The possible closing of Malta Elementary School and Tyler Elementary School were the topics of discussion at a special board of education meeting Wednesday.

The two schools may close due to budget problems and the current economic crisis.

“We need to figure out where to readjust to have a balanced budget,” said Andrea Gorla, assistant superintendent of business and finance.

District 428, which includes both Malta and Tyler Elementary Schools along with Clinton-Rosette Middle School and DeKalb High School, has a $60 million operating budget.

However, it would cost more to keep the Malta and Tyler schools operating than it would to close them and relocate the students, Gorla said.

Superintendent James Briscoe said Malta students would move to Wright Elementary School. Where Tyler students would be moved was not discussed.

The uncertainty in state funding of grants was mentioned as a huge hit to the district’s budget.

The district only received 50 percent of its state funding, but it received the news in August.

The timing gave the district’s administration no time to react to cut back on staff, Gorla said.

“Teachers are apart of a union and we can’t just say 15 of you go home,” she said. “It will be easier to overcome the first and second years with limited supplies, but the third and fourth will be a struggle.”

Grade configurations were also a subject of the meeting.

The board discussed different ways of organizing how the elementary schools would feed into the high school.

Five different options were presented, all of which called for the construction of a new high school. The current DeKalb High School would be converted into a middle school or a junior high school, depending on the plan.

Also presented were the potential savings of each option.

Some of the options would also divide the eight elementary schools in the district into primary and intermediate elementary schools.

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