Alum Rock Union School District trustees are scheduled to decide which schools they will close and consolidate.
Board members are considering at least three different proposals for school closure and consolidation due to a $20 million budget deficit. Parents said they have not been listened to and are very frustrated with the process.
"I'm very devastated that I had my daughter learn new teachers, new friends -- and having that maybe taken away from her, personally I think it's disgusting," parent Candace Douglas said.
Douglas and other parents gathered outside Fischer school on Monday. The campus is one of the schools in danger of closing.
Like many school districts in the state, Alum Rock is mired in dropping enrollment, especially since the pandemic.
Board members have said the decision on which schools to close and consolidate will be a tough one.
"This is perhaps the most difficult decision I've had to take on the board," trustee Minh Pham said in a phone interview before Monday's meeting. "It's a decision no school board members should want to make."
Parents on Monday said they have been ignored, especially after serving on an advisory committee giving the school board input on closures.
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"I thought we were going to come together as a community," parent Lisa Tuthill said. "But the board and the district have divided us as a community."
Board members deny that claim. One proposal is to close Fischer and have two other schools move into the campus.
But parents are concerned for their kids, who may have to walk across busy Capitol Expressway to get to their new school.
Trustees said they need to make drastic moves to balance the budget and prevent a state takeover of the district.
"It's a sad decision to make, but the hope is to protect as many amenities for the kids and mitigate the impact to our students and families," Minh Pham.
