Budget cuts have forced the closure of two schools within the Jackson School District in Ocean County.

On Monday, teachers and students said goodbye to McAuliffe Middle School after 32 years.

"We’re here to celebrate the years that we've had together and that's what's most important is to celebrate the memories," said Principal Debra Phillips.

The middle school, which houses grades 6, 7 and 8 was named after Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space.

The emphasis on space and science was continued, starting with the school's first vice principal, John Dunzelman Sr.

"I got to meet a lot of kids then because I went right to their classes and taught them everything I learned in space camp," said Dunzelman, whose son and grandson also attended McAuliffe.

On Monday, he gave away some of his collector's items from his lessons for students to keep.

District officials say the closure is part of a district-wide reconfiguration as they struggle to survive $22 million in state aid cuts and rising costs over the last seven years.

Jerri Parlow has been teaching at McAuliffe since 1993, when it opened.

"It's very upsetting to watch what's happening to Jackson and the closing of schools and you worry about how that will affect our children here," she says.

Seventh grader Shannon Bradley shares a name with her dad who's a teacher and softball coach at McAuliffe. They say the school means a lot to their family.

"I made so many memories here and I think the atmosphere is great and I'm really going to miss that," Bradley says.

"This is the first school I ever taught at, I'm seven years in and having that time with my daughter has meant the world to me," says Shannon Bradley Sr.

The eighth-grade class of 2025 is the last to graduate from McAuliffe.

Starting in September, sixth and seventh graders will switch to Jackson Township Middle School, formerly known as Memorial High.