When the time has come, then what?

No one wants to close schools. Not the communities that cherish their local school. Not the school boards that want to serve the needs of all their students. Not administrators and school district personnel who have to wade through the intricacies of state law on how to close schools.

Unfortunately, declining enrollment and declining state funding are forcing school districts to make hard choices. As they wrestle with what to do, community leaders face the wrath of worried teachers and parents. Not to mention a thicket of complex laws and policies.

School closures are a fairly new challenge for most California school districts. For most of the state’s history, the problem has been how to cope with population growth, not decline. But here we are. Throughout the state, enrollment has already shrunk. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) warns that this is just a taste of what is to come. In the decade ahead, student enrollment will shrink throughout the state. Districts that just kick the can down the road will face years of financial hardship and community discord.

The School Closure Checklist

California law spells out the process for closing schools. It’s lengthy and complicated, with lots of issues that require facts, not guesses.

Both the California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) have separately offered advice for the many districts that face school closures. This post combines their advice, along with some additional considerations for the role parent and student leaders can play. The structure of this post significantly follows the Best Practice Guide from the CDE.

• Get the facts
• Focus on equity
• Consider schools to close
• Make decisions
• Make the transition
• Use surplus property wisely

Each topic below contains a checklist you can use to become informed and engaged in discussions about school closures and consolidations in your school district.

Get the facts

Involve the Community

Closing or consolidating schools and selling school property is incredibly controversial. California law requires school districts to follow a process when deciding which schools to close and what to do with the surplus property.

The district should begin by appointing a District Advisory Committee. This is sometimes referred to as a 7-11 committee, referring to the size of the committee recommended by law. (Some school districts expand the membership beyond 11 when creating a school closure committee, but larger committees can be unwieldy.) This committee gathers data, holds public hearings, and makes recommendations to the school district. The core role of the district advisory committee is to get the facts and make recommendations.

Focus on Equity

Leaders of school districts in a financial crisis may feel they have to make quick decisions to stop the financial bleeding. Unfortunately, haste can lead to decisions that create inequitable outcomes.

Schools that serve Black students tend to be more frequently closed, especially in California. Research by Policy Analysis for California (PACE) documented that “Even after controlling for a range of factors, the odds of school closure increase by nearly 25 percent for every 10-percentage-point increase in the share of Black students.”

Schools that serve Black students tend to be the ones closed

School-Closure Rates by Student Racial Composition, 2000–18, from Declining Enrollment, School Closures, and Equity Considerations by Carrie Hahnel and Francis A. Pearman, II

To head off hasty decisions about school closures, AB 1912, passed in 2021-22, requires school districts to slow down, get the facts, involve the community, and conduct an equity analysis. This process can help districts make equitable and cost effective decisions about school closures.

Consider schools to close

Don’t jump to conclusions.

Closing a school with declining enrollment is not necessarily the best choice. The school board should provide the school closure committee with a list of criteria to be examined, and share it at a regularly scheduled public board meeting so that the community can provide input. This list can help create an Equity Impact Analysis.

In addition to requiring an equity analysis, school boards must follow laws that prohibit discrimination and support integrated schools.

The list below summarizes Anti Discrimination Mandates and guidance from the state Attorney General.

Make decisions

The Superintendent drives the process

Based on the school closure committee's analysis and conclusion, it is the role of the Superintendent to make recommendations to the school board.

The next step is for the Superintendent to conduct public hearings to gather community input. It is good practice to hold public meetings at schools considered for closure as well as at schools where closures may have a significant impact on enrollment. Meetings should discuss proposed uses for the property, including for community services.

Once public hearings are completed, at a regularly scheduled meeting the school board presents recommendations with an explanation of how the list was prepared, including public input.

A two-thirds vote is required

The school board then reviews and considers public feedback. Decisions about any school closures or consolidations are announced at a subsequently scheduled regular meeting. At that next meeting, the board should include a review of how public input was incorporated into the final recommendation.

Before ordering the sale or lease of any property a two-thirds vote of all members must adopt a resolution declaring its intention to sell or lease the property.

Make a plan for transitions

Good communication is essential in a school closure. The school district should develop a solid plan to advise both school employees and the parent community of the decision.

Use surplus property wisely

Figuring out the best use of surplus property is a complicated process, but here are some greatly simplified basics:

• Land must first be made available for use for low cost housing and for park and recreational facilities
• Money from the sale of surplus property assets must be used for capital outlay (e.g. school construction and renovation) or for costs of maintenance of school district property, not on operating expenses (e.g. salaries).
• Proceeds from a lease of school district property with an option to purchase may be deposited into a restricted fund for the routine repair of district facilities.
• School districts or county offices of education can use surplus property to provide affordable housing to employees.

More resources

• Closing a School: Best Practices Guide from the California Department of Education
• Laws Governing School Closures: Best Practices from the Office of the California Attorney General
• School Closure Timeline: Suggestion from the CA Dept. of Education