The issue of closing West Ironton Elementary has been laid to rest -- for now.

Thursday evening the Ironton City School Board voted to keep the school open until the matter is given further study, and until other options can be discussed.

Board member Teresa Parker proposed that the board form a Utilization of

Facilities Committee, made up of parents, staff, administrators and board members to determine what course the system should take in the future to save money, and to find new sources of funding the cash-poor system.

&uot;We're going to have to live on a shoestring,&uot; Parker said. &uot;We may have to do grant writing and fundraising.&uot;

Board member Robert Pleasant told the approximately 50 people who attended the meeting that &uot;changes have to be made, we realize that. We can't continue on as we have been.&uot;

But he also said the closing was &uot;something I never wanted to rush into.&uot; He asked that the community come together and find a solution that is best for the children.

Board member Steve Harvey took umbrage at a comment published in the Thursday edition of The Ironton Tribune that some board members had already made up their minds how they were going to vote.

The comment was made by Laura Taylor, a West Ironton parent who spoke out against the idea of closing the school at the last board meeting, and spearheaded an information drive to make other parents aware of what was going on.

&uot;No one likes the terms 'consolidation' and 'RIF-ing',&uot; Harvey said. &uot;But we're going to have to make changes due to economics. &uot; He told the people that being a board member is a tough job because sometimes you have to say 'no'.

&uot;This time next year, we'll have to look at these issues again,&uot; Harvey said. &uot;And I will expect this committee to stand behind the board on whatever decision we make.&uot;

Taylor told the board she didn't mean anything personal when she made the comment, but she was shocked when she attended the last board meeting and discovered that the board had actually intended at that meeting to vote on the issue.

Taylor said some parents had just been made aware of the proposal to close the school, and had come to that meeting expecting a question and answer session, not a formal vote on an issue that they had no say-so over.

Board member Kathy McGinnis, who made the motion to keep the school open, thanked the parents who came to the meeting to voice their opposition to the issue. &uot;We appreciate your concern,&uot; McGinnis said.

McGinnis said after the meeting she understood the concern parents had about closing the school, and was not prepared to make such a

decision until she had time to study the proposal at legnth.

"I think we can work together," McGinnis said. "And I think we can, together, find the right solutions to provide the best education for our students."

All four board members present voted not to close the school. Board president Gary Neal was absent.

When a yellow legal pad was placed at the front of the room for people to sign up for the new committee, more than 30 names were accumulated.

At one point, people stood lined up along a wall to wait for their turn to add their name to the list.

West Ironton parent Tim Rapp said the decision not to close the school pleased him.

&uot;I think we can find alternatives to closing West Ironton,&uot; Rapp said. He pointed out that the school was closed several years ago, and then re opened to accommodate the city's elementary students.

He wondered why the board doesn't pursue the idea of selling the administrative office building.

&uot;Let's close this building and keep the school open,&uot; Rapp said.

Parker told Rapp that appraisals had been performed recently on several buildings including the office building, and all of the appraisals were quite a bit lower than what the board had expected. She preferred to wait until the economy improves and the board could reap a greater profit from selling any unused building.

&uot;I don't believe in giving buildings away,&uot; Parker said.

Tracey Forbush was another parent who attended the meeting. She said

the school's parents had worked hard to have a good school, and was pleased the facility would stay open another year.

Like Rapp, she signed up to be on the committee.

&uot;I can do it. I'm a stay-at-home mom,&uot; Forbush said.

Superintendent Stephen Kingery said after the meeting that that other avenues would be pursued as a means of saving money.

&uot;We won't purchase items unless it's absolutely necessary. We'll be very cautious in whatever we do.&uot; Teresa Moore/The Ironton Tribune