Parents, teachers protest proposed school closures | Education

SACRAMENTO, CA - Parents and teachers, outraged over the proposed closure of nearly a dozen Sacramento City Unified schools, rallied in a last-ditch effort before "decision day."

Dozens of people gathered at the Boys and Girls Club in Lemon Hill Wednesday evening to voice their concern about the proposed closures. Nine of the 11 schools proposed to be shuttered are in South Sacramento, that's a big concern for some parents.

Others argue that parents were only able to offer minimal input during community meetings in the past month. They are demanding more time to discuss the possibilities and they're questioning the rush to close the schools.

"(I'm) really upset, really upset because I have two girls at Mark Hopkins Elementary," parent Gabby Aguilar said. "One is graduating; I have another one coming in and it's a couple blocks from my house."

Meanwhile, a district spokesman said closing the schools and consolidating will save money and create better opportunities for students.

The school board is scheduled to address the closure issue at it's meeting Thursday.