The San Bruno Park School Board voted on April 25 to oppose the controversial proposed closure of local Crestmoor Elementary School and El Crystal Elementary School.

The meeting about the closures took places at Crestmoor. After hearing the parents’ and faculty’s reasons and pleas to keep the school open, the board of trustees voted 4-1 to oppose the closing of any schools. Highly due to the parents promising to help raise money and pass a parcel tax November, the school board was swayed to opposing.

When it was announced that Crestmoor was one of the two elementary schools faced with the possibility of being shut down, both parents and faculty rallied up immediately to defend the effects it would have on the community and students.

Parent Karen Lopez said, “We are going to look to help through fund raising and potential grant money.” However, if the parents aren’t successful, another proposal of school closure would be considered once again by the district.

The elementary school is located half a mile away from where the San Bruno PG&E pipeline explosion happened in 2010. Parents of students attending the school, such as Susan Becker, were upset by the idea of their children having to undergo yet another dramatic change in their lives.

“I want my daughter to be able to finish primary school with her friends and not have to move her out of her comfort zone,” said Becker, a parent of a Crestmoor second grader. “She’s already fragile from the pipeline blast; the school shutting down will not do any good.”

Crestmoor has a reputation of consistently scoring well above state goals for their Academic Performance, even receiving an Honor Roll Award from California Business for Academic Excellence Foundation.

Superintendent David Hutt released a report recommending that Crestmoor and El Crystal elementary school be closed to due to their low enrollment numbers once sixth-graders are transferred to middle school next fall. This was also proposed because it would save about $250,000 from each closure of the school. In addition, without proposed statewide taxes passing this November, school districts are expected to lose $370 per student. In San Bruno, this is totaled to be approximately $960,000. The district turned to deficit spending or one-time funds to cover its budget the several last years and hoped to create a balanced budget. Hutt was, however, inspired by the parents’ dedication to their children’s schools.

“The parents were very passionate,” said Hutt. “They were willing to back up those words with action.”