The Cupertino Union School District Board of Education will begin discussing potential scenarios for school closures as soon as next year at a board meeting Thursday evening, November 5. The District faces declining enrollment, increases in healthcare and retirement costs, and future anticipated losses from funding cuts and an expiring parcel tax, among other fiscal challenges.
School closure is one among many measures the board will consider as it seeks to address immediate budget issues, pursue long term fiscal solvency and secure balanced enrollment. The District operates 20 elementary schools and six middle schools and covers the city of Cupertino, as well as parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Los Altos.
Earlier this year, a Citizens Advisory Committee was tasked with developing criteria to inform board decisions to close schools. Six scenarios were presented October 22 that met the criteria, which include a total financial impact of $5 to $7 million, elementary school size of 432-720, minimizing the number of schools (2-3) being reconfigured into any one school, and moving the district office to a CUSD-owned site.
For more information on the meeting including live stream access, click here.