June 7—MORGANTOWN — An amended plan to open a charter school in the former Monongalia County Schools central office building at 13 South High Street will soon go before the Morgantown Planning Commission.
Abdul Tarabishy is one of three people who make up AST Morgantown Properties, the building’s new owner.
The group aims to open Wisdom Academy Charter School in August 2025 for up to 100 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
During a recent work session with the city’s Planning Commission and Director of Development Services Rickie Yeager, Tarabishy explained how he addressed the concerns that stalled his development of a Significant Impact Site Plan application with the agency earlier this year .
The commission made the request in January and nearly denied it in February before filing it a second time.
In both cases, members raised concerns about pedestrian safety and the possibility of traffic backing up on South High as vehicles line up to pick up and drop off students through the only in -/exit from the parking area.
Tarabishy explained that the group recently purchased a school bus with a capacity of 72 students that will operate one route through Morgantown to reduce the amount of traffic coming to the school.
Parents who choose to drop off and pick up their children will approach the school from the back, via Prairie Avenue.
“This route is the Morgantown High School pick-up and drop-off route,” Tarabishy said. “We and the high school will use that for a potential queue.”
He noted that the charter school will open and close after MHS to avoid adding to the already hectic traffic situation.
Finally, he said the school will have trained crossing guards stationed around the grounds and plans to hire off-duty police officers to keep things moving.
While the traffic measures appeared to address some of the committee’s concerns, there is still some work to be done.
Members said they want to see something from the West Virginia Division of Highways indicating it will install school zone signage and a crosswalk at South High.
Tarabishy said he is working with both the city and the DOH to that end. He also pointed out that MHS students at that location already cross South High Street every day.
“I think it’s a now problem, not an August 2025 problem. It’s our problem and it’s a city problem, but it’s a city problem now,” he said, later adding, “It would then my question is why high school can do that. do it and not us.”
Commissioner Tim Sranko responded.
‘I’m not going to answer that question and I’m not going to debate with you. Our concern here is whether this development is safe and appropriate for the neighborhood… That is our job and that is what we do. “What the high school does or doesn’t do is not in front of us and so it honestly doesn’t matter to me,” he said.
Yeager said there have been internal discussions involving city staff about what types of improvements would be appropriate, “but I don’t believe this level of discussion has occurred yet with the DOH.”
Ultimately, Stranko said, the question will come down to whether the committee believes the school can and will implement and enforce the measures described by Tarabishy.
“Once we let go of this, we will have no authority. I think it’s a great plan and I appreciate the creativity, but it all depends on who cooperates,” Stranko said, adding, “In the end, we have to rely on your good faith. “To make this plan work, there is nothing we can do after saying ‘yes’ here.”
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