We don’t fault residents of the Sheffield or Youngsville areas for being worried about a possible closure of their school.

It’s an all-too-human reaction to fight changes to the status quo. Many of us have fond memories of our school days — first days of kindergarten, lessons learned both in and outside of a classroom, days spent with friends and, of course, the day we threw our graduation caps into the air and walked into the real world.

But as our county population declines and the cost to educate our children increases, we must come to the realization that Warren County may not be able to justify keeping every one of its existing buildings open. The most important thing in the debate we are about to have is not the way things were, it’s the way things will be for the next generation.

And one fact is simple — every dollar spent keeping a half-used building open is money that could have been used paying for a teacher to lead a course that better prepares a child for college or to join the workforce. Every half-full course in our schools is a wasted position that could be teaching an elective the Warren County School District currently doesn’t have the staff to teach because we are teaching too many half-full classes throughout the district.

That doesn’t mean the concerns of the roughly 150 concerned residents who attended a meeting recently at the Sheffield Volunteer Fire Department don’t have merit. They certainly do. Any closure — if it is recommended — should be equitable. As much as possible should be done to make sure a building closure is handled as equitably as possible.

But these discussions must focus on what’s best for students and taxpayers.

The rest doesn’t really matter.