SORENTO, Ill — The Bond County CUSD No. 2 school board has postponed a vote on the proposed closure of one of its schools.
The board planned to hold a public hearing Wednesday night about whether to close Sorento School. The small town of Sorento has a population of just over 600 and around 100 students are enrolled in the school.
The board chose to postpone the hearing after receiving “numerous questions and requests for information” related to the closure of the school, according to a press release from the board. The board said the district has responded to several requests, but some are still being processed.
“The Board has every intent to ensure the process of considering the closure of the Sorento school building is transparent; stakeholders are provided all necessary information; and questions about the plan moving forward, should the Board vote to close the Sorento school building, are answered,” the release stated.
Earlier this week, several people in the community shared how upset they were about the potential closure of the school.
“The school is the heart of the town,” said Jack Wall.
“It’s the focal point of the community,” said Jeremy Hudson. “It’s where all of the community comes together. All of the people of this community support it with their whole heart.”
“That’s what makes this town so great is our little school,” said Wall.
The board said it will schedule additional hearings in the future where the public will have the opportunity to make comments to the board prior to a final vote on the closure.