Parents, Students Continue Protesting As Sacramento School Closure Vote Nears
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Concerned parents and students continued to protest as the vote drew near that would decide the fate of 10 Sacramento schools on the chopping block.
More than 200 parents and students rallied Wednesday night in hopes of keeping the Sacramento Unified School District from closing the schools, which the district says could save them upwards of $2.5 million.
"This decision will impact our families," one parent said.
The schools' possible closure is due to dwindling enrollment.
"I really don't want the school to close down because there's lots of memories here," said one parent.
"It's not right. I think this school builds community," one father said.
The community's goal is to let Sacramento City Unified District trustees know where they stand before Thursday's possible vote.
"The other schools that they want to send our school to are two miles away in either direction," a concerned mother said.
The district superintendent says the numbers are what they are, and has recommended the schools close.
"We can leave this meeting without taking a vote this evening," said Trustee Diana Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has three schools in her area of south Sacramento that are on the closure list, and insists not all of the schools have been weighed fairly. Some have been passed over because of special programs that could be moved.
"I believe that if we're really looking at these as a facilities perspective, then we need to put all schools on the list in a fair and unbiased manner," she said.
For students like Majesty Thurman, it's not about dollars or facilities.
"If I go to another school, it'll kind of be changing a little bit," said Thurman.
It seems the board could be split on the issue and may consider whether or not to close the schools on a case-by-case basis.
Thursday night's meeting as starts at 6:30 p.m., and is being held at the Serna Center in south Sacramento. The meeting is expected to be packed, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early.
Tune in to CBS13 News at 10 p.m. for a full wrap-up of the meeting.
