NORTHFIELD — Leyden’s Pearl Rhodes Elementary School is closing at the end of June, the Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee decided last night.
Warwick Community School, which the committee has also been thinking about closing, gets another year, for now.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you,” said Warwick Selectboard Chairman Doc Pruyne, on his way out of the room after the vote.
For the most part committee members agreed that it would make the best sense financially to close both schools. But the quality of Warwick’s building and its reputation for attracting out-of-town students were seen as assets that could improve with time.
Of the 12 members of the committee, only one was not at the meeting. The votes were: eight in favor of closing Pearl Rhodes, three against; three in favor of closing Warwick Community School, eight against.
