Fairfax School Board member Elizabeth Bradsher on Friday recounted the previous night’s emotionally charged School Board meeting, when board members voted 9-2 to close Clifton Elementary.

“The school had many needs, it was quite expensive to renovate and we had a declining population there. So it came down to not only what was best for the students but what was best for the county,” Bradsher said.

Roughly 150 Clifton parents and residents attended the meeting dressed in red in an effort to save the school, a show of unity not lost on Bradsher.

“It was very emotional, very tough,” she said. “But I do think that we did what we had to do.”