San Jose Unified delays school closure vote amid community concerns

"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."

"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."

The Schools of Tomorrow Implementation Committee postponed voting on a recommendation to close up to nine San Jose Unified elementary schools due to community opposition and internal disagreement. The committee instead directed staff to develop a revised proposal focusing solely on closing or consolidating schools with enrollment below 300 students, affecting eight schools including Anne Darling, Canoas, Empire Gardens, Horace Mann, Lowell, Rachel Carson, Selma Olinder, and Terrell. Committee members disagreed on trade-offs: supporters argued small schools burden teachers and limit resources, while opponents worried about overcrowding, community disruption, and impacts on special education students. The district launched the Schools of Tomorrow initiative to address a 20% enrollment decline since 2017.

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