ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — The Orange County School Board voted to close Richmond Heights Elementary on Tuesday night.
The school has been open since 1964, and school board officials said the district will save $1 million a year by merging the 300 students from Richmond Heights with the children from Eccelston Elementary School and building them a new Eccelston Elementary.
"Especially with a predominately black neighborhood, I think it's long overdue. I think the impact is going to be great. We need it," said parent Joslyn Barnes.
Barnes said she's excited for the potential of improving the schools. Some board members said the move will guarantee more students access to art and music teachers and include technology upgrades.
WFTV learned that Richmond Heights is underperforming, with a D grade from the state.
However, opponents of the closure worry it will be a longer walk and disrupt Richmond Heights' heritage as a historically African-American school.
On Tuesday night, board members were given a petition to stop the merger with more than 500 signatures.
"Once you've been at the school a long time, you've been a family. I don't think they should close the school," said parent Nicole Scott.
The original plan was to repair Richmond Heights, but officials said that alone would have cost nearly $3 million.
Instead, officials said they will break ground on the new Eccleston Elementary School in 2012.
WFTV
