The Guam Education Board voted to shutter one longstanding elementary school, while keeping two other campuses up for consideration - open...at least for now.

The legacy of Chief Brodie Elementary School, six decades in the making, is nearing its final chapter. The Home of the Busy Bees will soon close its doors, writing the final lines of its story by school year's end. In a pivotal decision Tuesday night, the GEB voting  6-1 to shutter the Tamuning campus as part of the Guam Department of Education’s maximization efforts.

Board chairman Angel Sablan announced, “We did not receive any letters concerning Chief Brodie from any of the teachers or parents that attend that school either for or against the closure. We did have the principal from JM Guerrero attend our last meeting, and she had no objection to opening up her school to more students.”

Students from Chief Brodie will be absorbed into the Juan M. Guerrero, Liguan, and Tamuning elementary schools.

Meanwhile, there was strong community support helping to save Harry S. Truman Elementary, which had been under consideration for consolidation with Marcial Sablan Elementary. The proposed merger was estimated to save GDOE approximately $2.6 million. But for parents and educators, the fight was about more than numbers - it was about investing in students and the future of the community.

On such parent, Tiara Terlaje, said, “I call upon the legislature and decision makers to uphold your promise to prioritize education. It is your duty to find and allocate funding to support our schools. That responsibility should not fall on our most vulnerable population, the children, to bear the consequences of financial mismanagement.”

The GEb unanimously voting not to close Harry S. Truman, a decision met with overwhelming applause from those in attendance. As for the proposal to consolidate Tamuning Elementary with Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary, that decision was tabled for a later meeting. Board members expressed concerns about whether closing LBJ would end up costing more than keeping it open.

Sablan also urged education superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson to put out a request for information on LBJ to determine what may happen to the school if it closes.

The GEB is slated to meet again on March 4.