Teachers and parents urge committee to weigh more than test scores, warn of equity and transportation impacts

Three members of the public addressed the committee in the allotted public-comment period and urged careful consideration of how metrics and closures affect families and specialized services.

"When you look at the dashboard, you don't see the whole picture of a school," said Tanya Taer, a second-grade teacher at Lemong Grove School, who asked the committee to account for improvement trajectories, percentages of students with IEPs and the availability of Title I-funded interventions if students are reassigned to non–Title I schools.

Candace Schmidt, an alternate and parent, described enrollment patterns at Mound and Foothill and questioned whether the district should be spending significant money to rent athletic facilities for Foothill while closing elementary boundary schools. "If Mound were to close, transportation would not be an issue for VUSD as those students would have the option to go to one of their awesome VUSD boundary schools," she said, then cautioned about burdening low-income households that rely on neighborhood schools.

Ashley Pope offered a planning-oriented perspective, calling school closures a moment to reimagine district space rather than only a loss. She suggested the district consider creating a dedicated early learning and inclusion center and exploring K–8 pathways that lead into Foothill Tech High School and technology programs to increase access for underserved west-side students. "The school closure process could create an opportunity to establish a dedicated early learning and inclusion center where preschool students learn alongside their peers through co‑teaching and inclusive practices," she said.

Members of the committee acknowledged these concerns and noted that public testimony will be one input among many (facility fit, fiscal analysis, program portability) as the committee refines its recommendations.

Next procedural step: the public Q&A and packet materials will be posted to the committee website; the committee will continue deliberations at upcoming fiscal and prioritization sessions.