Beloved LI elementary school saved from closure by dramatic vote after year-long fight

School’s in.The beloved East Elementary School in Long Beach was saved from closure after a dramatic school board vote Monday evening.The shoreline Long Island community’s school had faced potential closure amid a cost-saving consolidation — a prospect that promoted a year-long fight by parents seeking to save it, reports said.“I just want to say thank you,” parent Joanne Kapp told the board, News 12 reported.“I think this was hard for everybody.” Kapp started a petition begging for support in the effort to save the “cornerstone and heart of our community for almost 100 years.”The petition racked up nearly 4,100 signatures amid the campaign to press the school board to keep East Elementary open.“We have not experienced a loss of funding that would justify such a drastic decision as initially proposed,” the petition argued.

“In fact, we have seen positive changes in funding, and the district has not presented clear evidence that closing East Elementary is necessary from a financial standpoint.”School board members ultimately heeded the call from Long Beachers, voting 4-1 to rescue the school from consolidation.“The majority of the board felt the benefits of consolidating did not outweigh the risks and the concerns that we’re faced with,” said Sam Pinto, the board’s president, according to Patch....