Closure and Consolidation:
Community Voices 

We started at Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy last year and we were told that we would still have a spot there only to find out a few days before the school...

VCUSD faces a $32 million unrestricted general fund deficit over the next two years. Closing this gap will require...

The district is examining seven schools for closure and/or consolidation: Cooper Elementary, Federal Terrace Elementary, Highland Elementary, John Finney Education Complex, Lincoln Elementary, Pennycook Elementary, and Steffan Manor Elementary. However, there has been no determination of which schools, if any, will close at this time. The Board of Education will make the final decisions by December 2025, with any changes scheduled for the 2026–27 school year.

Thank you for raising this important concern. After reviewing districtwide data, the district is examining seven schools for closure and/or consolidation: Cooper Elementary, Federal Terrace Elementary, Highland Elementary, John Finney Education Complex (programs would not close, but would be moved to another campus), Lincoln Elementary, Pennycook Elementary, and Steffan Manor Elementary.

Rather than taking the opportunity to demonstrate how a model district should be run, the State merely treated Inglewood USD as if it was in hospice. Inglewood USD approved too many agreements with private school operators, who cream-skimmed the least expensive, highest achieving students off the top and left the public district with all of the expensive students (SPED, ELL, probationers, truants, hard cases).

They are the parents’ voice in the school. Now parents feel there is no bridge between the school and them. I know there are bilingual liaisons, but they are not a direct communication to the school. We barely see them.

Specifically if a student attend a school in their neighborhood and that school is slated for closure- what will the impact be on the family? How far will the student now need to travel?

If VCUSD is all about transparency now, will the videos of the meeting posted the following day be edited or tampered with in any way? Not livestreaming these specific meetings comes off as shady and suspicious.

Thank you for your feedback. All of our board meetings are live-streamed, and the full videos are posted the following day for folks who may have missed the live stream to access them. The latest town hall was not livestreamed; however, the recorded video was posted the following day. We are discussing whether we can live-stream future town hall meetings.

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You are losing budgets for one primary reason: loss of students. This is due to: (1) competition from charter schools, private schools; (2) students' families using every opportunity to send their children to non-VCUSD public schools, such as schools in Benicia, Napa Valley, and Fairfield-Suisun USDs; (3) fewer children residing in the area.

It's too many and unreasonable to have them all on one block of each other. Why not eliminate that option just to balance out chosen closures to be fair with each other? Or use one school in exchange for 6-8th grade middle school level at closing schools. It's better to have 2 middle schools.

No new school closures have been determined. The 7-11 Committee is evaluating Highland Elementary among other schools as part of a broader process that considers a range of factors, including declining enrollment, proximity to other schools, facility condition, and overall equity impacts. The committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Education, however, we cannot say how many schools will close or if Highland Elementary will be affected. Ultimately, that will be the board’s decision.

How do we know which school she will be attending in August?

If your child is already enrolled in a TK program with VCUSD, they will automatically be enrolled in kindergarten at their home school. Home schools are determined by the VCUSD boundary map. Please locate your home school on the school locator map to determine where your child will be enrolled.

Will Vallejo Charter provide extended morning/before-school care? Even just 15 extra minutes (7:45 a.m.) will make enough of a difference for me.

Students will be able to access the Mare Island campus as early as 8 a.m. for breakfast at Vallejo Charter School. However, there will not be extended care or supervision in the morning prior to 8 a.m.

I saw that students affected by school closures would get priority in enrollments?

Vallejo Charter School is not closing but changing locations to the former Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy’s campus at 400 Rickover Street. 

"Why is Loma Vista Environmental School going to close? I just moved to this city and enrolled my child in this school, which corresponds to my address. So, where will my child go to school afterward?"

I just moved to the city, and Mare Island has come highly recommended to enroll my children. My question is if Mare Island is on this list to shut down, what are some great alternative schools that you would recommend?

For me it's not too safe to have my kids in there. Will there also be smaller classes or larger groups in each classroom now that they will be adding more kids? We already have 30 kids per teacher; it's way too many. I hope you guys are doing smaller classes for the benefit of the kids.

So where do you plan to send kids in his situation? He is thriving at Loma Vista, which is such an outstanding school it certainly should not be closed.

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns. We understand that school closures and consolidations are deeply personal and impact families in many ways. No final decisions have been made yet, and the district is carefully reviewing all factors to ensure that students continue to have access to a high-quality education in a supportive environment.

We understand the importance of the Pennycook clinic and its vital services to students and families. Currently, the Board is not looking to close Pennycook Elementary. There have been discussions of moving it to a different campus so it has more room, but again, no decisions have been made. The schools will be discussed on Feb. 19 for possible closure or consolidation for the 2025-26 school year as part of the first phase of closures.

We understand that timing is crucial for families deciding about their children’s education. At the Feb. 19 board meeting, we aim to finalize closures and consolidations for the 2025-26 school year. In the meantime, please enroll your student in their home school. If your school is impacted, we will contact you with your options and next steps. 

Close schools that are lacking security. For example: Patterson, Lincoln, Federal Terrace. So many encampments, fires, prostitution. Things kids should not be exposed to but unfortunately is due to the surrounding environment.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. The district considers multiple factors in the decision-making process, including enrollment trends, facility conditions, budget constraints, and the overall impact on student learning. While Hogan is not currently being considered for closure, we recognize some of our school communities face challenges due to external factors, including safety concerns in the surrounding areas.

I want to be able to plan where to put my kids next year as we are affected and having a kid in middle school and one in elementary for a single mom that has no other relatives to help with transportation is difficult. Closing Pennycook or moving Vallejo Charter wouldn't help for families like mine.

How will classes not be overcrowded if you plan on closing these schools? My eldest will be going to middle school next year and having them go two different schools and not having Pennycook and Hogan and having my youngest put somewhere else will be a big inconvenience for me as a single mother. This will be a bad move.

Steffan Manor is a wonderful school with rich history for the Steffan Manor neighborhood. This community does not deserve this school to even be considered. The residents in this area do not want to lose this wonderful school. Our community church is very much involved and businesses like 7-11 would lose lots of customers that they depend on throughout the school year. This is another prime example of why parents are taking their kids out of Vallejo schools. You guys can not be trusted. There is no trust with this district. None of these closures affect your kids. Just your pockets. You want kids to stay, then start showing us that we can trust you! Stop thinking you can pull a fast one. TRUST is the key!!! Why do we have three Assistant Superintendents? For what? So, I ask again. Why are you even considering what you are doing?!

Thank you for sharing your concerns so passionately. We understand that the possibility of consolidating or closing a school, especially one as beloved as Steffan Manor, is deeply troubling. The school's history, community ties, and relationships are incredibly important, and these decisions are never taken lightly.

No decisions have been made regarding Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy at this time. The 7-11 Committee has made a recommendation for the consolidation of the school to Federal Terrace, Lincoln Elementary and other middle schools, which will be presented to the VCUSD Board of Education at the upcoming meeting on Nov. 20. Any decisions about potential closures or consolidation will depend on the Board's review and approval of these recommendations. Any closure or consolidation will not occur during the middle of the school year.

No decisions regarding school closures or consolidations have been finalized, but we understand your concerns. Should changes affect Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy, rest assured that several middle school options are available for your student. In addition to Solano Widenmann, students can attend one of the various TK-8 schools in the district or Hogan Middle School. We are committed to providing a smooth transition for all students and will keep families informed as decisions are made.

The total cost of the bond to Vallejo taxpayers will depend on several factors, including the assessed value of properties and the repayment terms over time. For a homeowner in Vallejo with a property assessed at $500,00, the total additional tax from these bond series would be about $768.35 per year for the next 30 years. This amount covers all three series (2019, 2021, and 2023) and is based on the rates given for each series. The rates are slightly lower than the initial maximum estimates, providing a small savings to homeowners compared to earlier projections.