Committee Votes to Recommend School Closure

The Fountain Valley School District's School Boundaries and Closure Committee voted 12-7 Tuesday night to recommend the closure of one of the district's elementary schools.

"This was the hard part," said Steve McMahon, the district's assistant superintendent for business. "We really got the hard part done. We've done it this way before. We can feel good about it."

The committee will now have to decide on a set of criteria that will be used to determine which school will be closed, a process that will likely retroactively dovetail into the extensive list of pros and cons created by the committee, which was presented and discussed before the vote.

Among the recurring pros listed by members were increased revenue, income from the potential sale of land, more effective use of space and more money for various programs. Among the biggest concerns were job losses and the social impact on families, friends and communities.

"This is one of the reasons we have this committee," McMahon said. "If it were just about numbers, it would be an easier decision. It's a tremendous emotional effect, and there's no getting around that. ... Ignoring it is the biggest mistake we could make."

It's been estimated that closing one of the district's schools could save the district around $400,000 per year. The 19-member advisory committee was formed to assess the potential need for school closures in the district and present recommendations to the school board by September. Because the committee is advisory, the school board could override its recommendation.