Mount Spurr Elementary School is set to close at the end of this school year following a Monday vote by the Anchorage School Board.
Two hundred and forty seven students currently attend Mount Spurr on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. There are two other elementary schools on the base.
The move comes after a district-wide capital efficiency study. That study, from an outside company, recommended closing JBER’s Orion Elementary. But school district officials said it made more sense to close Mount Spurr, because there are fewer classrooms at Mount Spurr, Aurora Elementary recently had significant updates and Orion houses the fine arts program and the district’s musical instruments.
The administration also took into account the benefit of increasing enrollment at the remaining schools.
Students currently attending the school will be provided transportation to Orion and Aurora Elementary Schools, according to ASD.
The board heard emotional testimony from several people opposed to the closure, but ultimately voted 5-2 in favor.
