Another San Jose district plans to close schools

Another San Jose school district is set to close several campuses due to an extensive budget deficit.

A consolidation advisory committee in the Franklin-McKinley School District is recommending closing three of the district’s 16 schools because of declining student enrollment, the depletion of one-time COVID funding and an almost $23 million budget shortfall. The schools recommended for closure at the end of the 2024-25 school year include Los Arboles Literacy & Technology Academy, Ramblewood Elementary and McKinley Elementary. The struggling school district has a population of about 6,000 students.

The committee considered but didn’t reach consensus on closing Captain Jason M. Dahl, Santee and R. F. Kennedy elementary schools. For the 2025-26 school year, the committee recommends reconfiguring middle schools for sixth to eighth grade, with the exception of College Connection Academy. It suggests making two schools K-8, with the third becoming K-5. Criteria for choosing schools for closure included their capacity and condition, student demographics, operating costs, special programs, transportation needs and impact on feeder schools.

“I understand that closing schools is going to impact some communities,” Superintendent Juan Cruz told San José Spotlight, “but the district will be doing everything it can to support students and families.”

In a letter sent to the school community last month, Cruz said closing schools is necessary to ensure students receive equitable, high-quality educational opportunities and enrichment programs. He pointed out that public schools across the state are experiencing declining enrollment. Locally, the Berryessa Union School District and Alum Rock Union School District are closing multiple campuses this year.

For Franklin-McKinley, enrollment has dropped more than 40% since the 2011-12 school year from 9,673 students to 5,766. Revenue has decreased by $18 million and expenditures have increased by nearly $5 million.

Cruz said closing schools will help the district meet its financial obligations. The district must find a way to cut $22.9 million from the budget for the 2025-26 school year, he said, and cut an additional $4 million for the 2026-27 school year.

Community members advocated to save their schools during a Tuesday board meeting. Board President George Sanchez assured the crowd packed inside the Bridges Academy gymnasium that the board hadn’t made any decisions yet as to which schools to close or how many to close. Board members will make the final decision on Feb. 11.

Eva Martinez, a lead social worker at McKinley Elementary, said closing the school would be devastating to the community.

“That and the political climate is making so many of our families afraid,” she told San José Spotlight. “It’s just such a tragedy that they’re even considering McKinley.”

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].