Proposed closure of Huntington Beach elementary school brings opposition from residents
The possible closure of an elementary school with a large population of economically disadvantaged students drew criticism from many residents during a meeting of the Huntington Beach City School District board of trustees Tuesday night.
It was the first discussion of the issue before the board since the district’s school closure task force voted 7-4 last week to recommend shuttering Joseph R. Perry Elementary School in an effort to resolve longstanding financial woes.
The district has been debating closing one of its seven elementary schools for more than a year. Perry was first considered in October 2018 due to declining enrollment. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade at 19231 Harding Lane.
In June, a district committee unanimously determined that Perry should not be closed, and the board of trustees unanimously agreed.
Tuesday’s meeting was a study session and the board took no action and did not engage in much discussion about the topic.
At Supt. Gregory Haulk’s urging, the board decided to hold sessions from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 23 and 2:30 to 4 p.m. April 27 before it votes on the issue April 28. The meetings are intended to give the public a chance to be heard before the board’s decision.
The process has been laden with controversy, which was evident in the 103 public comments submitted for Tuesday’s meeting.
Many focused on how closing Perry could negatively affect some of the city’s most vulnerable students. Perry has the highest percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the district at 50.7%, according to its state-required 2017-18 School Accountability Report Card. About 42% of the students are Hispanic or Latino, according to 2017-18 data.
Katie Brown, a teacher at Perry for 23 years, criticized the board for what she considers the school’s lack of teachers and deficit of students.
“I have watched as every board has let us bleed out,” Brown said. “Every year we watch our incoming kindergarten classes dwindle.”
According to Public School Review, Perry has 373 students and 14 teachers, representing declines of 20% and 26%, respectively, over five school years. Perry’s website lists 15 teachers.
A spokesman for the school district could not be reached for comment.
Andrew McEachin, a member of the task force who was one of the four dissenters on closing the school, said in an interview that Perry has lost many students to other schools in the district, which creates inequality.
“It’s a lot easier for students from families of higher socioeconomic status to take advantage of transfer policies because they have the flexibility or the means to have their kid go farther away,” McEachin said. “Students who don’t have as many resources, it’s harder for them to do that.”
If Perry is closed, many of the displaced students would have to travel two or more miles to another school, which can be a strain for lower-income families who “may not have as much time and resources to drive a kid across town,” McEachin said. “Transportation becomes more difficult for lower-income students.”
Kurt Chrestensen, whose children attend Perry, said in an interview that he believes the district is unfairly focusing on Perry because of its population of lower-income and minority students. He said the board is “going back on their word” from last year if it approves Perry’s closure.
“We just want a really good thriving school district that cares about all its kids,” Chrestensen said. “We are tired of feeling like our kids are getting picked on because their parents are the ones who don’t make a big fuss. They are a lot of working families, a lot of parents who a lot of times don’t speak English.”
McEachin and other task force members who voted against Perry’s closure — Elizabeth Armstrong, Joslin de Diego and Joshua Yates —wrote a letter to Haulk and the board of trustees outlining why they believe closing the school would hurt the lower-income community.
“It is imperative you consider which communities would bear the brunt of the closure,” the letter states. “Last year, the 7-11 committee voted 8-0 not to close Perry Elementary School, and you unanimously agreed. They said the question of whether to close Perry is a social justice issue, and we strongly agree. Closing Perry will disproportionately harm your most vulnerable students, which is especially troubling in wake of the economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
During a budget overview at the meeting, Greg Magnuson, a financial consultant hired by the district, said closing a school is “no longer optional” because of the district’s dire financial situation.
The district has been trying to find ways to deal with $6.8 million in budget cuts anticipated for 2020-21 amid declining enrollment and “only small increases in funding,” according to a financial report in December.
According to data collected in October, enrollment had dropped to 6,452, and the district was expected to lose 200 more students over the next two years, the district said.
The district will have to reduce the budget during that time to hold onto a minimum 3% reserve required by state law for economic uncertainties, keep its budget certified and avoid county scrutiny of the district’s solvency.
The Huntington Beach City School District announced it will no longer accept interdistrict or intradistrict student transfers and is postponing Kindergarten Roundups while evaluating the district’s budget and the possibility of a school closure and other cuts.
Kyle Cason, a member of the task force who voted in favor of Perry’s closure, wrote in a comment that travel distance to a new school was just one of many factors the task force considered.
“Distance is one of the 11 factors we were asked to consider but not the only factor,” Cason said. “I do not believe there are any elementary students walking two miles to school in this district. Factors important to me are the number of students affected, investment in the campus, busing, neighborhoods and environmental factors.
“Perry’s closure would affect the least amount of students, its campus has not been upgraded and many of its students are already in buses. Unfortunately, families have been transferring out of Perry for years and they will continue to transfer out of Perry in the future.”
The California chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund have been involved in fighting the school’s potential closure.
Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan, California director of LULAC, said in a letter to Haulk and the board of trustees that the Perry community has been “largely ignored.”
“But by far the most despicable act is placing it in the running for closure a second time,” the letter states. “For what reason could this be justified unless you never intended to protect that school and those students in the first place?”
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