The Northport-East Northport School District voted Thursday to close two school elementary schools over the summer.

District officials voted 5-2 to shutter Bellerose Avenue and Dickinson Avenue elementary schools.

MORE: Northport-East Northport BOE, parents at impasse over plan to close elementary schools, relocate 5th grade

Officials say the closures are necessary due to declining enrollment.

Parents held a rally before the meeting to try and get the board to pause the decision while everyone continues to deal with the pandemic.

"We're just asking for one year," says Tammie Topel, of Northport. "We're not saying keep the schools open indefinitely. We know we have to be fiscally responsible."

The school closures mean shifting fifth graders into two different middle schools, which currently house sixth, seventh and eighth. The high school would remain unchanged.

Anthony Carter will now be attending fifth grade in the middle school instead of having another year in elementary school. Carter says he's not happy about the decision.

Carter says his class is also being split up in the move.

"We talk about it in school because we're really going to miss each other," says Carter.

The district says closing the schools could save more than $7 million, however, parents are worried about overcrowding now.

The schools are set to close Aug. 31.