NEENAH (NBC 26) — Just one vote decided the future of Hoover Elementary School.
- Neenah residents share their thoughts on the school district's decision to shut down Hoover Elementary
- Concerns surrounding transportation, other logistics loom
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web)
The Neenah Joint School District Board voted 5-to-4 in favor of shutting down the school late Tuesday night. The school will join Wilson and Roosevelt as the third elementary school in the area to shut in the last three years at the end of this school year. The board shared its decision on the closure in a statement:
“This transition will open more opportunities for our students and create better efficiencies within our elementary structure. It directly fits into the long-term plan that our district began five years ago and rejecting this plan would not have solved the issues we are currently facing.”
This decision has already affected many kids and their parents. Virginia Reese is a mother of two special needs kids and says she also has disabilities of her own. She says with no access to transportation, living close to the school allowed her to get there quickly.
Reese declined to talk with us on camera, but was willing to speak with me over the phone.
“I have not talked to one person within the community that is for this. I’m sure there are some, but the majority of my community, we live in low income. We are all very close. Most of us couldn’t make it to the meetings because a lot of these people who live here work during those times.”
Neenah Joint School District says that Hoover Elementary School will remain in session until the end of this school year.
