Official: Abigail Vare School Is Closing

Save Our School

Sad news tonight - Abigail Vare Elementary is closing. While the School Reform Commission (SRC) chose to spare four of twenty-seven schools in an effort to lessen the financial burden on the Philadelphia School District, Abigail Vare didn't make the cut. 

It isn't the only local school on the list either. George Washington Elementary school at 5th and Federal will be shuttered as well. For Pennsport and the surrounding community, it's a tough pill to swallow. The worst part is that voting went from one-by-one closures to voting on large groups. That, and the fact that it was unanimous.

smith, a. vare, g. washington close. unanimous #phillyeducation
— Philly.com Breaking (@phillynews) March 8, 2013

To say this vote wasn't popular is an understatement. Kristen Graham was on the scene and live-tweeting the event.

city police estimate abt 700 ppl outside #phillyeducation hq protesting skl closings.
— Kristen Graham (@newskag) March 7, 2013

police confirm 19 arrests at SRC meeting. #phillyeducation
— Kristen Graham (@newskag) March 7, 2013

Elizabeth Fiedler will be live on Twitter at Vaux tomorrow morning talking about the closures. It should be interesting to see how the affected areas digest this information.

RT @eafiedler: If you're on Twitter early Fri tune in for AM updates from @llazarski & me live at a school slated to close #phillyeducation
— NewsWorks (@NewsWorksWHYY) March 8, 2013

Was anyone at the meeting tonight? Give us an idea of what the atmosphere was like and what it meant for the neighborhood. If you have any pictures you would like to share, email me, pennsporter [at] gmail.com.

Also, please feel free to share your memories of Abigail Vare Elementary in the comments below. It will be interesting to see where the school district goes from here and what happens to these incredible neighborhood institutions.