Cambridge public school parents agonize over the future of the school system in the minutes leading up to a tense six-hour-long debate last night. The school commitee voted to close two public elementary schools.

Despite protests from over 200 parents demanding that their childrens’ schools be spared, the Cambridge School Committee voted 5-2 last night to close two of the city’s elementary schools and move five others into different buildings.

The vote ends a debate over closing or merging schools that has thrown the city into turmoil over the last year, and dragged on for six hours last night.

The plan is aimed at coping with declining enrollment and a budget deficit of $3.8 million. According to its author, Interim Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Turk, it will also spread resources to the district’s low-income and minority students.

Effective this fall, the Fitzgerald and Harrington Schools—which have been labelled as “underperforming” by the state—will close, and the high-performing Peabody and King Open Schools will move into their buildings, respectively.

The Longfellow School will relocate to the Kennedy School and the Graham and Parks School will move to the vacated Peabody School building. The Amigos School will move to the King Open School’s space.

Last night’s vote featured both cheering and jeering protestors who chanted in unison, poked fun at city officials and waved signs that read “Ban the Plan.”

Parents addressed the committee during the public comment section—yelling, crying, even threatening—for four hours.

Parents questioned the educational merits of the plan and accused committee members of acting for financial and political reasons.

Parents who opposed the plan—many of whom have children at the Peabody School—said the move to the Fitzgerald School would dismantle an already successful program.

“There is no parental support for this plan,” said Peabody School parent Ann Marie Michel. “It’s a bad plan that’s built up a lot of momentum.”

The reshuffling follows a series of over a half-dozen consolidation plans proposed since last May, all of which were voted down by the school committee after massive parental protest.

But because of support from district principals, heightened financial threats, exasperation with a process that had dragged on for months and new district leadership, this proposal quickly gained wider support.

Its opponents, however, turned out in force last night.

“I’m very surprised that you highly educated elected members of the school committee would support this plan,” said Peabody parent John Rutter. “Support this plan and you’ll never receive this Cambridge resident’s vote again. Peabody wants to pitch in—don’t pitch us out.”

Several parents also said they suspected the plan gained popularity because some committee members were tired of a process that had dragged on for months and as a result were quick to express their support for the latest plan when it was unveiled mid-March.