The Iowa City Community School District board of directors will vote on whether to close Hills Elementary School due to constrained budget costs at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Iowa City schools administration recommended the board vote to close the school for the 2024-25 school year as it will reduce budget costs by $1.6 million of the $3.75 million needed to be cut for the fiscal 2025.

The school has an enrollment of about 155 preschool to sixth-grade students.

Many community members have expressed strong opposition to closing Hills, and over a dozen students, faculty, and parents voiced their concerns to the board during the community comment period of the Feb. 27 board meeting.

According to members of the community, closing Hills will disproportionately affect immigrant and Spanish-speaking students who need smaller class sizes and extra attention to perform well in school.

RELATED: Parents, students against potential closure of Iowa City schools’ Hills Elementary

In a document attached to the action item on the board’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, Superintendent Matt Degnerreleased a statement about how challenging the decision is to the district and that the district sees Hills as an important part of the school district community. He wrote that the administration has done all it can to keep the school open.

“Retiring a school site is an extremely difficult proposition and one the district does not arrive at lightly,” Degner said in the statement.