The San Jose Unified School District board voted 3-2 on Thursday to close five elementary schools next school year, and honestly, the community is not taking it well. Hundreds of parents sat in tense silence as they waited for the board’s decision, then the room erupted with chants of “shame on you” when the results came down. It’s a pretty stark reminder of how these kinds of decisions impact real families in our area.

The five schools getting the ax are Canoas, Empire Gardens, Gardner, Lowell, and Terrell elementary schools. Plus, Hammer Montessori at Galarza Elementary is being relocated to Gardner. Trustees Brian Wheatley and Nicole Gribstad voted against the closures, while Jose Magaña, Carla Collins, and Teresa Castellanos voted in favor. Many parents had hoped Castellanos would be the swing vote to stop the closures, but she ultimately sided with the board’s concerns about staffing and resources at smaller schools.

The district’s reasoning is that enrollment numbers directly affect teacher and staff allocations, including counselors, which impacts what programs schools can actually offer , think science, art, and music. Out of 26 elementary schools, 12 have fewer than 350 students while the largest has over 800. But here’s the thing: all five schools being closed are Title I schools serving high percentages of low-income students, and the majority of kids at these schools are students of color. That’s raising some serious equity questions.

Parents have been pretty vocal about this whole situation. Kara Tuohy, one of about 50 parents who spoke at the meeting, straight-up said, “Our students and families deserve more than a rushed solution. They deserve a thoughtful, transparent process that prioritizes equity, safety and long-term success”. Even San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s wife, Silvia Scandar Mahan, showed up to read a statement from the mayor opposing the closures.

The enrollment decline is real , the district has lost more than 6,000 students since 2017-18 , but parents are arguing there are better solutions. A coalition of parents has already filed a complaint claiming the closure process violates state and federal equity protections and creates safety issues by forcing young kids to walk up to 60 minutes to school. If the district doesn’t address these concerns, they’re planning to appeal to the California Department of Education.

David Friedlander, who helped organize community opposition to the closures, told us the district clearly hasn’t been listening. “The community is going to continue to fight”, he said. And based on the energy in that room, it seems like parents aren’t done yet.