© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Proposed Hayward elementary school closures protested

Hayward Unified School District superintendent's office and district administrative offices
Mercurywoodrose
/
Wikimedia commons
Hayward Unified School District superintendent's office and district administrative offices

If you were driving by Glassbrook Elementary about noon on Wednesday, you probably heard people chanting. They were protesting a Hayward Unified School District proposal to close, relocate, or consolidate up to 14 schools over the next three years. The potential closure of schools, known as the Operational Sustainability Plan, will address a decrease in enrollment and the district’s budget shortfall.

Four elementary schools are facing potential closure this year. One of those is Glassbrook, which serves mostly immigrant families, including refugees from Afghanistan, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

State documents show that enrollment in California schools is down 160,000 students this academic year.

Starting next week, Hayward Unifiedwill launch virtual meetings to hear community feedback. The school board is expected to vote on the proposal in November.

Ben joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped the news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped teach hundreds of audio producers, many of whom work with him at KALW, today.