Although the Gloucester County School Board voted 4-3 to close the elementary school program at T.C. Walker Elementary School during its March 13 meeting, it will hold a public hearing on the closure at 7 p.m. next Thursday, April 26, at Walker.

Closing the school and using the building it for another undetermined purpose was part of school division superintendent Ben Kiser’s fiscal year 2013 budget recommendation to the board in its Jan. 26 budget work session at Walker. A public hearing on the budget plan was held at Walker on Feb. 29, and was preceded by a question-and-answer session with the board regarding budget matters.

During its April 10 meeting, the board approved an attendance zone redistricting plan as part of distributing the 300 Walker pupils to other schools next fall. Board member Kevin Smith, who voted against the Walker closure, cast the lone vote against the redistricting plan. Smith told the board it needed to hold an appropriately advertised public hear...