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Trustees with San Antonio Independent School District unanimously voted Tuesday to close Carvajal Elementary school at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
SAISD officials first discussed last month the proposal to shutter the West Side Elementary School due to persistent low academic performance, declining enrollment, and an unsustainable bilingual program.
Carvajal was one of nine SAISD schools that had been rated academically unacceptable by the Texas Education Agency for three years in a row. District officials said the school was projected to receive its fourth F rating at the end of the school year, putting it at risk of state intervention.
Trustees initially delayed a vote on the closure last week when discussing the proposal.
During the public comment portion of Tuesday night's meeting, local residents spoke both in favor and opposition of the closure.
Danielle Salgado, a bilingual instructor at Carvajal, said she supported the move.
“I stand here before you, representing at least two thirds of the staff who are backing your vote and asking you to please close Carvajal,” she said. “We want what is best for our students and what is best for our students is to have equitable opportunities that are not being provided right now.”
Others, like Carvajal student caregiver Melody Herrera, accused the district of rushing into the decision without sufficient community input. Herrera said the district was taking action out of fear for a state takeover.
“I am angry that it has come to this. Carvajal is not just a building, it is a community on the West Side that has served generations of families,” Herrera said.
Carvajal first opened its doors to around 550 students in September 1949. It became an Early Childhood Education Center in 2009.
Board President Alicia Sebastian spoke following the vote.
“We have many campuses and neighborhoods that are really dealing with the same situations, and we want to ensure that we’re in a position to deliver high quality education to the future of our learners,” she said. “I thank you all for your patience, thank you for your understanding. Thank you for your grievances, your concern, and your care.”
Students in the monolingual program will be reassigned to Barkley-Ruiz Elementary and students who request bilingual services will be reassigned to DeZavala Elementary. Parents will also have the option to choose other campus assignments in the district for their students.
The deadline for the district’s choice enrollment applications will also be extended from Jan. 30 to Feb. 16. Carvajal staff will be notified about potential options going forward.
Deputy Superintendent Patti Salzmann said during the meeting that the district has $28.6 million from the 2020 voter-approved bond to reinvest in the Carvajal site.
During last week’s discussion on the matter, trustees raised options going forward, including potentially constructing a newly imagined school or academy. Community meetings are expected to be scheduled in the near future to discuss options.
Carvajal's closure comes more than two years after SAISD voted to shut down 15 schools as part of its rightsizing plan.
