Declining enrollment is having a financial impact on almost all schools. But in east San Jose, the Alum Rock Union School District is facing the possibility that nearly half its campuses will be subject to closure or consolidation.
Lyndale Elementary is one of the schools recommended for closure. If the district board approves the plan, students enrolled there would be moved to Russo McEntee Academy, 1.5 miles away, or about a 30 minute walk for parents and students from the working-class neighborhood, many of whom don’t have a car.
“We always walk to school, dropping kids,” said Lyndale parent Maria Ruiz. “It’s any school close to us, now. So, if they close, our choice is another school out of the district.”
That may be the problem with Lyndale. The next closest campus is a charter school that is not part of the Alum Rock Union School District. That would hurt since the district is already struggling to fill their classrooms as it is.