San José School District Moves to Close 5 Elementary Schools

San José’s school district will shutter five elementary schools and relocate another at the end of the year, despite pleas from parents and community members to halt the closure process.

The school board voted three to two late Thursday night in favor of the consolidation plan, which will close Empire Gardens, Lowell, Gardner, Canoas and Terrell elementary schools and relocate Hammer Montessori to the Gardner campus at the end of the year.

School Board Vice President Brian Wheatley and trustee Nicole Gribstad voted against the plan.

“It would not be honest to suggest that a recommendation like this comes without loss. There is grief and change, especially when it touches schools and neighborhoods that people love,” Superintendent Nancy Albarrán said. “But there is also hope … the goal of this work is to create stronger, more stable, more resource school communities for students now and into the future.”

SJUSD staff said it would alert families who will be affected by the closures on Friday and finalize students’ new school assignments by May 1.

The closures come as districts across the Bay Area combat significant enrollment declines. San José Unified School District’s student population has shrunk 20% — a total of 6,000 students — since 2017.

District staff said that SJUSD cannot continue to provide the necessary resources to fully staff and resource its current number of small campuses.

“As schools get smaller, it becomes harder to provide the level of programming, staffing stability, teacher collaboration, student supports and enrichment opportunities that our students deserve,” Albarrán said. “This is not about buildings alone. It is about whether we’re willing to act so that students have access to the kind of school experience we want every child in this district to have.”

In September, the district announced a plan to consider school closures, known as the “Schools of Tomorrow” initiative, and earlier this month, a committee made up of parents, staff and community volunteers recommended the plan that was ultimately approved by the board.

The committee identified the schools based on enrollment, targeting schools with fewer than 300 students, and took into account whether they had special education and bilingual programs. On its website, SJUSD said its “ideal” elementary school would have three classes per grade level, or four classes at schools with English immersion and bilingual programs.

But parents and educators packed into the district’s office for Thursday night’s meeting said the process has been rushed, and closures will cause stress and instability that harms their children.

Canoas Elementary teacher Dina Solnit told district leaders she’s worried about how her students will get to their new schools.

“Transportation is a real barrier for our families,” she said during Thursday’s meeting. “Many of our families live far from the proposed schools. If a student misses a bus, their only options may be an unsafe walk or missing school altogether.”

SJUSD has said it will provide students who live more than a mile and a half from their new school with transportation, but has only guaranteed that for the next year.

Another chief concern among parents is that the closures will disproportionately affect Latino and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

More than 70% of students at four of the schools recommended for closure identify as Hispanic or Latino, compared to about 55.2% of all SJUSD students, according to California Department of Education data. All five are Title I campuses.

“Parents are not just frustrated, they feel that their voices have not been heard, and that their concerns about the proposed school closures are not being taken seriously,” parent and teacher Tatiana Pineda said. “This lack of representation is especially pervasive among our Spanish-speaking parents, whose voices have been underrepresented and misrepresented in this process.”

Earlier this week, some filed a legal complaint with the school district, alleging that the closure plan violates state and federal anti-discrimination regulations.

During Thursday’s meeting, Silvia Scandar Mahan read a statement from her husband, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, calling on the district to consider the effect the plan would have on historically marginalized communities.

“I respectfully urge the board not to move forward with this Schools of Tomorrow proposal and instead work directly with parents and educators who are most affected by these decisions,” she read. “Please also do not neglect communities of color and low-income communities who have historically been left off of decision-making tables. Parents should be partners in shaping their schools, not an afterthought.”

The school district will have to investigate the parents’ discrimination claims and report their findings within 60 days. Depending on their conclusions, the parents could escalate the legal challenge to the state.