The Whitnall School Board on Monday night soundly rejected a proposal to reconfigure the district's elementary schools.
The board's 6-1 vote came after residents packed the board's meeting room in a 50-minute special forum prior to the board meeting. Many of them were parents of elementary school children, and everyone who spoke asked board members to keep the schools structured the way they are.
The proposal would have shifted Hales Corners Elementary to a school for students in 4-year-old kindergarten through second grade, and Edgerton Elementary for students in third through fifth grade.
Administrators proposed the reconfiguration because it would save at least $280,000 by cutting four teachers, and would also help balance the enrollment at the schools.
But parents said the proposal was rushed, would lead to a difficult transition for students and would only be a short-term fix for the schools' enrollment issues.
School Board President Bill Osterndorf cast the lone vote in favor of the plan, saying not only are the budget reductions necessary, but the new structure would serve students well.
School officials will now look elsewhere for budget cuts. They are seeking to cut between $1 million and $3 million in its 2010-11 budget.
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