After months of debate, South Lewis School board members decided the fate of a local elementary school. Our Amanda Kelley tells us why the board voted unanimously to close the Constableville school at the end of this year.

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TURIN, N.Y. -- Parents who enjoyed walking their children to Constableville Elementary School will face major changes next school year.

Constableville resident Lydia Dittrich said, "I think it's unfortunate because when you not only close the doors to a school, you close the door to a community."

Constableville resident Joseph Genter said, "We're afraid our community Constableville will just end up being kind of pushed to the side. We're going to lose our sense of community."

In a unanimous vote, Constableville, or C-Ville Elementary, will close its doors at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

Board of Education President Barry Worczak said, "It was a tough decision, but it was a decision between whether or not we're going to keep a building or we're going to keep programs and staffing and so forth. I think this decision in the long run is probably the best decision to make."

But many parents came to Tuesday night’s meeting hoping to see a different course of action for their kids.

Genter said, "They deserve the best and we feel that our school does a wonderful job, we love our community and we hate to see that change."

This move will save the district approximately $550,000 and the elementary students will be divided between Port Leyden and Glenfield Elementary, but parents are concerned about the unintended consequences of this decision.

"I have some reservations I will be very honest, I have reservations," Dittrich said.

Genter said, "I think a lot of people in the community don't realize that the fifth graders from the other two elementary schools are being moved up to the middle school. That's going to be a huge impact on all of the students going from fourth grade to fifth grade."

Long bus rides are also a concern. But district leaders say they remain confident that this move will keep other services and programs, such as art and music, around for generations of students to come.

Worczak said, "Buildings don't make a community, it's the people that make that community. We as a community will come together and I'm sure it will work out."

The district has yet to decide what the Constableville school building will be used for after this year.