A map of the affected schools follows the story.
The San Diego Unified School District released a list of 10 schools they want to close next fall because of a shortfall of $118 million in next year's $1.057 billion operating budget. More than a dozen schools in total would be closed, relocated or consolidated next year under a plan being recommended by a San Diego Unified School District committee.
The plan, which will be presented to the board of education next Tuesday, is expected to save the district about $5 million a year. A formal vote by the district will possibly occur in December.
Schools made the list based on criteria like enrollment trends, the percentage of neighborhood children attending, and student test scores over the last five years.
Campuses facing possible closure are Cadman, Cabrillo, Cubberly, Franklin, Marvin, Paradise Hills and Vista Grande elementary schools. The Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet School campus would also be closed, with the program moved to Dana Middle School to establish a Pacific Rim language academy.
Additionally, Pacific Beach Middle School would be merged into Mission Bay High School, and the Crown Point Junior Music Academy would be closed, its violin and choral programs moved to Bayview Terrace Elementary School.
Crawford High School would break up its four small academies and revert to traditional comprehensive school status; the Emerson-Bandini campus, which houses two schools, would consolidate into one K-5 program at Emerson; and San Diego High School would consolidate its communications academy with its science and technology program.
The recommendations were rolled out at neighborhood school cluster meetings over the last month.
Phil Stover heads business affairs for the district. He says he knows parents are worried about the impact of closure on their children.
"We're trying to make everyone a little bit more comfortable by ensuring them that children that attend schools that are closed will have first choice to go to the school they would like to go to, especially within their existing cluster," said Stover.
