Vallejo Unified facing school closures

VALLEJO, Calif. (KRON) — While some districts are focused on heading back to school, it’s a different story in Vallejo. The Vallejo City Unified School District is considering closing schools due to declining enrollment and financial pressure.

A committee of 10 community members came up with a list of seven schools that now face potential closures:

• Lincoln Elementary
• John Finney Education Complex
• Pennycock Elementary
• Steffan Manor Elementary
• Cooper Elementary
• Federal Terrace Elementary
• Highland Elementary

The committee recommended moving the impacted students to different campuses. They held a final meeting on Monday night, leading to some passionate pleas from the community to save their schools.

“I was there when you closed Cave. I was there when our school was decimated. I was there when the community was hurt,” said one community member. “Our community at Steffan is feeling that right now. Our community is feeling unheard and unloved and unaccepted. That’s what happens when you close a school.”

The district said the goal is to improve student-teacher ratios.

“While we acknowledge that the process will come with challenges, we are committed to working collaboratively with our community to address concerns and build a stronger foundation for the future,” the district said in a statement.

The list will be presented to the school board on Aug. 20. The board has until December to make its final decision.