Slater school up for closure Slater school up for closure (January 28, 2005)

Restructuring of Castro also under consideration

By Julie O'Shea

News that Slater Elementary will close this June and major changes are in store for Castro Elementary has rocked the Mountain View school community and left many questions hanging.

The recommendations made by Superintendent Eleanor Yick are widespread and will impact all seven elementary schools in the Mountain View-Whisman district. Principals have been warned they are subject to reassignment, and one will ultimately lose her job. The district may have to redraw school boundary lines, and some students will be reassigned to other schools if the closure recommendations are approved by the board of trustees on Feb. 3.

"I just can't believe they would pick a school that breaks up our community," said Elaine Spence, who is co-chair of the parent participation program at Slater. "I see Slater as a neighborhood center. What we have at Slater took years to build. Everything didn't just appear over a summer."

Added Lisa Levin, another Slater parent: "I am disheartened but not at all surprised.

"What really interested me is the (school closure) task force. The whole point was to be as least disruptive as possible. ... Is this least disruptive?"

Since many in the Slater community predicted their school's closure, possibly the biggest surprise was the proposed restructuring of Castro. The changes would move the school's controversial Spanish-English language immersion program to Landels Elementary and create an intensive English Language Academy for pre-school through grade 2.

School board president Ellen Wheeler, who was a member of the school closure task force, said the group never discussed restructuring Castro. That was something Yick came up with all by herself, Wheeler said.

"I am very excited by it," Wheeler said of Yick's proposal. "I am in awe of her ambition."

Yick did not return repeated phone calls for comment.

Castro Principal Carla Tarazi, said she felt that "careful consideration" went into this recommendation. She said she hopes the dual-language immersion program will do well at Landels.

"It could be an exciting opportunity for dual immersion to flourish in that environment," said Tarazi.

In exchange, Castro would be the new home of Slater's parent participation program.

"I was very shocked because of where Slater is. I really didn't think they'd close down the only school left in our neighborhood," said Spence, who has a daughter in the fourth grade at the Gladys Avenue school.

Slater, which has 397 students, is one of the last remaining schools in the former Whisman district and the only school east of Highway 85. The next closest school is Landels, which is 1.9 miles away.

If Slater closes at the end of June, enrollment at the six remaining campuses could top 500 pupils, administrators estimated. However, classroom sizes will supposedly stay the same -- 20 students per class for kindergarten through third grade and 30 students per class for grades four and five.

"Right now the most important thing is the children," Slater Principal Nicki Smith said Tuesday. "Of course, we are sad. Closing any school is difficult."

Smith, who has been with the district for four years, said she was told of the superintendent's recommendations on Jan. 19, the day after the last school closure task force meeting. She broke the news to her teachers Tuesday morning before school.

"I think they knew it was coming. Some cried," Smith said.

Fearing that the task force was zeroing in on their school, dozens of Slater parents organized a march last week to ask that their campus remain open.

"It just seemed we were destined to be the school to be closed," said Sue Lampkin, who teaches kindergarten and first grade at Slater. "I don't think any school should be closed. I don't think they've [district officials] made a good enough case."

Parents and teachers will have a chance to voice their concerns to the board during a special meeting on Jan. 27 at Crittenden Middle School. The meeting, after the Voice's press deadline, will start at 6 p.m.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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