Parents rally over school closures at San Jose's Berryessa Union School District
San Jose, Calif. - Dozens of people rallied in San Jose this afternoon to protest school closures that may be on the way in the Berryessa Union School District.
Parents and students stood at Berryessa on Thursday with signs, chanting and trying to get their message out. They say they don’t want high-performing schools closed due to budget cuts.
"When my oldest daughter Mattie told me that she wants Ruskin to stay open for her baby sister Mable, it truly broke my heart," said parent Kim Ngo.
Parents, students and their supporters say two to three schools in the Berryessa Union School District may be closing soon. There are 13 schools in the district and now due to a $6 million budget deficit, school consolidation or closures have been recommended by the Budget Stabilization Committee.
"When you see successful schools that are doing so well in scoring, when you see them ranked for closure, it really makes you wonder, how effective and successful was this committee?" said Karen Khasymska, a parent from Cherrywood Elementary.
Berryessa Union School District responded to the group, releasing a statement that says:
"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. 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.
Our School Consolidation Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives from all of our schools, recently completed its recommendations on school closures for the BUSD Board of Trustees, and the Board will be convening to determine next steps. We understand how difficult and challenging this process is for our entire community. 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." - Perla Rodriguez, BUSD Spokesperson
Still, those protesting believe the district hasn’t done enough to keep all its schools open.
"We are holding the school district accountable for the decisions they’ve made. They have no governance, they have no oversight, they don’t talk to us. We’re supposed to trust them. How can we trust them when, as educators, the best choice they have to offer us is to close schools?" said Amit Sewak, a Laneview Elementary parent.
The district says the stabilization committee was formed last year and consists of representatives from each school. The committee will present its findings to the district’s board of trustees.
"We just want to tell the board and the district, make no mistake. We are going to hold you guys accountable for what you are doing to our kids and to our schools. Berryessa, save our schools!" said parent Gayathri Padnyaram.
Berryessa says no final decisions have been made about which schools will be closed and the board of trustees will begin reviewing the committee findings on December 18.
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