BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A battle to preserve a cherished educational institution has evolved into a wider struggle for community solidarity.

Local leaders, including the mayor, are rallying to prevent Brevard Public Schools from shutting down Cape View Elementary School due to its dwindling enrollment numbers.

Since October, James Sparvero, your Cape Canaveral Community Correspondent, has covered the deliberations as the district considers transferring the 270 students from Cape View to Roosevelt Elementary, located seven miles away in Cocoa Beach.

In anticipation of the school board’s decision on January 20, Cape Canaveral’s city council is set to engage with board members at a preliminary meeting on January 6.

During a recent council gathering, Mayor Wes Morrison expressed concerns that the district has not adequately included the city in these critical discussions.

“We are not Cape Canaveral without Cape View,” the mayor said.

Like families Sparvero has talked to, all of the council wants Cape View to stay open, even though it’s half-full.

“You’ve got a passionate parent-base, an involved community,” Morrison said. “Why are we staring 30 days out at a closure?”

Catching up with the PTO president, Rajesh Ravisankar said the community is still not giving up.

The district has argued it’s spending so much more money per student at a school that’s under-enrolled.

“I did not realize that public education has turned into a business model,” Ravisankar said. “We are hopeful at this point because that is all that we have.”

It was brought up at the last council meeting how other Central Florida districts are considering closing schools because of low enrollment.

In Orange County, the school district could close seven schools.