Vallejo superintendent lays out school‑closure options as community urges keeping Cooper open

Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent opened a town hall to explain Phase 2 of a closure and consolidation review for the 2026–27 school year and to solicit public input. She said staff have identified seven campuses under study — Cooper, Federal Terrace, Highland, Lincoln, Pennycook, Stephen Manor and the John Phinney Education Complex — and that any final decision rests with the elected five‑member governing board.

The superintendent said the district has seen a post‑pandemic enrollment decline from roughly 11,700 to about 9,600 students and noted the district’s budgetary structure: "We roughly run a $200,000,000 annual budget," she said, and described a "$32,000,000 structural deficit over two years" that closures and other reductions are intended to help address. She also highlighted a milestone the district reached this summer: exiting state receivership on June 30 after repaying a state loan, a change she said the district wants to preserve. "We don't wanna close schools," she added, "however, we have to look at how we sustain this district fiscally so we can continue to operate the way we do." (Statements attributed to the superintendent.)

Staff described the analytic…