CAMBRIDGE – On Aug. 2, the Dorchester County Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously to end the Facilities Feasibility Study, which began in February and was conducted by Baltimore-based consultants Hord Coplan and Macht (HCM).

A statement from the Board said the purpose of the study was to determine the condition of Dorchester County Public Schools’ aging infrastructure. This would assist the BOE in their assessment of the facilities during a time of declining enrollment and increasing financial pressures through the Maryland Blueprint Law, the statement said.

The BOE had faced vocal opposition from some parents, who objected to possibilities of school closures, or the redistribution of grade levels among schools. In one option presented, South Dorchester PreK-8 would have been closed.

“According to DCPS Board Vice President Mike Diaz, the study was proving to be a ‘distraction’ at a time when the Board’s focus should be on academics, safety, alternative education, and teacher retention,” the statement said. “The BOE members feel the information from the study will assist them in decisions involving building maintenance, renovation needs, or proposed new buildings, but those decisions are for the future.”

The online comment section of the feasibility study will remain open through the summer. The BOE will use the consultants’ final report to glean information for use to improve school facilities. “For the foreseeable future, no changes will be made,” the Board said.