Vallejo Unified considers closing schools, San Ramon schools face budget cuts

VALLEJO, Calif. - School district officials in Vallejo on Wednesday will debate closing schools to deal with a multi-million dollar budget deficit.

The Vallejo City Unified School District has several options to close the deficit, including closing Mare Island Academy or the Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy.

The district could also  move Vallejo Charter School to a new campus.

If approved, the changes would take place at the start of next school year.

Meanwhile, teachers from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District held a lunchtime rally on Tuesday to protest millions of dollars in proposed budget cuts.

Teachers chanted:  "Kids need counselors. Kids need hope! Students need money. Management says no!"  

The educators gathered outside Dougherty Valley High School to show their opposition to the district's plan to cut $26 million from its budget.

They're also urging management to fully fund student mental health support, including counselors and social workers.

"We gave them a solution using a discretionary block grant to save all the mental health programs that they want to cut," teacher Laura Finco said. "Do you know what management did? They rejected it.")

The school district says the proposed reductions "are not a desired outcome but an operational necessity" and that it will "minimize the impact" on student programs and staff.

Other school districts throughout the Bay Area, including in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland are also facing budget shortfalls.