The South Bay Union School District will close an elementary school in Imperial Beach and potentially close more due to steadily declining enrollment and a multimillion-dollar deficit.
Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan that greenlights the closure of Central Elementary School to avoid further economic losses. The closure is planned for the 2026-27 school year.
An initial plan called for the gradual shutdown of Sunnyslope Elementary in the 2028-29 school year and Berry Elementary in the 2030-31 school year. But officials decided that the board should revisit later whether closing the two schools would still be necessary.
Their decision came after a contentious meeting during which they faced heavy opposition from parents and some teachers. The vote also marked the end of several discussions held for more than a year over how many campuses the district needed to shutter and consolidate.
The plan, proposed by Superintendent Jose Espinoza, is based on projections that the district will continue to experience declining enrollment, which is already 50% lower than it was a decade ago.
Since 2011, the district has reported a loss of nearly 2,400 students and is projected to lose an additional 239 by the end of fiscal year 2026-27, resulting in a decline of more than 40% of the student population.
Most of the decline has occurred at schools nearest Interstate 5 in south San Diego, such as Mendoza, Emory Academy and Berry.
Some of the reasons for low enrollment, per the district: rising costs of living, long-term effects of the pandemic and declining birth rates and local economic growth. Some parents have also cited exposure to the Tijuana River cross-border sewage crisis as a reason for removing their children from the district.
At a special meeting earlier this month, Michael Taylor, a consultant the district hired, told trustees that the revenue the district receives per child for their attendance, estimated at $10,000, does not offset the operating costs of a school when enrollments are low.
According to data from the district’s 2023-24 budget, the following six schools, with budget expenditures ranging from $2.4 million to $3.8 million, are operating in a deficit of up to $1 million:
- Central: $183,488
- Emory: $221,766
- Berry: $255,791
- Pence: $405,079
- Mendoza: $514,272
- Bayside: $1,135,486
“When students leave districts, there’s a huge loss in revenue,” he said.
Espinoza said the plan was intentionally phased so that the district could pivot if needed. Understanding the difficult decision before trustees, the superintendent said the board would have to choose something else to cut if it decided not to shut down schools.
His plan differed from that of an advisory committee that had met for more than a year. The group had agreed to shut down Central, which is confronting nearly $50 million in immediate construction needs, according to the district. Espinoza said that an architect the district hired said the district would be better off rebuilding the campus. The committee had also recommended closing Emory Elementary, but not Berry and Sunnyslope.
According to the district, students from Central would be distributed among several campuses, including Bayside, Emory and Oneonta. The district would also use bonds and school site funds to make several site improvements. Officials will have to plan for new school boundaries, updated bus routes and what to do with what will become a vacant school property.
The packed district auditorium expressed strong opposition to Espinoza’s plan. Several students were also present, holding signs that read, “I’m fighting for Sunnyslope to stay open” and “Every student deserves a school in their neighborhood.”
Elsy Carrillo, a Berry graduate and mother to children who attend the school, was among more than a dozen who spoke against the plan.
“When I used to be a student, we didn’t care to go to school because we didn’t have or motivation,” she told trustees. “Now that my children attend Berry, I am proud to be involved in all the fun activities Berry staff provide to our students.
“Do not shut dreams down,” she added. “Do not shut down our elementary. Something that should be shut down, that is affecting our community and health, is the Tijuana River, not the heart of our Berry Bears.”
