VALLEJO – The Vallejo City Unified School District clarified its plans to close, move or truncate as many as three schools at two public meetings last week, and appeared poised to proceed despite objections from district parents.

The district’s plans could directly affect three TK-8th grade schools: Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy, Vallejo Charter School, and Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy.

The district and the board have not yet agreed to close or consolidate any schools, but are scheduled to vote on the three options during a board meeting on Feb. 19: closing Mare Island Academy and moving Vallejo Charter School to Mare Island Academy’s campus, eliminating Loma Vista Academy’s 6-8 grades but keeping the school’s TK-5 grades, and closing the entire Loma Vista Academy.

The school board previously considered closing Mare Island Academy in November, when a district committee presented its recommendation to the school board to close that school, but the board expressed hesitation and delayed voting on Mare Island Academy’s closure after 13 people spoke out against its closure, citing appreciation of the school’s community and teachers, its safe location, and concerns over what would become of the building.

During a Governing Body Study Session on Wednesday, school board members said they were amenable to closing Mare Island Academy, moving Vallejo Charter School, and eliminating Loma Vista Academy’s 6-8 grades, but most pushed back against the option of entirely closing Loma Vista Academy. A majority of board members will have to vote yes to approve any of these options.

Superintendent Rubén Aurelio defended the plans to upset parents during a Town Hall meeting at Jesse Bethel High School last week. He said that according to this school year’s first interim budget projections, the district needs to cut over $12 million in order to stay fiscally solvent. According to school district data, the district lost about 30% of its enrollment between the 2014-2015 and 2023-2024 school years. The enrollment loss has caused the district to take in less money than it did in the past, as its funding is largely based on enrollment numbers.

The district estimates that the total amount of space on its campuses can serve 21,120 students. Since 9,856 students attended VCUSD last school year, the district calculated that about 56% of its space is underutilized.

While Mare Island and Loma Vista Academies, along with Vallejo Charter School are the only schools which could be directly affected by closures or consolidations this year, the district is also considering other closures in the near future. Four elementary schools: Steffan Manor, Pennycook and Federal Terrace, plus Lincoln — which only serves grades TK-2 – could be considered for closure as early as next year, according to the district’s presentations. 

Aurelio said that school closures were “not just about dollars and cents” but were also about “making our services stronger,” which he hopes will help the district compete with non-VCUSD schools for enrollment.

“When you spread your resources too thin you’re limited as to what you can offer students,” Aurelio said.

Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy likely to close

Teachers, parents and students at the town hall pushed back against closure plans, especially Mare Island Academy’s proposed closure. 

Nine people, including teachers, graduates, and students’ family members either criticized or questioned the school’s proposed closure. Three people expressed concerns that the closure would ultimately cause the district to lose enrollment.

“Realistically you’re getting ready to lose a lot of students,” said Sharon Johnson, a parent to a Mare Island Academy student. 

Johnson said she appreciates Mare Island Academy and is motivated to transport her child there, but she also said she’d likely move her child to a non-VCUSD school if Mare Island Academy closes because several are within walking distance of where her family lives.

Another Mare Island Academy parent, Patricia Flores, praised the school, especially its after-school program, which she described as “invaluable to me as a working parent, and essential for my son’s safety and development.”

Flores told Aurelio and other administrators and board members at the meeting to consider the students VCUSD might lose if they close the school and questioned the logic that closing schools would improve district services which will help the district retain students.

“Is there any data that shows that when the district closed or consolidated schools it helped retain students?” Flores asked.

“I don’t think there’s any specific data that shows that,” Aurelio answered. “But what the data shows is that, if you look back ten years, declining enrollment has continued. That’s not necessarily based on school closure.”

VCUSD has closed nine schools between 2010 and 2020. Enrollment has declined every year since the 1999-2000 school year, according to state data.

Vallejo Charter School likely to move

In response to questions during the town hall about how Mare Island Academy’s campus would be used if the school closed, Aurelio said that the district does not own the school’s campus but leases it from the federal government, which requires that the district keep a school there.

Mare Island Academy principal Christi Glasco asked if her students could attend any school that takes over the building should the school close. 

“I understand the business side of it,” Glasco said.  “I don’t like it but I get it. My question is if it has to be closed will my students be able to stay in the building?”

Aurelio said the district would heavily consider prioritizing keeping the current Mare Island Academy students at such a school.

Vallejo Charter School was not discussed at all during the town hall, but a day later at the board’s study session, Aurelio outlined the district’s plans to move that school on to Mare Island Academy’s campus. Vallejo Charter School is a charter school, but unlike other charter schools in Vallejo which are independent, it’s a dependent charter school that is part of VCUSD. 

The district estimates it would save about $1.1 million per year in personnel costs by closing Mare Island Academy. The district says it could also use over $8 million in bonds that are currently allocated for the Vallejo Charter School site on other bond-related projects or needs.  The district could sell the site, but it is also considering repurposing it as an expanded learning hub, professional development center, enrollment center, or clinic.

Board members and administrators discussed keeping Mare Island Academy students at their current building and allowing them to attend Vallejo Charter School while merging aspects of Mare Island Academy’s academic programs onto Vallejo Charter School. The option was well received by all board members.

School board Trustee Latyna Young called it “a really good option.” and said that it could be a “good opportunity to gather together different programs that are working” into one site, but did express one concern.

“The only thing I’m really concerned about is displacement,” Young said. “I want those that are displaced to have the number one option to stay.” 

If enrollment numbers stay the same, there would not be enough room on the Mare Island Academy site for all students enrolled at both sites. The combined enrollment from last year at Vallejo Charter School and Mare Island Academy was 794 students while the maximum capacity at the Mare Island Academy site is 750 students.

Students could end up attending school at a different site. The plans outlined in the district’s presentation did not allocate former Mare Island Academy students to Vallejo Charter School, but instead allocate them to Lincoln Elementary, Federal Terrace Elementary School, and Hogan Middle School.

Board mulls closing Loma Vista Academy

The board and administrators also discussed a partial or full closure of Loma Vista Academy. Board members supported closing the middle school grades of the school, which has three teachers and enrolled 88 students last school year. The district plans to relocate those students to Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy.

The plan to close Loma Vista’s middle school grades was first proposed in the same November board meeting when Mare Island Academy’s closure was proposed, but the board delayed voting on it. 

During a board meeting in December, two Loma Vista parents and two teachers spoke out against this closure plan, and praised the school’s speech and debate club and the positive relationships between Loma Vista’s middle school and elementary school students.

Dave Henderson, who has taught middle school at Loma Vista for over 20 years, expressed concerns that eliminating the schools’ middle school grades could cause the district to lose enrollment, as elementary school aged students could leave if their older siblings are forced out. He also said that students’ families have asked him about non-VCUSD schools in the area as some are uninterested in moving to Solano Widenmann due to its test scores being lower than Loma Vista’s.

According to state data, Loma Vista’s math and English learner test scores from last year were higher than Solano Widenmann’s scores, while its English language arts scores were roughly equal.

While school board President John Fox supported closing Loma Vista’s middle school grades, he said he opposed closing the whole school, largely due to its location and collaboration with Loma Vista Farm, a five acre farm, run by a nonprofit and supported by VCUSD, that sits next to the school’s campus. Loma Vista Academy’s students regularly visit it to learn about nature and nutrition. Other schools in the district also occasionally take field trips to the farm.

“I imagine other schools in the Bay Area must be envious,” Fox said. “To have a school right next to a farm, I just feel it’s such a vital asset that many cities do not have.” 

Young, who used to bring her students to the farm when she taught with the district, also said she supported keeping the school largely due to the farm.

“I support keeping the elementary school,” Young said. “As far as the farm, that’s my farm. I always took my kids to the farm. It’s an experience and an exposure. There’s no words for it.”

The district estimates that it would save about $1.2 million per year if it closes the entire Loma Vista school. Aurelio said that closing just Loma Vista’s middle school grades would not save much money for the district and would mostly be done for programmatic reasons.

The board is likely to vote against closing the entire Loma Vista school. Four board trustees said they were against closing the school this year while only one, Carlos Flores, said he was open to considering the closure. The board could still vote to close the school next year.

During the town hall meeting, Aurelio said that “school closures and consolidations will continue next year” and he also stated it was possible that the district could consider closures the year after next as well. The district lost much of its autonomy after entering state receivership when it borrowed $60 million dollars from the state while facing bankruptcy in 2003, a debt it recently fully paid off.

While the VCUSD is no longer under state receivership, state Trustee Melvin Iizuka still oversees and advises the district on financial matters. During a board meeting in December, Iizuka gave an overview of how the district’s revenue has been trending down while its expenses have been trending up.

“If this board doesn’t take this seriously and make reductions or increased revenue or some combination of both this district is going to be in trouble,” Iizuka said to the board. “You need to take action. None of you all were elected to cut schools or cut expenses. You were elected to provide a better education. But part of that responsibility is for the district to be fiscally solvent.”

Iizuka said that if the district couldn’t improve its financial status it could face more oversight from the state. If that were to happen, the district and the board would not control what programs were cut, and the state would have that power.

“Doing nothing means in a couple of years someone other than me will stand before you saying, ‘I have control of this district and the board will no longer have control,’” Iizuka said.