Two schools in the Evergreen Valley area of San Jose are slated to close or consolidate by next year, victims of dropping enrollment, officials say.
The drop has a lot to do with the high price of housing. Too many students are simply moving away. The school district says it has lost 2,500 students over the last few years.
"Our school district is facing an enrollment crisis. I’ll call it a crisis," Evergreen district Superintendent Emy Flores said. "The cost of living has pushed many of our families out."
No school has been officially named, but one board member did mention Dove Hill Elementary.
Flores just took over as superintendent in July and was immediately tasked with overseeing the closure or consolidation of two schools by next year because they simply don’t have enough students to sustain them.
Flores says a few families are choosing charter schools. But district data shows most are leaving the area altogether, and she knows the likely reason for the move.
"I can tell you that I have sticker shock every day," Flores said. "San Jose is extremely expensive, and it's difficult for families to raise their children here."
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Housing costs has been a long term discussion in the Evergreen School District. Falling enrollment has increased the district's budget deficit, which is expected to balloon to more than $16.5 million by 2022.
Over the next few weeks, the board will study the numbers and decide which campuses will be closed or consolidated. And they want to make a decision soon to give families enough time to react.
"It’d make me sad because this is the school we all went to," parent Minerva Aguirre said. "Me and my sisters. And now the little ones are all going."
