Monday evening’s public hearing about the possible closing of the Slippery Rock School District’s Har-Mer Elementary School proved that the idea is no less controversial now than when it first was introduced.

But when board members were elected to their school director positions, they knew difficult decisions would lie ahead — and that they would anger some people when making decisions in the district’s best interests.

Regarding Har-Mer, board members’ task will be to weigh the significant community opposition against such issues as:

1. The current and future costs of keeping the building open.

2. The prospects for community growth that would increase Har-Mer enrollment in the years ahead.

3. New busing issues that would be created by the school’s closing.

4. The additional opportunities that might be available to current and future Har-Mer students if they would be transferred or initially enrolled either at the Slippery Rock or Moraine elementary schools.

Sentimentality over Har-Mer must not trump providing the best opportunities for Har-Mer students to get their educations off to the right start.

That is not to cast judgment about the quality of Har-Mer’s educational program and experience, but it will be the most important consideration facing the board members over the next three months.

The board is not permitted to vote on the school’s fate until 90 days after Monday’s hearing. The latest the board can act if it wants to make a change for the 2013-14 school year is June 10.

Schools are the centerpiece of most small communities, and it is traumatic, at least temporarily, for some small children when they have to move to a new, bigger school farther away from their homes.

The possibility of a move could be made less traumatic for students if parents handled the issue gently in discussions with their children, rather than expressing alarm or anger that would stoke unnecessary fear in their children’s minds.

Monday’s hearing set the stage for a decision about three months from now. The concern about the overall well-being of the district and the affected Har-Mer students and families will represent one of the most difficult decisions board members will face during their tenure.

Even voting to retain the status quo won’t necessarily please everyone.