Vallejo superintendent cites $32 million shortfall and advance plan to study seven schools; parents and teachers urge alternatives

Superintendent Ruben Aurelio opened a town-hall meeting to explain a phase-two review of seven schools in Vallejo City Unified, saying the district faces a structural budget gap that could require campus consolidations.

"I didn't come to be the superintendent to close schools," Aurelio said, but he told attendees that declining enrollment and the end of pandemic-era funding have left the district projecting roughly $32 million in reductions over the next two years. He said district enrollment has fallen from the district's earlier highs to about 9,600 students, and that the district currently uses roughly 51% of available classroom space.

Aurelio said the governing board asked for an equity impact analysis, which the district will present in final form at the regular board meeting tomorrow; accepting that report, he emphasized, is not itself a decision to close schools. He also said the board will consider seven separate resolutions — one for each school under review — and is scheduled to decide on whether to close, leave open, or relocate programs at the Dec. 17 board meeting.

The superintendent framed the fiscal choices in plain terms: California funding follows students and daily attendance, and the district's average daily attendance has hovered near 89%.…