As Berryessa Union School District in San Jose considers closing multiple schools due to budget constraints, dozens of parents and their children gathered Thursday evening to protest the potential closures and ask the district to consider alternative solutions.
The proposal to consider closing schools emerged from BUSD’s Budget Stabilization Committee, which was established in 2023 to create recommendations for $6 million of reductions in the district’s budget amid declining enrollment, according to the district’s website. One of these recommendations was school consolidation, and in December 2023, the Board of Trustees voted to create a School Consolidation Advisory Committee to determine which schools in the district could be closed.
As dozens of children ran on the lawns and held handmade signs alongside their parents, a crowd of people lined the streets outside BUSD’s administration building in San Jose. Signs read “Save our schools” and “Berryessa unite” as the crowd chanted. Cars and trucks driving past honked in a show of support.
Students and parents hold a rally urging the Berryessa Union School District not to close multiple elementary and middle schools due to budget deficits on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in front of the Berryessa Union School District building in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“We don’t have any clear indications of what’s going to happen to our kids in case the schools are closed,” said Preetha Krishnan, who has a child in BUSD and another who just moved from BUSD to high school. “How are you going to handle this placement? Nothing has been shared with us.”
Following the rally, the group of parents held a news conference with more than a dozen parents and community members speaking to urge the district to consider making cuts other than closing schools.
Some parents were concerned that the district did not choose staff reductions or salary reductions instead of closing down schools.
“In any organization facing financial strain, the first step is often to freeze raises and bonuses for their employees. If the situation does not improve for that business, the staff reductions will follow,” Teresa Carrillo, who has children attending BUSD schools, said at the news conference. “However, in our district’s case, leadership chose to prioritize their salaries over the health of our community’s education and the future of our students.”
Kim Ngo, who has two children attending school in BUSD and whose husband served on the consolidation advisory committee, expressed concern that the committee’s members had “numerous unanswered questions, and there was widespread confusion over how the consensus and voting process were handled.”
Kim Ngo, who has two children attending school in Berryessa Union School District, speaks during a rally urging BUSD not to close multiple elementary and middle schools due to budget deficits on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in front of the Berryessa Union School District building in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“We urge the board to directly engage with the community, revisit the criteria used for school closures and seek more input from the stakeholders before making any decisions,” Ngo said at the news conference.
Many asked that the district consider other cost-cutting options such as selling real estate.
“Unfortunately, like countless public school districts across the Bay Area, the Berryessa Union School District (BUSD) has experienced a significant decline in enrollment over the past decade,” said Perla Rodriguez, BUSD spokesperson. “In response, BUSD has spent the last two years engaging in a thoughtful, inclusive and collaborative process to address the financial impact of reduced funding.”
Rodriguez added that the Board of Trustees will decide on next steps for the School Consolidation Advisory Committee’s recommendations at a meeting in December.
“We understand how difficult and challenging this process is for our entire community,” Rodriguez said. “School closures are an action of last resort that we take very seriously. The District remains committed to supporting our Berryessa community throughout this transition.”
At the end of the news conference, the organizers presented their proposed policy guide for the district if it chooses to close schools. The policy asks the district to prioritize a “structured and transparent approach” to closing schools, including clear communication with parents and local homeowners, putting the educational needs of students first and emphasizing long-term financial sustainability.
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“We do not want to send our kids to private schools, but if you’re going to force us, and if you are going to close our best schools, we’ll have no option but to send our kids to private schools,” Gayathri Pandyaram, who has kids attending BUSD schools, said at the news conference. “You know what that’s going to do? It’s going to further decline the enrollment.”
