Antonio Del Buono Elementary To Close Next Year

GILROY, CA — After months of deliberation, the Gilroy Unified School District Board voted to close Antonio Del Buono Elementary School come summer of 2020.

The outcome made at the board's Sept. 5 meeting was billed as "difficult decision for the board and staff but was necessary to help balance the budget during difficult financial times," the district announced last Friday.

The district’s enrollment has steadily dropped over the past few years and is projected to decline for many years to come, the district contends. The decline of over 400 students in three years has resulted in a loss of revenue of about $5 million. Declining enrollment is now occurring in 25 school districts in Santa Clara County and has become a way of life in districts in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

This decline is the result of many factors including a significant drop in the birth rate, the exodus of families to other parts of the state with lower housing costs and fewer students coming on board from new housing.

Beginning in the fall 2020, students from the grade school will attend either Luigi Aprea or Rucker Elementary schools. During the half year, the staff has pledged to work diligently "to make the transition as smooth as possible," it said in a statement.