Overview
- San Jose Unified, which voted 3–2 Thursday, approved closing Empire Gardens, Lowell, Gardner, Terrell and Canoas next school year and relocating the Hammer Montessori program.
- District leaders cite a roughly 20% enrollment drop since 2018 that left small campuses with fewer teachers, counselors and classes, so they plan to pool staff and programs at fewer schools.
- A parent coalition filed a complaint alleging the plan targets Title I campuses serving mostly Latino and low‑income students, and the district must release findings within 60 days with a possible appeal to the state.
- Families fear longer commutes and gaps in bilingual and special education services, and the district has only guaranteed busing for students who live more than 1.5 miles from their new school for one year.
- The clash echoes a broader Bay Area trend of closures tied to shrinking student counts, even as SJUSD is funded by local property taxes rather than attendance, a point critics say undercuts the need to shutter schools.