The reversal came weeks after the board approved a district-wide consolidation plan aimed at addressing declining enrollment. At that October meeting, board member Coronda Ziegler accidentally voted against an amendment that would have removed Blevins from the closure list. She corrected her error on Thursday, voting with the majority to keep the school open.

“I don't want a school community to be punished for a decision that I have made,” Ziegler said at the meeting, after apologizing for her mistake. She attributed her confusion to an incomplete onboarding process for new board members and rushed conditions during the initial vote.

The amendment keeps Blevins open for at least the next five years and allocates an additional $250,000 over the next two years for “marketing and staffing needs,” according to the release.

Board Vice President Kevin Havelda, who voted to provide the extra resources, warned that keeping the school open without support would be harmful. “Keeping Blevins open tonight without any measurable support mechanisms or commitment of resources from the district is a death sentence,” he said. “I don't believe that that is fair or appropriate.”

The rest of the consolidation plan—which will close five elementary schools and merge two high schools over the next two years—will move forward. The closures are intended to address dropping enrollment as birth rates fall and families with school-age children move to more affordable areas. A broader proposal to close nine schools was unveiled in September and drew strong community pushback.

This is the second time the board has modified its initial recommendation. Before approving the plan last month, board members removed the district’s three mountain elementary schools from the closure list. Two years ago, the board also proposed more limited consolidations but tabled the plan after major community opposition.

The decision leaves Blevins families relieved but raises questions about how the district will manage resources as it proceeds with other closures. The $250,000 allocation is meant to support staffing and marketing at Blevins, though it remains unclear how the district will fund the commitment amid broader budget pressures.

Community members who opposed the closures have argued that shuttering neighborhood schools disrupts families and disproportionately affects vulnerable students. The board’s reversal on Blevins, while welcomed by many, does not alter the planned closures of five elementary schools and two high school mergers—changes that will reshape the district in the coming years.

The special meeting was held Thursday evening; the vote was 5-4.