The Seattle School board voted 5-2 to approve superintendent Raj Manhas' final recommendations on school closures after a tense special legislative session last week. Viewlands Elementary School remains on the list as one of six schools and a district interim site slated for closure in fall 2007.

A motion introduced by board member Sally Soriano to remove Viewlands from the list failed 5-2, but the board scrapped their own proposal to merge the students into Greenwood Elementary. They agreed the community should have more time to discuss an appropriate location for Viewlands Autism Inclusion Program.

It was also decided that three additional schools would close in the fall of 2007 during a second phase of school closures. The district plans to recommend closing another school in the North, Northeast, or Northwest cluster, another in the Central area and in West Seattle.

Board president Brita Butler-Wall acknowledged how difficult the process has been for the district, families and students, but said the closures are necessary because of declining enrollment and growing budget shortfalls.

"We don't need 70 elementary schools anymore," she said, "and it's (the board's) responsibility to face that fact."

Most of the meeting was spent in heated debate over several unsuccessful amendments to save Viewlands from closure or at least to defer that action until the 2008-09 school year. Board members Mary Bass and Sally Soriano sponsored the majority of the amendments but were on the tail end of almost every vote. They were also the only two members to vote against the entire package of school closures.

"I'm surprised at how good academics have really been ignored in this process," said Soriano, referring to Viewlands and earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Viewlands was originally slated for closure from the district's community advisory committee in May. The citizen committee was tasked with deciding which elementary and alternative schools should close based on a number of board determined criteria and principles, such as academic achievement and building condition.

Viewlands was chosen because of its poor building condition and low enrollment. But Soriano said those factors do not reflect the success of the school.

"The issue has been one of a coat of paint," said Soriano. "Because the district wouldn't put a coat of paint on the building, parents went by that school looking at the cover of a book, so enrollment fell."

Some Viewlands school and parent community members vocally opposed the last minute board-generated merger that would send Viewlands' students to Greenwood Elementary School next year. Parent Lynn Miller said, unlike other mergers in the plan, Viewlands and Greenwood staff and parents were never given the chance to discuss the merger because the idea was introduced after school had let out for the summer.

"It's a mash, not a merger," said Miller.

Board member Darlene Flynn said she'd like the community to have a "deeper conversation about the relocation process" because she feels partly responsible for the merger since she drove it at the board level.

The rest of the board agreed and voted unanimously to wait to recommend a new location for the Viewlands Autism All-Inclusion Program until the second phase of the closure process.

The board also voted to protect each school intended to house a merged school under this plan from the list of schools being considered for closure in the second round this fall. All schools slated for closure in the first and second phase will be closed in fall 2007.

The meeting was lively at times, as several audience members made their distaste for board decisions known, often shouting and snickering at board members. Board president Brita Butler-Wall had to call the meeting to order several times and even ruled one audience participant "out of order."

Before voting against the entire plan, board member Bass said she wasn't sure closures were necessary because the district didn't look to other money saving options, such as selling surplus buildings, before they deciding to close schools.

It was the second time the district attempted school closures in the last two years. Last year's process was halted due to public protest over the process that many thought was unfair.

But this year a citizens advisory committee was commissioned to study the schools and solicit community input. A series of public meetings were held before and after the committee released its preliminary and final recommendations to the superintendent.

The superintendent and his staff then analyzed the recommendations accompanied by several more public hearings. The process culminated with the board vote last week.

But Viewlands parent Lynn Miller said she feels like the process isn't finished.

"The board needs more time to understand this issue," she said. "Obviously they have a lot on their plate, but they need to take the time to understand this."

It will cost about $1.4 million to close the schools and move programs and supplies, Manhas has said. Along with removing up to $350 million in potential capital levy projects, a potential savings of $4.4 million in capital costs and about $2.1 million in operating costs is expected for the first year. The district anticipates the total savings will rise each year.

Families of students affected by the first round of closures will be notified of their new school in August, district officials said. Those families will be given the option to sign up for another school during open enrollment in January.

A preliminary recommendation list for the second phase is tentatively scheduled for mid-September and the school board vote is scheduled for Nov. 1.

The final recommendations result in seven building closures, five of which are mergers or consolidations:

* Viewlands - Close building; recommend a new location for the Viewlands Autism All-Inclusion Program in second phase.

* John Marshall - Close building, relocate programs

* M.L. King - Close building, merge at T.T. Minor*

* Hughes (interim site) - Close building

* Fairmount Park - Close building, merge at High Point

* Whitworth - Merge program at Dearborn Park

* Orca at Columbia - Close building, relocate to Whitworth, expand to K-8

* Rainier View - Close building, merge at Emerson

*Community generated merger previously approved by superintendent; will merge fall 2006.