THE STATE-RUN PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT -- HAS ANNOUNCED WHICH TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSING IN THE CITY NEXT YEAR. (KIM) OVER THE WEEKEND -- THE PROVIDENCE TEACHERS UNION POSTED THE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA -- PROMPTING THE DISTRICT TO CONFIRM THE CLOSURES EARLIER THAN PLANNED. CARL G. LAURO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- AND THE ALAN SHAWN FEINSTEIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT BROAD STREET -- WILL CLOSE NEXT YEAR. AND A THIRD SCHOOL -- GILBERT STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL WILL BEGIN A PHASE-OUT NEXT YEAR -- AND WILL CLOSE COMPLETELY IN 2025. (SHANNON) THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SAYS -- THIS IS ALL PART OF A 500 MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO REBUILD CRUMBLING SCHOOLS IN PROVIDENCE. (KIM) EARLIER TODAY -- WE CAUGHT UP WITH COMMISSIONER ANGELICA INFANTE GREEN WHO SAID SHE WISHED THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAD GONE DIFFERENTLY. (Commissioner AIG) "This... is just not the way we wanted to do this." (SHANNON) TONIGHT -- 12 NEWS REPORTER AMANDA PITTS SPOKE TO PARENTS, TEACHERS AND THE UNION. (KIM) SHE JOINS US LIVE FROM PROVIDENCE WITH HOW THEY'RE REACTING. AMANDA? (AMANDA) KIM, SHANNON -- IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL NIGHT AT BOTH SCHOOLS -- AS PARENTS AND TEACHERS ATTENDED MEETINGS WHERE THEY LEARNED ABOUT THE CLOSURES. MOST TAKEN OFF GUARD BY THIS -- AND LEFT WONDERING WHAT NEXT YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THEM AND THEIR STUDENTS. EMOTIONS RUNNING HIGH AT TWO PROVIDENCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. CAROLINE LESTRANGE / TEACHER "We're very sad. Very sad." AFTER THE STATE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED TUESDAY -- THAT THE ALAN SHAWN FEINSTEIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT BROAD STREET, AND CARL G. LAURO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL CLOSE THEIR DOORS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. JEREMY SENCER / ORGANIZER, PROVIDENCE TEACHERS UNION "It's universally agreed upon that the process should have been different, and certainly could have been different." THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION -- THAT RUNS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT -- SAID THE CLOSURES ARE PART OF A 500 MILLION DOLLAR INITIATIVE TO REPLACE OLD, CRUMBLING SCHOOL BUILDINGS WITH FEWER, NEWER ONES. ESTIMATING IT WOULD COST 95 MILLION DOLLARS TO RENOVATE BOTH SCHOOLS. CARLOS CEDENO / PARENT "They don't care about our community, they don't care about our children. They only care about the money." FEINSTEIN AT BROAD STREET CURRENLY HAS 277 STUDENTS, WHILE CARL G. LAURO HAS 475. STAFF MEMBERS WERE FIRST TOLD THE NEWS IN MEETINGS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. JEREMY SENCER -- ORGANIZER FOR THE PROVIDENCE TEACHERS UNION WAS INSIDE THE ONE ARE LAURO. "It was an emotional meeting. There are teachers who have been here 20-30 years." THEN, PARENTS WERE TOLD THE NEWS IN MEETINGS AT NIGHT. CARLOS CEDENO SAID HIS FIRST GRADER IS DEVASTATED. "He said, mom, dad, the school's gonna be shut. And he starts crying." TEACHERS LIKE CAROLINE LESTRANG -- ALSO DEVASTATED AND TAKEN OFF GUARD. "22 years and just found out today." TEACHERS WERE HANDED A FAQ SHEET -- THAT SAID THEY'D NEED TO APPLY TO NEW POSITIONS IN THE DISTRICT NEXT SPRING. NO TEACHERS IN THE UNION WILL BE LAID OFF, AND THEY ARE GUARANTEED A POSITION. BUT -- THEY MIGHT NOT GET THE ROLE THEY WANT. "We have to go reapply for another job." LEFT JUGGLING THE WORRY OF THE UNKNOWN -- ALL WHILE ANSWERING TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM THEIR STUDENTS. "It was a sad day when my students asked me today, 'where are we going?' I said, 'we're all gonna go together some place. They'll find a place for us" (AMANDA) THERE ARE THREE SUPPORT SESSIONS FOR TEACHERS -- SET TO BEGIN IN LATE JANUARY. AS FOR PARENTS -- THEY'LL BE OFFERED A PREFERENCE FORM TO CHOOSE A NEW SCHOOL FOR THEIR CHILD. IN PROV AP 12 NEWS.