Some parents categorical issue in excess of MPUSD school closure announcement

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Two elementary schools and one particular center university will be closing their doorways in the Monterey Peninsula Unified College District in the in the vicinity of upcoming.

It is really not by selection, according to the district. As a substitute, the closures are a compelled decision presented the district’s declining college student enrollment. As a final result, Highland and Foothill elementary colleges, and Walter Colton Center Faculty will be transferring their college students to other place faculties in the foreseeable future.

Hilda Coleman, regarded as “Mother Coleman” in the local community, has lived in the vicinity of Highland Elementary for a amount of many years. She has experienced 6 small children that attended the college. When the closure is something that has been reviewed in the earlier, folks never ever considered the working day would arrive.

“It just took me by shock. You know they have explained that before. They experienced explained that quite a few situations of closing but they failed to, Highland Faculty. And now we’re not imagining about it closing now. I guess it can be likely to be a actuality,” claimed Hilda Coleman.

According to the district, both of those Highland and Foothill will shut in the 2022-2023 academic university yr. In the meantime, Walter Colton Center University will shut in what would be the 2023-2024 academic college year. Youngsters will be allotted to present faculties in redrawn college boundaries. The District released this statement to try and answer concerns parents might have:

Moving ahead, the district will host supplemental reconfiguration and consolidation community engagement meetings concerning August 2021 and January 2022. The dates, situations and areas will be posted shortly and shared with households. During the conferences, the district will share information and facts on the redrawing of attendance boundaries to guarantee variety of students, the likely go of the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula to Highland, services conclusions about the transitional kindergarten – 8th quality Monterey sites (e.g., Monte Vista Elementary and La Mesa Elementary), and ultimately up to date Board Coverage Transfer decisions.

pk Diffenbaugh, mpusd superintendt

One particular former Highland university student suggests the closer the college, the greater.

“I just don’t like to hear they are seeking to near down the college that benefits these apartments. It added benefits parents who may perhaps be one mom and dad and they could have just only just one mother or father in the home and if they have to go to function early, it really is less complicated for their son to wakeup, get some cereal, and run correct throughout the road,” stated Mohammad Ali, former Highland Elementary pupil.

 The closures are a direct final result of declining enrollment above the past 10 several years. Highland and Foothill have confronted low enrollment figures, with fewer than 300 each individual. The all round typical enrollment for MPUSD Elementary Faculty is 367. Nevertheless, some parents we spoke with with little ones in the educational institutions say they have problems about where by their youngsters will conclusion up and how they will get to their new faculty. Whilst many others understand the go.

Tevin Caros, a previous Highland college student tells KION, a closure like this is disappointing.

“It is a university for everybody that was close to listed here. It really is the closest school. You just had to walk throughout the road and now all people has to travel or stroll even farther and some folks do not have a car or truck,” explained Tevin Caros, a previous Highland pupil.

The district has but to figure out the new university boundaries.