Michael Melillo, candidate for San Jose Unified School District Area 4 Trustee, issued the following statement after the SJUSD Board of Trustees voted 3-2 on March 26 to close Canoas Elementary, Empire Gardens Elementary, Gardner Elementary, Lowell Elementary, and Terrell Elementary under the district’s “Schools of Tomorrow” initiative. Hammer Montessori Magnet would be relocated to the Gardner campus. The closures and relocation will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year, despite months of organized opposition from parents, teachers, and community members, including a formal complaint alleging violations of state and federal equity protections.

“The vote was disappointing, but it was not surprising. As I said in my public comment, whatever the committee recommended, the Board would approve. I asked the Trustees to prove me wrong. Instead, they proved me right.

“All five of the schools this Board voted to close are Title I schools, ranging from 59% to as high as 91% unduplicated students (English learners, foster youth, and students eligible for free or reduced-price meals). These are the communities with the fewest resources to absorb this kind of disruption, and in the current immigration climate, many of these families don’t feel safe showing up to public meetings to fight for themselves. The Board knew that and voted to close their schools anyway.

“For months, families across San Jose Unified have packed Board meetings, organized, rallied, and filed formal complaints. They told the Board, clearly and repeatedly, that closing their neighborhood schools would devastate their communities. Parents raised real concerns about student safety, including young children facing walks of up to 60 minutes to reach their new schools.

“What makes this even more frustrating is not just the final vote, it’s the absence of leadership that preceded it. It was the most important vote of all their tenures on the Board, and there wasn’t even an attempt to convince someone to change their mind. A ‘no’ vote without advocacy is just an empty gesture. Board Trustees should be more than a vote. They should be a voice.

“Families deserve to see their elected representatives do more than go through the motions. They deserve Trustees who would stand up in that room and make the case. That didn’t happen.

“I have served on this Board. I know what it takes to ask the hard questions and to push back on staff

recommendations. That is the kind of leadership I will bring back to this Board when I am elected.

“To every family at Canoas, Empire Gardens, Gardner, Hammer, Lowell, and Terrell: I hear you, and I will fight for you.”