Vigil Staged to Protest South Bay School Closure
Mar 22, 2005 10:12 am US/Pacific
(CBS 5)

Opponents to an expected closure in the Mountain View-Whistman School District staged an all night vigil that began on Monday evening.

Parents and students took shifts in front of Graham Middle School in Mountain View to protest a school board vote that was expected to call for the elimination of a local elementary campus. The district’s superintendent had previously announced that either Castro or Slater Elementary will need to shut down in order to balance a growing budget deficit.

Early Tuesday, students pitched tents and waved signs to draw attention to the their cause. Vigil organizer Oscar Garcia says he hopes the event will make the school board reconsider the closures. He says he wants officials to work with the community to better serve the area’s diverse population.

Opposition to the closures has grown steadily leading up to the final vote. Last month, a school meeting ended early after hundreds of concerned citizens started a heated debate. The vigil was expected to last until 6pm on Tuesday, when the Mountain View School Board was set to reconvene at the middle school to decide the fate of the two campuses.

By Anna Duckworth

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