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Parents at SAUSD town hall propose merging small campuses, creating community centers and boosting school safety
Summary
During breakout groups at the Santa Ana Unified budget town hall, parents and facilitators proposed merging underused schools, creating community clinics and food pantries on campus, and improving safety and family spaces to make facilities more sustainable.
Parents and community participants at a Santa Ana Unified School District virtual budget town hall offered site‑reuse proposals ranging from merging small campuses to creating multi‑use community centers that host clinics, food pantries and internship partnerships for students.
Facilitators reported multiple recurring ideas. One participant suggested merging smaller schools and using consolidated campuses as shared community assets with dental and medical clinics, food pantries and internship opportunities for students. Another facilitator relayed that a Monroe parent praised a University of California, Irvine partnership and said security at school sites is "very, very important" to families.
Other suggestions included a district‑level staff professional‑development facility with ample parking, centralized career and technical education (CTE) space, dedicated parent meeting rooms, wellness and decompression spaces for students, lactation rooms for staff, and closer TK/kindergarten restroom access for safety.
Why it matters: The facilities discussion was explicitly tied to the district's budget pressures and declining enrollment. Staff presented a 2029 scenario to prompt community input on how underused buildings could serve both educational and broader community needs; many comments framed reuse as a way to preserve school community identity while reducing fiscal strain.
What's next: Staff said they will combine ideas gathered at this remote session with feedback from an earlier in‑person town hall and factor community input into future facilities planning and budget conversations. No decisions were made at the meeting; participants were asked to prioritize ideas for follow‑up discussions.
