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ABC Unified board extends hearing after hours of testimony on proposed school consolidations and grade reconfiguration
Summary
After a presentation from district staff and a two‑hour public hearing with more than 40 speakers, ABC Unified trustees voted to return the consultant’s consolidation and reconfiguration recommendations for further staff work and a future action vote. Speakers warned closures would harm specialized programs and neighborhood schools and cited financial and equity concerns.
The ABC Unified School District board on June 3 received hours of public testimony after a staff presentation on a consultant recommendation to consolidate several elementary schools and reconfigure middle grades.
Superintendent Dr. Zitlo told the board the district has experienced “a significant decline since 2015” and that projections through 2029 show an overall fall in enrollment of roughly 26 percent, a trend that prompted Schoolworks’ proposal to reconfigure middle schools to a 6‑8 model and consolidate four elementary campuses. Dr. Zitlo said the recommendations included possible consolidation of Aloha, Ferguson, Warez (spelled several ways in the record) and Sters elementary schools and a repurposing of Whitney campus options to accept out‑of‑district permits to shore up enrollment.
The plan prompted sustained public comment. Parent groups, teachers and students from the affected campuses urged the board to pause or revise the recommendations and offered alternatives. “This is not the district that I worked in for 30 years,” said Matthew Duncan, a retired ABC Unified teacher, as he questioned district statements about facility use. Sters parents presented data and argued the campus’ combined International Baccalaureate and Mandarin immersion programs are drawing substantial interdistrict transfers and revenue: “Just in last year alone…that’s a $2.9 million revenue for Sters’ interdistrict transfers,” said parent Aaron Schaw.
Speakers from Ferguson and Hawaiian Gardens highlighted state grant awards and rising local literacy outcomes at neighborhood schools, saying closures would disproportionately affect low‑income students and families who walk to local campuses. Teachers and school leaders described recent targeted investments — including a $450,000 state literacy grant at Ferguson — and warned that displacing those programs risks reversing gains.
Board members pressed staff for details about boundaries, transportation, staffing and the timeline for any move. After hearing the public and discussing options, trustees voted unanimously to bring the consolidation and reconfiguration recommendation back to the board as a future action item, with staff and the consultant instructed to incorporate public comments and provide implementation details before a final vote.
Formal actions revealed in open session included readmission and expulsion decisions announced after closed session. The board also approved motions earlier in the evening to extend the public hearing time and to carry forward staff work on the consolidation proposal.
The district timeline for any restructuring will remain provisional until the board takes a formal vote on the specific closure and reconfiguration actions. Trustees said they expected staff to return with detailed analysis of program movement, attendance boundary maps, transportation plans and fiscal implications before any final decisions.
What’s next: the board directed staff to bring a revised action packet back to a future meeting for a formal vote after additional analysis and public input. No closures or campus reassignments were finalized at the June 3 meeting.
