As the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education continues its discussion on potential changes to the setup of elementary schools in East Lansing this evening, Red Cedar and other schools in the district are facing fears of potential consolidations and closures.

The district’s six elementary schools, including Red Cedar, Marble, Pinecrest and Donley for grades K-4, and Whitehills and Glencairn for grades 5-6, have been the subject of East Lansing School Board discussions throughout the summer.

At a special meeting Aug. 30, the board was presented with several options for change within the district.

Remodeling and renovating all six school buildings would cost between $33 million and $45.3 million, said Ted Ryskamp, project director for Clark Construction Company Inc.

Other options presented to the board range from about $62 million to $64.5 million and present various ways the city could consolidate the schools, offering plans to end regular school operation in one or more of the buildings.

As planned, the consolidation project also would consist of renovations to the buildings.

East Lansing School Board President Rima Addiego said this is an ideal time for the board to begin changes in the elementary schools because of an ideal monetary opportunity, the aging infrastructure of the elementary school buildings and operational savings the district could incur.

“We have a lot of different sorts of students in this district ­— it’s not a cookie-cutter place, (and) it’s not a cookie-cutter student body,” she said.

For some East Lansing residents, concern lies not in the issue of school renovations, but potential school closure.

The school board has not chosen to close any of the six elementary schools at this point in time.

The board will continue its discussion at 6 p.m. tonight at MacDonald Middle School and hopes to hash out a more concise plan that will go before the public in a hearing at the end of the month.

At its Sept. 6 meeting, the East Lansing City Council made a motion to recommend saving all schools in the East Lansing district. During the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Diane Goddeeris said keeping each school in the community was crucial to preserving East Lansing’s community feel and drawing new families to the area.

Sackett and her family initially moved to the area from Israel when her husband began his studies toward a postdoctorate degree in chemistry at MSU. The family benefited greatly from having teachers used to teaching English as a second language and a population accepting of many cultures.

The university also has made an official stance on the issue, said MSU Director of Communications Ginny Haas. Because of the close proximity of Red Cedar to Spartan Village Apartments, where many MSU students live, Haas said the university supports keeping Red Cedar, in particular, open.

“The diversity of East Lansing schools is based a lot on the international students who come (to MSU),” Haas said. “Red Cedar is a benefit to the community. … It would be a shame if that school closed.”