Sadness and defeat were felt by teachers and board members as the Greater Johnstown School Board voted to close Johnstown Middle School Tuesday night.

They also voted to furlough twelve faculty members. However, six of them will have the chance to apply for positions within the district.

“I think tonight is a new chapter in the history of Greater Johnstown School District. It comes with great sadness, but when you look at the financial complexities facing the commonwealth, we had presented the information to the board to make an informed decision and we did just that,” said Michael Vuckovich, the interim superintendent for Greater Johnstown School District.

Shutting down the middle school will help close a $4.5 million deficit projected in next year’s budget. District officials said it will also allow for more special programs for education and the arts.

The 650 middle school students will be split into the three remaining buildings: Kindergarten-4th grade at West Side Elementary,  5th-7th grade at East Side Elementary and 8th-12th grade at the high school.

However, there isn’t room for everyone in the redesign.

Ed Knapic is one of the furloughed faculty members. He’s the high school electric shop instructor and said students will be the ones who are hurt.

“I worked at Johnstown School district for 16 years prior to that I worked at vo-tech for five years and prior to that I was out in the field as an electrician,” said Ed Knapic, the high school electric shop instructor. “For myself, nobody like to lose their job. But I can move on. But for the students it’s a shame.”

Although the decision is made, there are still uncertainties and challenges ahead: student transportation times could increase to an hour each way. It’s also unclear what will happen to the middle school building.

District officials said the decision was tough, but they believe it’s the best option.

“At the end of the day we’re putting the interest of kids first. We’re able to increase specials, increase instructional time while decreasing costs. It’s in the best interest of our students,” Vuckovich said.

Over the summer, district officials will work with teachers and students’ families so that by fall everyone will be ready for classes to start.