When districts face the tough job of closing schools, Manny Barbara is the go-to guy

Alum Rock Union Elementary District in East San Jose was out of time. By last fall, it had spent down most its savings; enrollment, more than 16,000 K-8 students in the early 2000s, had dropped to 7,300 and was headed to under 6,000.

The state was threatening to take it over.

With more than two-thirds of its 21 schools at less than 50% capacity, the school board faced what it had long delayed: downsizing. It turned to Manny Barbara, the closer. 

Alum Rock would be the sixth school district in the San Jose area that Barbara had advised on closing schools in the two decades since, as superintendent, he had shuttered two schools in nearby Oak Grove. A former school psychologist, Barbara was well-respected, affable and a good listener. He also had a plan for closing schools.

Having fired its last superintendent, the Alum Rock board hired Barbara in the summer of 2024 as interim superintendent to lay the groundwork in the community for likely closures. He switched roles to facilitator when the new superintendent, German Cerda, took over in September.

Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, 222 elementary, middle, and high schools in California closed, according to the state. Along with the five that Alum Rock will close in the fall and additional consolidations of four schools, there will be many more statewide, with tighter budgets ahead and state enrollment projected to decline further.

Barbara discusses his template for closing schools and how it worked in Alum Rock in an interview with EdSource. The interview was shortened and edited for clarity.

It’s April; suppose you’re a school board planning to close some schools this fall. What would you say about the timing?

It’s too late because you need time for the process.

There are three phases in school closure. The first is the preparation, informing the board, making the case why it has to be done.

Then the actual process itself: That involves engaging the community through a committee process and taking the recommendation to the board.

And then, once the board makes a decision, the third phase, which is just as challenging, is the transition to fewer schools.

At Oak Grove, we started a year in advance — meeting with community, explaining the rationale, presenting the information to the board. Once you begin, you need to be done around February so that you’ve got the last few months for the transition and closure.

What are the factors to consider when deciding whether to close?

It’s an economic decision. You don’t want to do this unless you absolutely have to. With Alum Rock, there was a potential receivership.

It’s also a psychological experience — emotional for the people involved. Parents, staff, students do not want their school closed. I don’t blame them. They get angry. You have to be prepared for that. You can’t convince people with sheer logic.

Finally, it’s a political process. Elected boards are vulnerable. Parents can make threats of recall.

What are the factors to address even before you begin the process?

Context is important. No two districts are alike. The size of the district matters, the number of schools you have to close, the political climate in the district, the stability of the board, superintendent experience. All should be taken into account.

Employee unions have to be informed. I never expect the associations to support school closures. The associations in Alum Rock’s case weren’t thrilled about it. My expectation is that only if they say they understand the situation, then at least they don’t tell you one thing privately and then publicly say something different.

Goal for savings: $1 million per school

So how much would you expect to save from closing a school?

Close to a million dollars from the savings in administration, support staff, energy costs and so forth. That does not count any revenue that might be received from leasing the school or selling a site, which could bring in tens of millions of dollars.

When you consolidate two schools, for example, with 300 students per school, you only need one principal, not two.

In Oak Grove, we were able to do it through retirements. That’s not always possible.

What’s the role of the superintendent?

It’s critical. The superintendent has to be front and center. It’s ultimately the board’s decision, but the superintendent needs to be the key communicator and take as much of the heat as possible.

Is it wise for districts to consider a facilitator?

I would not recommend that superintendents do it on their own. With a facilitator, a superintendent can observe.  A superintendent has to be out there communicating with behind-the-scenes meetings, listening to people, hearing their concerns, and explaining why it has to be done. You always should be focusing on what’s best for all the students in the district.

You’re really selling hope that, at the end of the day, the district will come out better in terms of serving all the students. There’ll be more resources available for students and compensation for employee groups.

I remember a meeting — it was close to 11 p.m. with 100 parents. I made a comment, “Look, if there’s anything I could do to avoid closing the school, I would do it.” Then I caught myself and said, “Well, no. There is something a lot worse: if I have to lay off a lot of staff that support other students in the district to keep open a small school.”

Who should be on an advisory committee?

Representatives from every school, all the employee groups, the administration, community groups like neighborhood associations. The one in Alum Rock was particularly challenging, with about 30 people.

Who chooses them?

Schools choose their own. The parents apply, and the principal selects. Unions choose their own representation.

But no board members?

No board members. The reason is that I don’t want the board members to get too involved because they’re going to be involved in making the final decision. It’s up to them — they can do what they want to do.  I did not encourage them to attend the committee meetings as observers, and they did not.

As an advisory committee, their meetings were not subject to the Brown Act, the open-meetings law. Did you suggest that they not be open to the public?

Yes, that is what I recommend. As the superintendent’s advisory committee, it is important to protect committee members. If you’re a parent and you realize “I have to vote to close my school,” it’s not fair to put them in a position where they’re taking the heat.

Did their names appear in the vote on recommendations?

The results, but not the names of how people voted. 

Do you ask the committee not to discuss what is going on? With 30 people, I’m sure it was difficult to keep things in the room.

I’m not naïve.  You tell people, please keep it in confidence, but we’re dealing with human nature, and sometimes things get out.

However, after every meeting, a summary of everything that went on in the meeting is made public. The first part in the process is informational. They hear information on the budget, facilities, programs, enrollment, financial projections.

What are the criteria for deciding which schools to close? Is it diversity, test scores?

Test scores are not a factor, but it’s school enrollment, demographics; there are legal constraints you have to take into account, like the impact on a lower socioeconomic community. You take into account even political things, like how close they are to charter schools, whether they’re dual-immersion schools and special programs. You also look at the cost of improving facilities.

Do you recommend speaking with parents?

There’s constant communication. You need to go to the schools that are recommended for closing. As you might expect, there’s not a lot of, “Thank you for the great work.”

What is the process before the board?

You present in a hearing so the public can respond. Then you present again as action.

How to handle the transition

Then what after the decision?

The bad news is that’s actually the easy part. Morale can be very down. And then you go through this period where people are losing their jobs.

There needs to be a closure period. Schools are a large part of people’s lives, so you celebrate that ending. That is very hard for boards and superintendents, but they have to be there. For a district that closes many schools, it’s like a new district, and you’re now asking, “How are we going to reimagine ourselves going  forward?”

So how do you bring two groups of parents and teachers together?

It starts now, not in the summer, with a meeting with staff, explaining the process, meeting with PTA groups, school site councils, since they’re going to merge parent leaders. Principals have to take the lead in making this happen.

The transition is easier for students and harder for adults. Once kids get there, and teachers welcome them, they adapt pretty quickly.

Is there an effect on the receiving school, too?

Depending on how many students they’re receiving, psychologically, they close, too. The teachers may still be there, but it’s a new school.

For teachers, the transition can go smoothly if the cultures are similar. Sometimes, you need to bring in facilitators for staff to communicate.

Do you have meetings where kids and parents meet one another before the end of school?

I recommend that — whenever possible, not just once. Parents especially.

In instances where things fall apart — boards rescind decisions or can’t reach agreements on closing schools — why does this happen?

Usually, it falls apart if you rush the process. Anyone can close a school. You just make an announcement, and that’s done. Now, you have to deal with the repercussions.

You hear about districts where parents said they didn’t believe the dire financial problems the district says existed.

You have to have credibility with the financing, make budget numbers available to anyone who wants to see them, and explain it over and over. You have to make your case.  

What happened in Alum Rock?

You strive for consensus. I’ve been involved with closures in six districts. I’ve always had unanimous votes from the boards. In Alum Rock, with that many schools, we arrived at a consensus on six (four elementary and two middle schools), but the final three were very difficult, and we were under a timeline. The superintendent had to make the decision for the final three. The board responded and modified some. In the end, they got it done.

How has the process affected you?

Even as a facilitator, it’s emotional. People are grieving, they love their school. The superintendent and the board go through a lot of stress. Closing a school is the hardest initiative that you’re going to face as a superintendent. 

I’ve been willing to help, although I kept saying I was never going to do it again. This time, I really mean it.