San Jose Unified delays school closure vote amid public concern – The Mercury News
The committee members are very divided about the school closing proposals that were written earlier. Those in favor of the options pointed out that “critically small schools” place a heavy burden on teachers and staff and offer limited resources to students, while those opposed expressed concerns the proposed plan would create overcrowded classrooms, split communities and drastically impact students, especially those in special education programs.
San Jose Unified announced its plan to close schools earlier this month as part of the district’s “Schools of Tomorrow” initiative. Launched last fall, the plan attempts to address the loss of nearly 6,000 students — a 20% decline in enrollment — since 2017, by closing or consolidating up to nine of the district’s 27 elementary schools.
Ethan Dutra, a fifth-grader at Gardner Elementary School, said at a special board meeting before Tuesday’s committee meeting that while the school closures don’t affect him because he’s headed to middle school next year, it does affect his friends, his sister and his community.
“They prioritize bank accounts over the communities that rely on these schools,” said Dutra. “They divide communities, not livelihoods. They destroy friendships, careers and school history. They care about the future – the schools of tomorrow. What about today’s schools? What about families?”
And families and community advocates have expressed concern that the school closure proposal disproportionately endangers black and Latino students, focusing more on inner-city campuses while leaving many of the Almaden Valley’s inner-city schools untouched.
“I have worked with those families every day for the past year, and I have seen with my own eyes how that affects the children every day,” said Tamayo. “It was really challenging to work with those kids, I don’t want my child to be part of those numbers.”
Families have also repeatedly wondered why San Jose Unified is discussing closing schools so soon after voters approved a $1.2 billion school bond aimed at renovating schools in need of repairs and upgrades. On Nov. 2024, California voters re-approved a $10 billion public school bond measure that allocates $8.5 billion to K-12 schools for facility repairs.
The committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 10 to discuss new approaches and try again the recommendation.
