The Franklin-McKinley (California) School District in San Jose is closing three schools and laying off staff as it tries to close a $22.9 million budget deficit and avoid a state takeover.
The Mercury-News reports that the school board has voted 3 to 2 to shut down McKinley Elementary, Ramblewood elementary, and Los Arboles Literacy and Technology Academy.
Franklin-McKinley — which serves more than 5,700 transitional-kindergarten through eighth-grade students in its 16 schools — joins several other Bay Area districts facing multimillion-dollar budget deficits as declining birth rates, dwindling pandemic recovery funds and families fleeing high-cost areas have inflamed declining enrollment’s financial impact on school districts.
A Franklin-McKinley school consolidation advisory committee previously identified six schools for potential closure and recommended reorganizing the rest of the district’s schools to mostly 6-8 middle schools and K-5 elementary schools.
But the board struggled to reach a decision; board members Rudy Rodriguez and Marc Cooper refused to agree to any school closures.
“Look at the faces of these children going to McKinley and Ramblewood and tell them we’re going to close their school,” Rodriguez said. “We’re taking their home away and that’s just not the right thing to do. I do not support closing any schools at this time.”
The board also voted to cut more than 80 staff positions and more than 70 teacher and management positions. Superintendent Juan Cruz acknowledged most of those positions were vacant, soon-to-be vacant because of retirements or funded by one-time pandemic funds that have expired.
But Cruz also warned that the board’s decision would not be enough to close its nearly $23 million deficit and additional layoffs would be necessary.
