8 Interesting Facts about the Aftermath of Sac City’s School Closures
1. 4 out of the 7 closed schools have re-opened
In January 2013, Sacramento City Unified School District and former Superintendent Jonathan Raymond proposed the closure of twelve (12) neighborhood elementary schools. Of those twelve, five (5) were quietly taken off the closure list prior to the final vote on the ‘wrong-sizing’ proposal. In February 2013, only a month after announcing the proposal, seven(7) neighborhood schools were closed in a controversial 4-3 vote.
It has been more than two years since the seven neighborhood schools were closed. In that time, 4 out of the 7 campuses have re-opened either as a charter school or a community center.
2. Joseph Bonnheim re-opened as a Community Charter School
The first school site to re-open was Joseph Bonnheim Elementary. Immediately following the closures, parents, teachers and community members came together to save their neighborhood school. It became clear that the only way for the campus to remain a open would be to establish a community charter school. This small but incredibly passionate coalition of community leaders and parents raised money, passed around petitions and developed an organic proposal to re-open the school as a dependent charter. Finally, in 2014, the New Joseph Bonnheim (NJB) Community Charter opened its doors to a new cohort of students. NJB remains the only public school in Northern California with a special emphasis on agriculture. A week ago, NJB celebrated its second year and we’re thrilled to see students back at Bonnheim.
3. La Familia finds new home at Maple Elementary
For over 40 years, La Familia Counseling Center has been a fixture in the South Sacramento community and a hub for Sacramento’s Latino community. In recent years, the expanding number of staff and the growing need for services among Sacramento’s diverse populations made LFCC’s location on Fruitridge Road feel a bit cramped. In July 2015, LFCC was approved to lease Maple Elementary School as their new headquarters. By moving their main office to Maple Elementary, LFCC is now better situated to expand its world-class services to the Maple and South Sacramento community.