Ocotillo Elementary School will close at the end of this school year and transform into a center that will house the district's seven preschools and early-childhood programs come August.
The Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously Tuesday night in support of the school's closure in front of 120 parents, teachers and staffers at district headquarters during its regular meeting.
The move will save the district nearly $1.5 million as administrators look to cut $10 million in the 2010-11 budget.
Superintendent Manuel L. Isquierdo told the board that in closing Ocotillo, the district will be able to keep preschools and all-day kindergarten for two years.
The closing of the school is an emotional decision, board member Eva Carrillo Dong told parents who spoke in favor of keeping the school open.
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Dong, who spoke in Spanish, then English, said the district does not have enough funding to keep both Ocotillo Elementary School and early-childhood programs operating.
"We already have a waiting list for preschools next year," said Dong, adding that she would not support any budget cuts that would kill preschools.
Nearly 300 students attending Ocotillo, 5702 S. Campbell Ave., will be sent to five other schools. The school's teachers and staffers also will move to other schools.
Parent Karely C. Cerecer, the mother of a kindergartner at Ocotillo, spoke on behalf of 250 parents, many who signed a petition in favor of keeping Ocotillo open.
"I understand the board's decision," Cerecer said after the vote. "I feel very sad. I know we moved their hearts."
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
