From everything that the Glenville-Emmons school district has been hearing for weeks, one of its elementary schools will be closed.

It won’t be Glenville Elementary.

There is no word yet on whether that means the Emmons building, which houses the middle grades, will shut down, but considering the school’s financial situation and low enrollment, the handwriting may be on the wall.

Around 400 people packed into the Glenville-Emmons High School Monday night to see the school board’s final decision on the building closure.

After two-and-a-half hours of discussion, the board finally voted 6-0 not to close the Glenville Elementary building.

A motion was then introduced to close the Emmons school building, but there was no second.

Superintendent Todd Chessmore said the board will have to vote on that in a special meeting next Monday night.

The board allowed the public to speak before they voted on either issue. Around 20 people gave their opinions on why one school or the other should be closed, why the communities are being torn apart and why a referendum to approve more school funding didn’t pass.

Jared Dawson, an Emmons resident and band teacher for the district, was the first to speak. Dawson asked that no matter what the decision of the board, the communities be supportive.

But most other speakers weren’t as unconditionally supportive. Most asked that the board make a decision in favor of Glenville or Emmons.

Nathan Cooper, a senior at G-E high school who lives outside of London Township, addressed the board.

Cooper, who has taken part in the leadership course which has advised the district on the feelings of the students, said the district should keep the Emmons school building open.

&uot;With 42 percent of the students in our district coming from Emmons, shouldn’t they get a school that will hold close to that many students?&uot; he said.

Cooper said students are not as interested in the matter as the parents are.

&uot;The people that have the problems are not the students, they are the parents,&uot; he said.

&uot;I think you should take the recommendations of Mr. Chessmore, Midwest Management Resources, and the students,&uot; he said. All of those groups recommended closing the Glenville school. &uot;If we keep fighting, we’ll keep fighting until the death, and we’ll all lose.&uot;

Jeff Minear of Glenville walked up to the microphone carrying a sign that read &uot;Don’t close Glenville.&uot;

Minear said closing the Emmons school makes much more financial sense. Figures supplied by MMR estimated that closing the Glenville school and preparing the Emmons school to take in those students would cost $6.29 million, while closing Emmons and moving those students to Glenville would cost $5.17 million.

&uot;We’ve got to cut costs,&uot; Minear said, saying it made no financial sense to keep the Emmons school open over Glenville.

An MMR representative, Dr. John Hanson, said the rationale for making the recommendation to keep the Emmons school open, although more expensive, was for the community of the district.

&uot;If this is going to be a consolidated district, both cities need to win,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s like a marriage.&uot;

Hanson said that with both cities having a stake in the district, there would be more investment in the long-term goals of the district.

Board chairman Todd Nelson said before the final vote: &uot;Education &045; I’d like everyone to stop and think about that. That’s what we’re here to do. What we need to do is think about what is right for our children.&uot;

&uot;We feel we are in a lose-lose situation,&uot; he said. &uot;We just have to stop thinking about what is best for ourselves and do what is best for our students.&uot;

A motion as made soon after by Cayla Bremer and seconded by Dave Claussen to close the Glenville building. The motion was voted down 6-0, and the Glenville residents, sitting on one half of the gym, burst into applause. The Emmons supporters on the other side stared on silently.

A motion was then made by Nelson to close the Emmons building, but it received no second. Finally, a motion was passed 5-1 to set the school’s open enrollment deadline for March 24.

This will mean that parents and students have to make up their minds about which school district to attend, if open enrolling, within one week of next week’s decision.

Next week a special meeting will be called to discuss the building issue once again. The board is likely to make a more determined decision at that meeting.