San Jose Unified delays school closure vote amid community concerns

In an emotional meeting rife with community outrage, a special committee delayed an impending recommendation to close several San Jose Unified elementary schools, citing concerns the plan would close too many schools.

Tasked with recommending schools for closure, the Schools of Tomorrow Implementation Committee was expected to vote Tuesday night on a recommendation to close up to nine elementary schools, which the district’s board of education was supposed to vote on next week.

But instead, the committee voted to scrap some options and directed staff to come up with a proposal that would only focus on closing or consolidating schools with less than 300 students enrolled.

Eight schools in the district currently have less than 300 students enrolled, including: Anne Darling, Canoas, Empire Gardens, Horace Mann, Lowell, Rachel Carson, Selma Olinder and Terrell elementary schools.

“I believe that we have an urgent need to take action to remedy our smallest schools,” said Patrick Bernhardt, chair of the committee and a Reed Elementary school parent. “But I think anything where nine schools close, where we’re creating schools of 600 or 700 students, is not the right action for us…I don’t think I can support any of the four options given those trade offs.”

Committee members were widely split on the previously drafted school closure proposals. 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.

The district has repeatedly said that the decision to close schools is not motivated by “financial considerations” but rather “providing all students the best educational experience possible.” But the district has also said San Jose Unified faces “significant budgetary pressures” from inflation and slowing property tax growth — the main source of the district’s funding.

Families have been largely unsupportive of the initiative, arguing it would significantly impede students’ academic and social well-being, as well as cause longer school commutes and exacerbate struggles finding child care.

Ethan Dutra, a fifth grader at Gardner Elementary School said at a special board meeting held before the Tuesday committee meeting that while the school closures don’t impact him because he is headed to middle school next year, they affect his friends, his sister and his community.

“They are prioritizing bank accounts over communities that depend on these schools,” Dutra said. “They’re ripping communities apart, not healing. They’re ruining friendships, jobs and school histories. They care about the future — schools of tomorrow. What about the schools of today? What about the families?”

And families and community advocates have expressed concerns that the school closure proposal risks disproportionately impacting Black and Latino students, focusing largely on downtown campuses while leaving many suburban schools in Almaden Valley untouched.

According to state and district data, more schools attended by minority students, English language learners and low-income students faced closure or consolidation under the plan San Jose officials announced earlier this month, while campuses with larger white student populations were largely spared.

That concern was echoed again Tuesday, when hundreds of students, parents and community members showed up in droves at the district office to protest the closures.

Frances Tamayo, mother of Gardner fifth grader Dutra, said she works as a children’s therapist and worked with families and children who were impacted after Alum Rock Union School District voted to close or merge 13 elementary and middle schools in Dec. 2024.

Tamayo said at Tuesday’s meeting that closing schools fractures relationships, disrupts emotional safety and disproportionately impacts families who “already face economic and social barriers” within the community.

“I worked with those families every day for the past year, and I have seen (with) my own eyes how that impacted children every single day,” Tamayo said. “It was really, really challenging to work with those children. I don’t want my child to be part of that statistic.”

Families also repeatedly wondered why San Jose Unified is discussing school closures shortly after voters approved a $1.2 billion school facilities bond measure intended to renovate schools in need of repairs and upgrades. In Nov. 2024, California voters also approved a $10 billion state school facilities bond measure that allocates $8.5 billion to K-12 schools for facilities renovations.

During public comment, parents threatened legal action if the district does not delay a decision to close schools, including threats to pursue a taxpayer injunction to freeze the facilities bond measure funds.

The committee will reconvene Tuesday, March 10 to discuss the new options and reattempt a recommendation.