Saying goodbye: Sister educators at Weimer Elementary sad to move on as school closes

The decision to close Weimer was part of the county's consolidation efforts due to declining enrollment and budget constraints. Students from Weimer Elementary will be consolidated into either Alban Elementary (2.5 miles away) or Bridgeview Elementary (3.5 miles away) after it closes.

The West Virginia State Board of Education gave final approval in June 2023 to close Weimer Elementary, along with Grandview Elementary in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and Marmet Elementary in Marmet. Closing these three elementary schools is expected to save Kanawha County Schools around $1.6 million annually.

Losing more than a school

Sarah McGrath, 36, has been a teacher for 12 years, spending the last decade at Weimer. Her journey at the school is deeply personal.

“I got engaged here, got married here, had my baby while I was here. So it’s been a whole thing,� she said.

She began with second graders, then moved to third. But for the past six years, McGrath has taught first graders.

“I just always wanted to be a teacher. I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Ever since I was little. I would pretend to grade papers and play school even by myself. I loved school all growing up. It’s all I could think about doing,� McGrath said.

Julie Ramsey, 26, joined Weimer last school year as a teacher’s aide. At the time, she worked with a different teacher, but then got the opportunity to work in her sister’s classroom.

"She makes me want to be a teacher even more when I watch her teach,� Ramsey said.

Despite initially working in daycare, Ramsey is now pursuing her education degree.

“I love it. I’m so excited... I’ve never been more excited to be in school and be done soon [with her education degree],� Ramsey said.

The prospect of working with her sister was a dream come true for Ramsey.

“I was so excited and I wanted it so bad,� she recalled.

For McGrath, having her sister as an aide was a unique comfort.

“If I would have had anybody else as an aide, I probably would have gone crazy,� she admitted.

Their seamless collaboration is a testament to their lifelong bond and mutual understanding.

“I’m not the kind of person that’s going to tell someone what to do or ask them to do something, because I want it done a certain way,� McGrath said. “But when it comes to Julie, she’s my little sister. So I’ve been barking out orders to her my whole life. And I know she’s going to do it the way I want her to do it, because we have the same mother.�

Teacher: School closing is emotional for many

Weimer’s closing is not just a logistical challenge but an emotional upheaval for the sisters and their students. McGrath emphasized the close-knit nature of the small school, where personal connections with families and students have been a cornerstone.

“I like teaching at Weimer because it’s a small school,� McGrath explained. "We’ve seen it with our test scores. Our test scores go up when the class sizes are smaller."

Ramsey echoed these sentiments, expressing concern about the transition to larger schools.

“I worry that the kids are going to get in these really big classrooms and maybe not get as much support as we can give them here because there’s not as many of them,� she said.

Both sisters fear that the unique needs of Weimer’s students might be overlooked in larger settings.

The decision to close Weimer was attributed to declining enrollment, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the trend toward homeschooling. There has also been a loss of students to charter schools, which are schools that receive public money but operate independently of the public school system. Charter schools were made possible under a law passed by the state Legislature in 2019 in an move that — according to lawmakers — gave parents more choices for educating their children.

McGrath and Ramsey said they try not to focus on politics; however, they worry that — due to decisions at the state level — county school systems are facing increasing pressure to cut costs at the expense of student well-being.

“They’re going to try and save a buck wherever they can. That means pushing class sizes, which means kids slip through the cracks,� McGrath stated.

In addition to dealing with the emotions of Weimer Elementary closing, the sisters will part ways, professionally. Even though they will be assigned to different schools in the next academic year, the sisters hold onto the hope that their paths may cross again in the future.

“There’s always a possibility that something would open and I could apply for it and maybe [the position] would need an aide,� McGrath mused.