School Closures a Sore Subject in Pasadena

It was the last song of the last winter program that Pasadena's Allendale Elementary School might ever have, and the mood was somber.

The night before the show, Pasadena Unified School District officials voted to close Allendale indefinitely.

Come fall, the 55-year-old elementary school will be shuttered. And so will Noyes. And Linda Vista. And Edison.

The Pasadena school board voted last week to close the four elementary schools because of declining enrollment. The board has been struggling with about a $6-million gap in its $114-million annual budget. Closing the schools will save about $1.2 million.

Parents blame poor planning by the school board. Board members blame declining enrollment. Families who have left the district blame Pasadena's rising housing prices. And new neighborhood homeowners who opt for private schools blame an inadequate public school district, officials said.

Regardless of where the blame lies, the news hit hard.

"One [closure] seems extreme. Four seems like poor planning," said Allendale parent Scott Moses. "I wish the parents had a voice, because I know I'm angry."

Board members said they knew their decision to shut the schools would be unpopular, but that it was necessary if the district wanted to stay financially afloat.

"There's not a single board member who wants to close a school," board member William Bibbiani told an auditorium of disheartened teachers, parents and children.

"Half the school districts in the state have declining enrollments," said school board President Ed Honowitz. "You can't really shed the cost fast enough to address that issue."

The district already has cut such areas as transportation and security; buses are now primarily available only to special-needs students, and security forces have been reduced.

"You have to balance the needs of the entire school district," Honowitz said. "There's 21,000 kids who still need an education."

With fewer school sites to maintain, the district will pay for fewer principals, office managers, custodians and other employees. If, and how, school employees, services and equipment will follow the students to their new schools is yet to be determined.

District officials have said they hope to save money in the future through attrition and even increase revenue by leasing the four closed schools, though board member Esteban Lizardo assured the public at a recent meeting that "there is no backdoor motive to sell any of our property."