It was a bittersweet night for parents in Langley, B.C., whose children's schools were on the chopping block because of a massive budget shortfall.
As parents made a heated, last ditch effort to keep their kid's schools open, Langley school trustees voted 5-2 in favour of closing County Line Elementary School at a board meeting Tuesday night.
Trustee Stacey Cody apologized as she told parents the news.
"This is a decision that I think is long overdue and I'm quite angry actually that past boards have not made this decision. I'm sorry."
Trustees voted narrowly to keep Glenwood Elementary open, a decision that brought both parents and teachers to their feet.
The school board had identified the two schools as possible closures because of declining enrollments. Closing both facilities was estimated to save around $750,000 annually.
Trustees say they're also restructuring the entire school district to shrink the deficit. The region faces a $14 million shortfall, partially due to department accounting errors that led to overspending.
County Line will close at the end of June.
Langley isn't the only school board to fall on dire financial straits this year.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver School Board said it was considering teacher layoffs and school closures because of an $18 million budget shortfall.
Kamloops-Thompson trustees are also warning of layoffs as they cope with a $2.4 million shortage.
