School District Looking to Close Two Schools?

The San Bruno Park School District superintendent has apparently threw a new twist into the school closures discussion by recommending ahead of Wednesday's school board meeting that two schools should be closed.

Leading up to Wednesday's special board meeting, the focus has been on what could happen to Crestmoor Elementary. The San Bruno Park School District committee tasked with making a recommendation about school closures and move the school population to a nearby neighborhood school because it would be the least disruptive to the students.

However, Superintendent David Hutt said in a staff report accompanying Wednesday's agenda that El Crystal Elementary should now also be considered for closure.

That recommendation is based on the findings in the boundary study that Total School Solutions completed for the district in which the firm said that closing both Crestmoor and El Crystal—which would be left with the smallest school populations once sixth graders are moved to Parkside Intermediate next year—would help balance enrollment throughout the district and allow "each of the remaining five schools to have the capacity for sustained enrollment growth over a longer period."

"Having to close a school is not a desirable action to do or to consider," Hutt said in the report. "It is an action that is warranted in order to guarantee the quality of educational programs for all students and the professional support of staff."

The report also seems to indicate that Hutt is recommending that school closures, if approved by the board, should take place in the 2013-14 school year. The district isn't expecting to get a clear picture of its budget and enrollment numbers until October, he said.

What do you think?