Coal Country to Classrooms: A Superintendent’s Fight for Rural School Infrastructure in Virginia

Representing diverse public sector voices from across the country, NCSI’s Advisory Committee members bring a wealth of expertise and experience from the field that has helped shape NCSI’s priorities. Over the course of this year, we are featuring Advisory Committee members speaking about insights gained through their work to drive school infrastructure improvements. Here we interviewed Keith Perrigan, Superintendent of Washington County Public Schools in Abingdon, VA, to hear his advice for the field on managing the unique challenges faced by rural schools

In the far southwest corner of Virginia, nestled against the Tennessee border, Superintendent Keith Perrigan has spent his life and career advocating for the schools that time and budgets often forget.

Today, he leads Washington County Public Schools, but his influence reaches far beyond the district’s 6,200 students. As a co-founder and president of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia, Perrigan has become one of the state’s most consistent voices for equity in school infrastructure.

“I’ve lived here my whole life,” he says. “And I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is for small, rural communities to maintain safe, modern school buildings without state support.”

A Crisis Years in the Making

Prior to 2020, the State of Virginia hadn’t meaningfully funded school construction since the Great Recession. As state budgets were slashed in 2008, infrastructure dollars disappeared—with no clear commitment by state leaders to replace them.

This pull-back had a predictable, devastating effect. With limited tax bases, high-poverty rural and urban districts had little means to invest in their buildings. Many districts were trying to educate children in facilities built before World War II, plagued by issues like asbestos, lead pipes, mold, and failing HVAC systems.

“We had schools from the 1930s still in use,” Perrigan says. “And newer buildings from the ‘60s and ‘70s were actually worse because of poor materials and construction.”

Unique Rural Challenges

Washington County spans 500 square miles with over 2,000 miles of roads. That scale, combined with declining enrollment, makes consolidation a probability if not a necessity, but also a logistical and political challenge. Basic upgrades—like replacing roofs or installing secure entryways—are often the extent of what’s feasible. The politics of “new school construction” are too complex and, in some communities, culturally fraught. “If the school was good enough for Grandma, it’s good enough for us—that’s still the mindset in a lot of places.” But schools built half a century ago not only require updated operational systems and deferred maintenance—a massive undertaking in and of itself. Old buildings also lack design elements—such as science and maker labs, natural light, and spaces designed for collaborative learning—that weren’t considerations for earlier generations but are considered necessities when preparing students for their 21st century careers.

But basic upgrades aren’t enough. Many school buildings in the region still operate on coal furnaces, by far their cheapest option. But Keith knows coal isn’t a sustainable solution. Its use impacts not only air quality, but also has become increasingly untenable as replacement parts for coal-fired furnaces disappear. “When a school with a coal furnace breaks down,” Perrigan says, “we’re at the salvage sale, hunting for parts to keep the others going.”

Many schools still lack air conditioning, forcing schools to adjust schedules around extreme heat in fall and spring. Meanwhile, health and safety issues—from lead in drinking water to carbon monoxide leaks—present constant risks, especially in facilities long past their design life. “We’re educating a 21st-century workforce in buildings designed for the 20th century—or earlier,” he says. Keith knows that this simply won’t give students what they need to succeed in the future.

When Maintenance Isn’t Enough

Unlike larger districts with strong tax bases, Virginia’s small educational districts rely almost entirely on state and local government support. Keith’s local school board—indeed, all school boards in Virginia—lacks taxing authority. And, in Virginia, school facilities are owned by their localities (the town or county), not by their districts. Perrigan explains, “Even when we have closed schools, the locality takes ownership of the building.” This severely limits the ways districts can generate revenue from alternative uses or real estate sales. Without these sources of revenue, small districts such as Keith’s cannot raise the funds they need to undertake strategic facilities planning—bare bones maintenance is often all they can afford.

Furthermore, rural Virginia schools are beholden not only to their districts, but to county governments as well. This means that county boards of supervisors must weigh school funding against other county-wide infrastructure and service priorities—every one of which is critical. This makes it difficult to innovate, or even to think strategically about district infrastructure needs. “We can have the most beautifully laid-out 10-year strategic plan,” says Perrigan, “But if there’s no funding for it, it becomes a 20-year plan instead of a 10-year plan.”

A Local Movement with Statewide Impact

Frustrated with the lack of progress Perrigan joined with colleagues and partners throughout the region in 2017 to found the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia. The Coalition launched a bold advocacy campaign: the Crumbling Schools Tour. By bringing state leaders into their schools, the Coalition brought to life the impact that the state’s decade-long divestment in facilities has had on buildings—and on student learning.

They identified one struggling school in each of Virginia’s eight superintendent regions and invited state and federal decision-makers to witness the conditions firsthand. The goal: to underscore the urgency of the problem. “It wasn’t a showcase—it was a wake-up call,” Perrigan explains.

Their efforts paid off. Soon after, Virginia legalized casinos and state leaders chose to earmark all associated state revenues for school infrastructure. With that funding stream in place, the Virginia General Assembly finally added school construction funding back into the state budget in 2021. 

“We weren’t the only ones advocating,” Perrigan notes, “but I truly believe the rural coalition helped push it across the finish line.”

Making Virginia’s Rural School Facilities Great Again

Since then, new school buildings have broken ground in rural communities across the state. In one division, a new $23 million facility replaced two aging buildings from 1938 and 1948—an unthinkable project without the state’s $7 million contribution.

But Perrigan is clear: this is only the beginning. The latest estimate puts Virginia’s statewide deferred school facility needs at upwards of $25 billion.

Strength Through Regional Collaboration

Despite the challenges, there’s a strong culture of support and cooperation among school leaders in southwest Virginia.

When COVID-19 forced districts into virtual learning, Perrigan and others in the region came together to launch a Regional Virtual Academy. That spirit of mutual aid persists—superintendents share ideas, pool resources, and problem-solve together.

“On Friday nights, our football teams compete,” Perrigan says with a smile. “But every other day, we work together to make it work for our students.”

Looking Ahead

Perrigan is pragmatic. He knows the money won’t always flow, and that political winds shift. But he remains committed to doing what it takes to give rural students the facilities—and futures—they deserve. “We need schools that are healthy, safe, and built for how kids learn today. Not how they learned 70 years ago.”

From the classrooms of western Virginia to the state capitol in Richmond, Superintendent Keith Perrigan is leading with urgency, creativity, and resolve. His work is a testament to what can happen when local leaders join forces, advocate boldly, and refuse to let rural communities be left behind.