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Jun 26, 2008 6:45 am US/Eastern
School Board Votes To Close Schenley High
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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The Pittsburgh School Board voted to close Schenley High School tonight.
KDKA
The Pittsburgh School board voted to shut down historic Schenley High School in a 5 to 4 vote late Wednesday evening.
The vote came just before 10:30 p.m. at a very tension filled meeting.
That vote didn't come without last ditch efforts by some of the school board members especially Randall Taylor who kept introducing resolutions and amendments as a way to keep Schenley opened.
At one point, he even suggested postponing the vote.
However, in the end the majority of the board agreed with Superintendent Mark Roosevelt's belief that the school is simply too dangerous for students to occupy and too costly for the district to renovate, with a price tag in excess of $70 million.
Schenley activists left discouraged but not defeated.
"A very sad day," said Schenley activist Rev. Helen Burton. "Because of the vote that went down tonight. But also, more important than that, we need another school board. They need to understand that they should be working on behalf of people."
"I don't know that there's anything else we can do at the moment," said Schenley activist Tim Stevens. "Those of us who are activists we will look at it again. But at least there was a vote to pull together a mixed committee of folks throughout and across the board to look at what's possible and at least that is something for those of us who are passionate about Schenley."
Stevens, of the Black Political Empowerment Movement, was talking about an amendment that was introduced that creates a new committee of community and political members to explore options for using the Schenley building.
"It's a sad thing, but for the children's safety we need to close that building, and I really am optimistic that the education for the kids is going to be just fine," said School Board Member Jean Fink.
Stay with KDKA for more reaction to the closing of Schenley High School.
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