Hayward Unified School Board Decides to Close 2 Campuses; Others Still Up in the Air

District revises proposal from 14 campus closures to six over three years before presenting to trustees

By Cierra Johnson, Terry McSweeney and Diana San Juan • Published November 17, 2021 • Updated on November 18, 2021 at 10:33 am

Initially, the board had planned to vote on the possible closure of as many as 14 campuses over the next three school years. But the proposal was revised to six closures before Wednesday night's meeting.

Also the original proposal sent students from eight schools to 18 different schools, and that part was revised to transfer students from five schools to 21 different schools in the district to cut down on travel.

The decision on all other campus closures remains up in the air.

The move comes as district leaders say families are pulling their kids out of the district in record numbers, and the plummeting enrollment is impacting funding. Hayward Unified officials project an all-time low of about 16,500 students enrolled within the next several years, and at the same time, the district is facing the massive deficit.

Below is the revised plan:

The district's proposed overhaul includes closing older school buildings in need of repairs and shuffling students to more modern facilities. But layoffs for teachers and staff have not discussed as part of the restructuring.