Closing the school is a tough decision of no one's choosing, Richards said. There's a tradition of cooperation between small towns and small schools, he said, which can be seen in situations like this year when the tight budget meant choosing between van service and a hot lunch program. An anonymous donor gave half the funds needed to continue van service. Parents pitched in the rest and the school was able to keep both programs. But the tiny school doesn't match Nebraska's direction for school systems right now.
National policy is for smaller classrooms.
Substitute teacher Dorothy Moravec has taught in the Grafton school system for years, in classrooms in its old high school building and now the new facility. It hurts the town when schools close.