Why this matters
South Bay Union serves about 5,500 students in preschool through eighth grade from communities in Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and southern San Diego, many of whom are considered low-income and identify as Hispanic or Latino. Hundreds of the district’s students will be impacted by its consolidation plan.
On a warm, humid day, a leaf blower whined outside of Central Elementary in Imperial Beach, where school employees scrambled to complete final touches before students arrived on campus last week. Catchy pop beats played as staff welcomed families walking under an arch of colorful balloons and paper streamers and down the red-brick hallway that led to a black top full of students waiting to meet their new teacher.
“Mom, I’m so excited for my first day of school,” fourth grader Victoria Sierra told her mother. “I’m excited to see what I can learn.”
But among feelings of excitement on campus, a somber mood lurked.
Did you know that you’re the only sixth grade class on campus and the last ever? Mrs. Arellano asked a room full of students.
“Why are we the last class?” one kid questioned.
“Because the school is shutting down,” answered another student.
In late May, South Bay Union board members voted to close Central at the end of this school year. Two other campuses will also close within the next five years under the vote.
Board members have not named the other schools they will close, but had previously considered closing Berry and Sunnyslope.
Officials are using a phased approach that will shut down all three campuses by mid-2030 while allowing the district to reevaluate its decision after each step and make adjustments if needed.
After Central closes, its students will be distributed across Emory, Oneonta, Bayside and potentially Mendoza elementaries. Board members say they will need to balance enrollment across campuses as they redraw school boundary lines.
“It sucks. They’ve gotten accustomed all these years,” Stephanie McLemore said about her two sons who attend Central.
Some parents told inewsource they were shocked to learn on the first day of school that their child wouldn’t be able to attend the next year.
Officials began consolidation talks around fall 2023 following years of declining enrollment and deficit spending at the district. South Bay Union has less than half of the student population it had a decade ago, the steepest decline compared to any district in San Diego County, an inewsource analysis found. Low birth rates, high housing costs and an increased interest in alternative education are among the reasons why enrollment is declining.
Experts expect that trend to worsen not only for South Bay Union, but districts across the nation. That means trouble for those in states like California, where education funding is tied in part to enrollment.
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South Bay Union expects to continue spending more money than it’s bringing in — amounting to a deficit of $19 million this year and $15 million the following year, officials said toward the end of last school year. The district plans on using most of its reserves to cover the shortfalls.
Several other San Diego County schools are facing financial difficulties, making more layoffs and campus closures likely, experts say.
South Bay Union officials said they presented consolidation options to a committee made up of district staff and parents who were tasked with ultimately providing a recommendation to the board. Options presented to the committee were based partly on student population and included the required financial investment to update those facilities, officials said.
Each option required a major financial investment, but Central Elementary had the highest modernization cost — upwards of $49 million.
These consolidation talks sparked backlash from community members who felt district leaders had made up their mind prior to seeking input from them during town halls. Some individuals also expressed concern over the impact the closures could have on students.
But Superintendent Jose Espinoza said a decision had to be made.
In order to provide the support needed to serve students at a school, it needs to have 500 to 600 students for it to at least break even, he told inewsource.
Roughly 300 students are currently enrolled at Central, but class sizes vary. Some classrooms were at capacity while others were half full — a challenge for staff and families.
Sixth grader Jorge Sierra, who has attended Central Elementary since kindergarten, sat in the cafeteria with his mom and three sisters on the first day of school. But unlike other students, Jorge wasn’t getting ready to meet his new teacher or sit at his new desk: With the only sixth grade class on campus already at maximum capacity, he will have to request what’s known as an intra-district transfer to attend another school outside of his neighborhood, his mother said officials told her.
“It’s so upsetting,” said Patricia Sierra, who had yet to be informed what campus her son would be attending as of the first day of school.
Several families told inewsource they have yet to know what’s next for them after Central closes.
Parents like Rachel Gaiser remain concerned about how the closure will impact students. Her son Logan is a third grader at Central, the only school he’s known since kindergarten.
Gaiser said her son is still reeling from the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on his social development and wants to provide him with as much stability as she can — including him staying at the same school as his friends.
But Central families aren’t the only ones who are unsure of what the future holds. Staff at the campus is also in limbo.
“When I became principal, I didn’t know this was going to happen,” said Principal Edgardo Salazar, who held back tears as he processed what the board’s decision means for him. He’s not sure what he’ll be doing next year, but is open to going back to the classroom if that’s where he’s needed, he said.
Salazar said he’s in his third year as principal at Central, a tight-knit community fostering a sense of family. Every start of the school year comes with feelings of anxiety, but this year felt different.
“My main goal is to make this year unforgettable,” he said.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
