Vallejo School Board Closes Three Schools

The Decision to Close Three Elementary Schools

After months of intense discussions and emotional appeals, the Vallejo City Unified School District board made a final decision on Wednesday night to close three elementary schools: Lincoln, Pennycook, and Highland. This move marks the second phase of the district’s “rightsizing” plan, which was approved with a 5-0 vote. The closure will take effect at the start of the next school year.

The atmosphere in the Hogan Middle School Auditorium was charged with a mix of emotions as the board announced its decisions. Representatives from all seven schools under consideration for closure or consolidation were present, and the announcement brought a wide range of reactions. Some individuals seemed to be holding back their excitement, while others, sitting just a few rows away, appeared visibly upset.

Cindy Murray, a Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Paraeducator at Pennycook Elementary, expressed her feelings about the decision. She has spent 27 years at the school and said, “I kind of had a feeling that we would probably have to close, and it’s heartbreaking.” She added, “It’s an unfortunate decision that needed to happen. Someone was going to have to get hurt.”

Murray also highlighted the emotional impact on families who have generations of history tied to Pennycook. “As for the people who were raised generationally here, whose family before them went to Pennycook — that’s where the heartbreak is,” she said. “I think tomorrow there’s going to be some very sad faces.”

Representatives from Lincoln and Highland Elementary did not provide comments on the decision.

Superintendent Rueben Aurelio explained the necessity of making these decisions early, even during the holiday season. “This isn’t our first round of closures and consolidations, and we learned from our mistakes,” he said.

The second phase of the closures and consolidations began in April when the board formed a new 7-11 committee and conducted an Equity Impact Analysis (EIA) report. This report evaluated the operating costs, site capacities, special programs, and demographics of the seven schools under consideration.

The initial EIA recommended the closure or consolidation of four schools: Lincoln Elementary, John Finney Education Complex, Pennycook Elementary, and Steffan Manor Elementary.

In a mid-September meeting, Superintendent Aurelio shared his preliminary recommendations for closure:

• Lincoln Elementary, with a focus on maintaining strong early literacy supports at receiving schools.
• Cooper Elementary, with the relocation of John Finney Education Complex to that site.
• Pennycook Elementary, with students consolidated primarily to Steffan Manor and boundary adjustments to Glen Cove and Wardlaw.

Wednesday night’s decision came as a surprise, especially the closure of Highland Elementary. Board President John Fox emphasized how difficult the choices were. “No board member takes these decisions lightly,” he said. “We carefully examined years of data, listened to our community, and weighed our responsibility to maintain stability in this district for the long term.”

Fox added that these tough decisions allow the district to “protect academic programs, keep resources where students need them most, and prevent far more severe consequences in the future.”

Lori Tackmire, a longtime educator at Steffan Manor Elementary and a frequent speaker at the district’s comment portions, acknowledged that the decisions “had to be made.” She stated, “Tonight, lives in this room will be impacted, tonight people will be unhappy, jobs will be lost, schools will be closed, and communities will be decimated.”

To help stabilize the district’s budget, the board also approved $32 million in reductions to be implemented at the end of the current school year. This includes $22 million in staffing cuts.