Board Maintains School Boundaries

The San Bruno Park School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to keep elementary school attendance boundaries and transfer policies the same when sixth graders move to Parkside Intermediate next school year.

The board approved the but debated what steps the committee should take on next.

Board President Jennifer Blanco said she was displeased with the process because the committee didn’t address all the charges that a previous committee tasked it with.

Blanco suggested the committee take some time off and appoint some new members.

Adriana Arambula, committee co-chairwoman and representative for Rollingwood Elementary School, said not a lot of parents participated but the committee should continue.

“To stop this or take a break, that’s really starting all over again,” Arambula said.

By a 4-1 vote, with Blanco dissenting, the board also confirmed the committee’s second charge of making recommendations on school closure.

Board member Skip Henderson made two motions to remove the school closure’s discussion but his motions died for lack of second.

Henderson said once school closures are on the table there would be acrimonious disputes over whose school gets shut down.

“Its going to be one big ball of problems because you are not going to be able maintain focus on what the issue is,” Henderson said. “It will be an absolute nightmare.”

Next school year about 280 students and their teachers are expected to be added to the city’s only public middle school. This will decrease enrollment at the district’s seven elementary schools.

In a preliminary report to the committee, a consultant presented options to balance enrollment at the schools, including closing one or two schools.

Board member Henry Sanchez said every option, including school closures, should remain on the table.

The committee is scheduled to come back to the board with recommendations on school consolidation in April.