Several school districts in the Illinois Quad Cities have been forced to make tough choices. On Monday night it was the Rockridge school board that voted to close Reynolds Grade school – one of the four in the district.
While it makes fiscal sense, saving the district over $1 million in operational costs over the next ten years and even more in building repairs, the decision wasn't made lightly.
"All of the kids are heartbroken. We love this school," says Tina Sims, Principal of Reynolds. "The kids love this school. But it's done. The kids are resilient. The teachers are resilient. We'll move on."
The district says the decision to close the school was a hard, but the responsible thing to do.
"Closing a building, you save on utilities, you save on insurance," says district Superintendent, Dr. Chester Lien. "The building was scheduled for $300,000 in repair over the next several years."
But the school itself – like many others around the area – has a special place in the lives of those who live here.
"There isn't a lot of industry in this town," explains Principal Sims, "The school is a big part of this town. Our hope is that something good happens with this building so it can remain a good part of Reynolds."
Now, it's times to look to the future for the building and for the children that will move to other school for their future education.
"There was a lot of love and there will still be a lot of love through the rest of the year," says Sims. "We'll take care of the kids throughout the rest of this year."
The changes go into effect next Fall.
