South Bay Union district names next 2 schools slated for closure, to public opposition

Facing a budget deficit and declining enrollment, South Bay Union School District says it might close two more elementary schools in the next six years, months after deciding to shutter another.

Under a plan approved Wednesday night, Sunnyslope Elementary could close after the 2028-29 school year and Berry Elementary at the end the 2031-32 school year, “subject to review of enrollment and financial data.”

The move comes months after the board unanimously greenlit the closure of Central Elementary at the end of the current school year.

The plan they considered in May initially included closing Sunnyslope and Berry — but officials decided at the time to revisit those later, removing their names from the plans.

On Wednesday, the school board approved a new resolution they said would clarify and expand on the May consolidation plan, adding those two schools back into the resolution by name.

Superintendent Jose Espinoza said he suspected that when the board asked in May for their names to be taken off, its members hadn’t actually intended to stop considering the schools for closure.

“If, in fact, we are considering Sunnyslope in a couple of years and Berry in a few more years, then I think we need to be transparent,” he said.

Espinoza said those two schools were identified when they were working with a comm...