COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An education board has delighted residents of the small city of Crescent by voting to keep the community’s elementary school open despite a recommendation by the superintendent that it be closed as a cost-saving move due to declining enrollment. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Council Bluffs Board of Education voted 5-2 on Tuesday night to keep Crescent Elementary School open.

Superintendent Martha Bruckner had recommended closing the school, saying the district would have saved $185,000 annually. The district’s proposal to close the elementary school in Pottawattamie County would’ve sent students to Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Council Bluffs.

Crescent resident Michelle Shea says she is happy about the decision because the school has been a positive experience for her family and children.