Parents gathered in front of the San Jose Unified School District headquarters ahead of a meeting where the potential closure or relocation of up to 10 schools is scheduled to be discussed.
The school consolidations would take place before the start of the 2026-2027 school year and boundary changes would take effect for enrollments beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.
Yuri Doubov spent the last three days knocking on doors gathering signatures for his petition.
He is against the San Jose Unified School District’s proposal to potentially close or relocate up to 10 schools. His child’s school, Los Alamitos Elementary, could be impacted with a boundary change in the future.
The online version of his petition already got more than 300 signatures.
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“Everyone moved here precisely because this neighborhood is zoned to Los Alamitos Elementary,” Doubov said. “I think moving us to a different school that does not offer comparable education standard or comparable services just doesn’t seem fair.”
The district says enrollment at their schools has declined by 20% since the 2017-2018 school year.
Parents of children at Simonds Elementary held up signs outside the school Tuesday afternoon that said phrases like “Save Simonds.”
Their children’s school is one of the options of schools that could close.
“There is no way that we can accept this. We cannot accept this laying down,” said PTA President Bandana Singh. “We will be raising our voices and asking to be heard and asking for transparency.”
MORE: 10 San Jose schools may close or consolidate due to $20 million budget deficit, district says
The Board of Education is expected to make a decision on March 12.
“Which is, as we think, is absolutely not enough time to evaluate all of the very complex things that go into making the decision on closing many schools,” said Elvina Talalayeb, whose children go to Simonds Elementary.
ABC7 Eyewitness News was told San José Unified Superintendent Nancy Albarrán was not available for an interview Tuesday, but got a statement from her saying in part:
“We know families love their current schools. At the same time, we know that thoughtful school portfolio changes can help ensure strong, sustainable programs for both current and future students throughout the district, continuing our long-standing legacy of tackling challenges with a focus on what is best for our students.”
The district provided this link to the proposals.
SJUSD is considering the following options:
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