Reynolds Elementary to close next year - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Reynolds Elementary to close next year

By: Christine Souders

csouders@cbs4qc.com

A Rock Island County Elementary School is closing its doors for good after this school year. 

The District is $1 million dollars behind on their bills, and that's why the Rockridge School Board decided to shutdown Reynolds Elementary School during Monday night's meeting.

Which means nearly 150 students at Reynolds will have to go another school next year.

Lorie Brown has triplet boys at Reynolds and agrees with the district's decision, "I think the teachers make the difference rather than the physical building, and where it's located."

Next year, 6th graders will be moving to the junior high.

3rd grade to 5th grade students will now be head to Andalusia.

Parents with kindergartners to 2nd graders will either go to Taylor Ridge or Illinois City, while preschoolers will go to Illinois City.

The big move could save the district more than $80,000 dollars a year.

"Reynolds was clearly going to be the most expensive building to keep open, it's going to need the most repairs, it's quite a bit older than the other buildings," said Dr. Chester Lien, the District's Superintendent.

In addition to closing Reynolds, they also had to let 7 teachers go.  Lien said they are now paying the consequences of district overspending and less state funding.

"If we don't make any changes right now, and if finances don't change at all within 2 years, our education fund would be gone."

Regardless of school, Brown said all she wants is her kids to get a good education.

"They've has some really great teachers and hopefully they'll have that in the new school."  

The five non-teacher positions at Reynolds, including cooks and janitors, are also losing their jobs because of the school closing.