History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Alum Rock district closing Pala Middle School, leaves other threatened schools open
- 12-14-2009
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By Sandra Gonzales and Sharon Noguchi/San Jose Mercury News
Despite intense debate and the impassioned pleas from the community, trustees of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District on Thursday night decided to close Pala Middle School next year. "I'm absolutely sick to my heart," Tanya Freudenberger, a former Alum Rock trustee, said after the vote. "Everything we tried to do has been thrown away." Several hundred parents and teachers had crowded into the Pala Middle School cafeteria to protest any closures, with banners that read "Make the right decision" and "Make room for me — I need room to learn." "It does feel like we're burying the school, teachers and students before their time," said Jocelyn Merz, vice president of the Alum Rock Educators Association. "This is not a necessary option." In October, Superintendent Jose Manzo said that, to stay solvent amid falling enrollment and plummeting revenues, the district needed to close two elementary schools and one middle school. (more...)
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