The Vallejo City School Board voted unanimously this week to close three schools, marking the second consecutive year in the Bay Area that campuses have been closed to help close a huge deficit and address a large number of empty seats in classrooms.
Lincoln, Highland and Pennycook elementary schools will close at the end of the school year, the board decided after a months-long process that narrowed down the final three from seven possible sites.
“No board member makes these decisions lightly,” board Chairman John Fox said in a statement after Wednesday night’s vote. “We carefully studied years of data, listened to the community, and weighed our responsibility to maintain the long-term stability of the district.”
The relatively calm and rigorous closing process in the North Bay Area stood in stark contrast to the chaos in San Francisco and Oakland, where protests, petitions and hours of angry and emotional public comment ultimately led those districts to reverse course and keep schools open.
Just four people spoke during public comment ahead of Wednesday’s vote on closing schools in Vallejo, two fewer than the six who spoke before last year’s vote to close two schools.
The vote was preceded by several town hall meetings, employee information sessions and interactive online Q&A.
While the district hasn’t seen the anger and unrest seen in other neighboring communities, many families and staff at the seven schools being considered for closure have rallied to keep the schools open, hanging “Save Our Schools” banners or citing the schools’ success stories and unique qualities.
Under the board’s decision, about 1,000 students will need to transfer to the new campus next year, and many families are disappointed, if not shocked, by the dramatic changes ahead.
“It breaks my heart,” one Highland parent told KPIX. “I feel like they’re closing the wrong schools.”
Principal Rubén Aurelio initially recommended closing three schools, including Pennycook, Lincoln and Cooper elementary schools, at the end of the school year. Ultimately, the board chose to close Highland over Cooper.
The board also approved $32 million in budget cuts during the meeting, including $22 million in staff reductions for the next school year.
District officials said each closed school is expected to save the district $450,000 to $1.1 million annually going forward.
“These actions allow us to protect academic programs, keep resources where students need them most, and prevent more serious consequences in the future,” Fox said. “Our top priority is — and always will be — the success and well-being of Vallejo’s students.”
This article was originally published on Bay Area school district to close three schools, affecting 1,000 students.
