Yes, its a big mess...
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What is happening, is the School Board - we'll call them WFISD (Wichita Falls Independent School District) got a bond passed to build two new high schools.. Currently we have three high schools which will be replaced by the two new high schools.. WFHS Coyotes will be shut down and Coyotes mascot killed.. the other two high schools will become junior high schools and retain their names and mascots as junior highs.. WFISD determined that all 3 high schools need to be replace because they were in such bad shape they couldn't be used anymore.. THEN they decided two of the schools could be used as junior high schools.. Nothing is actually wrong with ANY of the high schools - they just wanted to build new high schools.. they claim our city is stagnate because the high schools aren't current.. the city is ACTUALLY stagnant because there are NO jobs here, no scenery, nothing to do etc.. people graduate, then move because there are no jobs, not because the high schools are not current.. People don't move here because there are no jobs - not because of the high schools..
WFISD did NOT state any plans to scrap existing school names and mascots until the bond was passed.. Once the bond passed, WFISD stated both new schools would have new names and mascots.. had they made that information public BEFORE the bond, the bond would have been shot down EASILY.. Because NOBODY in this town wanted to lose the Coyotes - its unfathomable to lose the Coyotes in this town.. Coyotes have 130 years of history and were voted the number 1 high school football program in Texas history, which is a BIG deal.. There is NO way that bond passes if WFISD announces the Coyotes would be killed BEFORE the bond election.. No way - not even close.. shot down in flames.. That bond has actually been shot down numerous times in the past, without the mascot issue even being addressed.. this time it passed, but out of 26,000 votes, it passed by a little over 300 votes.. so just barely passed..
So, WFHS Coyotes have had a 60 year rivalry with one of the other high schools (Rider Raiders) in town.. this is a HUGE rivalry that acts like a homecoming for both schools.. most football games have a few hundred fans at them.. Coyote/Rider games are sold out - not sure of the capacity: 10K?.. tons of people come back into town, hotels are packed, restaurants are packed.. its just a HUGE week for the town financially...
Our plan was to get the school being built closest to WFHS Coyotes named after the Coyotes with the Coyote mascot.. the other school being build is actually close to Rider, so we tried to get the other school named after Rider and keeping their Raider mascot to preserve the rivalry.. the other high school (Hirschi Huskies) would still become a junior high.. with THAT plan, 10-15% of the people in town would be pissed - Hirschi fans.. Hirschi is BY FAR the smallest of the high schools..
The WFISD plan is to let 2nd graders through high school students select the mascots from a small group of "pre-approved" mascots.. they claim the kids deserve to name their own schools and pick mascots - you should have seen some of the mascots the kids suggested.. just ridiculous..
But WFISD decided to kill the Coyotes AND the Raiders, so now 80-85% of the town is PISSED, because 80-85% of the town are Coyotes and Raiders..
All the money donated to school functions comes from Coyote alumni booster clubs and some from Raider booster clubs.. Hirschi provides nothing..
So, long story short - all three existing high schools being either torn down or repurposed at junior highs.. 3 high schools will become two new high schools.. enrollment is down 6% since this started and, more than likely, will go down even further since everyone is pissed..
The funny thing is transportation.. they picked the WORST areas in town to build these schools.. some students will travel an hour a day on busses now - even tho they currently live within walking distance of the existing high schools.. once the new schools are built, most will be riding busses to and from school from 15 minutes a day to about an hour, depending upon where they live.. people are EXTREMELY pissed about that, as well..
The WFISD has pretty much screwed this up about as bad as could possibly be screwed up.. Yet, they didn't announce ANY of this mess until after the bond passed.. if they redid the bond now, it would be shot down EASILY.. not even close.. like 25K to 1K against.. people are THAT pissed..
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
WFISD did NOT state any plans to scrap existing school names and mascots until the bond was passed.. Once the bond passed, WFISD stated both new schools would have new names and mascots.. had they made that information public BEFORE the bond, the bond would have been shot down EASILY.. Because NOBODY in this town wanted to lose the Coyotes - its unfathomable to lose the Coyotes in this town.. Coyotes have 130 years of history and were voted the number 1 high school football program in Texas history, which is a BIG deal.. There is NO way that bond passes if WFISD announces the Coyotes would be killed BEFORE the bond election.. No way - not even close.. shot down in flames.. That bond has actually been shot down numerous times in the past, without the mascot issue even being addressed.. this time it passed, but out of 26,000 votes, it passed by a little over 300 votes.. so just barely passed..
So, WFHS Coyotes have had a 60 year rivalry with one of the other high schools (Rider Raiders) in town.. this is a HUGE rivalry that acts like a homecoming for both schools.. most football games have a few hundred fans at them.. Coyote/Rider games are sold out - not sure of the capacity: 10K?.. tons of people come back into town, hotels are packed, restaurants are packed.. its just a HUGE week for the town financially...
Our plan was to get the school being built closest to WFHS Coyotes named after the Coyotes with the Coyote mascot.. the other school being build is actually close to Rider, so we tried to get the other school named after Rider and keeping their Raider mascot to preserve the rivalry.. the other high school (Hirschi Huskies) would still become a junior high.. with THAT plan, 10-15% of the people in town would be pissed - Hirschi fans.. Hirschi is BY FAR the smallest of the high schools..
The WFISD plan is to let 2nd graders through high school students select the mascots from a small group of "pre-approved" mascots.. they claim the kids deserve to name their own schools and pick mascots - you should have seen some of the mascots the kids suggested.. just ridiculous..
But WFISD decided to kill the Coyotes AND the Raiders, so now 80-85% of the town is PISSED, because 80-85% of the town are Coyotes and Raiders..
All the money donated to school functions comes from Coyote alumni booster clubs and some from Raider booster clubs.. Hirschi provides nothing..
So, long story short - all three existing high schools being either torn down or repurposed at junior highs.. 3 high schools will become two new high schools.. enrollment is down 6% since this started and, more than likely, will go down even further since everyone is pissed..
The funny thing is transportation.. they picked the WORST areas in town to build these schools.. some students will travel an hour a day on busses now - even tho they currently live within walking distance of the existing high schools.. once the new schools are built, most will be riding busses to and from school from 15 minutes a day to about an hour, depending upon where they live.. people are EXTREMELY pissed about that, as well..
The WFISD has pretty much screwed this up about as bad as could possibly be screwed up.. Yet, they didn't announce ANY of this mess until after the bond passed.. if they redid the bond now, it would be shot down EASILY.. not even close.. like 25K to 1K against.. people are THAT pissed..
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
