Most of Monterey's students will attend Culver Elementary next year, although some Monterey parents have indicated they will pull out of the Culver district if the local school is closed.

Enrollment at Culver Community Schools has dropped from 1,204 students to 1,018 students over the last 12 years. Students from Monterey will help fill empty classrooms at Culver. Closing the Monterey school will prevent the loss of any certified positions in the school system next year, but there may still be cuts in such positions as custodians, bus drivers, secretaries and aides. The teaching staff at Monterey will transfer to Culver.

Monterey Elementary is the second smallest K-6 public school in the state with an enrollment of 150 students (up from 128 the previous year).

Schuldt had previously explained to the school board that keeping Monterey open would require more than $800,000 in budget cuts to Culver Elementary that would most likely come from administrators, teachers and extracurricular programs.

He noted the school system is facing a shortfall of $856,000 over the next two years, primarily due to new state legislation that eliminates Culver's $573,000 Restoration Grant and a nearly $200,000 Small School grant.