Alums Disappointed Over Board's Decision To Close Weiner High
By: Jocelyn Tovar, KARK 4 NEWS
Updated: March 11, 2013
That will likely be the last time the fans will cheer on their cardinals.
"Everyone's here," said Misty Pickle, "Probably the whole town 800, 900 people."
Pickle's daughter plays on the team for a town she says relies heavily on the high school.
"All our small businesses, grocery stores," she said. "They'd all be affected."
"We have five yes', the motion carries," affected by the Arkansas' Board of Education's decision Monday to close the high school.
"Of course I'm extremely disappointed," said Gary Sitzer.
Sitzer is an alumni of the school and said it's been a huge part of his life.
Something he impressed upon the board members during a hearing on whether to shut the school's doors.
"My family's been in the Weiner community for over five generations," he said. "My wife does teach at the Weiner campus."
The superintendent for the Harrisburg School District, where the Weiner students will now go to school, told the board decreasing enrollment, fewer options available for college credit courses, and financial gaps were the main reasons the school needed to be closed.
"That gap of pupil expenditure is one reason but not the only reason we've petitioned you to close the Weiner campus," said Danny Sample. "And bring those students to the Harrisburg campus."
Effective July 1st, 2013 the only Weiner campus will be the town's elementary school.
"I would imagine that'll be their next target," Sitzer said.
And just like that, the cardinals no longer have a team to root for.
"Everyone's here," said Misty Pickle, "Probably the whole town 800, 900 people."
Pickle's daughter plays on the team for a town she says relies heavily on the high school.
"All our small businesses, grocery stores," she said. "They'd all be affected."
"We have five yes', the motion carries," affected by the Arkansas' Board of Education's decision Monday to close the high school.
"Of course I'm extremely disappointed," said Gary Sitzer.
Sitzer is an alumni of the school and said it's been a huge part of his life.
Something he impressed upon the board members during a hearing on whether to shut the school's doors.
"My family's been in the Weiner community for over five generations," he said. "My wife does teach at the Weiner campus."
The superintendent for the Harrisburg School District, where the Weiner students will now go to school, told the board decreasing enrollment, fewer options available for college credit courses, and financial gaps were the main reasons the school needed to be closed.
"That gap of pupil expenditure is one reason but not the only reason we've petitioned you to close the Weiner campus," said Danny Sample. "And bring those students to the Harrisburg campus."
Effective July 1st, 2013 the only Weiner campus will be the town's elementary school.
"I would imagine that'll be their next target," Sitzer said.
And just like that, the cardinals no longer have a team to root for.
