But before these parents could present their case, school board members and administrators wanted to address numerous questions that arose during the two previous sessions held on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3.

San Jose Associate Superintendent Jerry Matranga told a packed conference room, "One of the things we heard from parents loud and clear was cut administration costs. We have been cutting costs for years."

Matranga said in 2003­04 the district cut $1.2 million, with $1.5 million in cuts projected for 2004­05. He also said people have told the district to close its Lenzen Avenue headquarters—approximately 100,000 square feet of space—and move elsewhere to reduce cost. But Matranga said it would cost more to move, and the district is now leasing some of its space to recoup cost.

Matranga also wanted to squelch rumors that once the schools were closed the district had leasing plans already in the works. "We have no real estate proposals for any elementary schools," he said. "We have spoken to no one and nothing is going to happen until the board of education makes its decision."

Even after that decision is made, he said the district intends to go into each community where a school is closed and hold neighborhood meetings to determine how those sites can best benefit the community.

And he wanted to make it clear to parents that even when schools close, the savings applies to utilities, administrative and custodial costs and that this is not a cut in teachers or instructional materials to students.

But the overall picture is far from rosy, San Jose Unified director of finance Rose Mary Pottage told parents and the board. "The deficit is a moving target," she said. "It has gotten worse, so we are continuing to look at areas where we can cut."

The original projection for 2004­05 was a $7.8 million deficit, but Pottage said that could increase to $10 million depending on what happens up in Sacramento.

Superintendent-elect Don Iglesias also addressed several questions that arose during the previous meetings, hoping to clear up some misconceptions about the process involved in determining how the three schools were selected.

Several parents questioned the district's logic—building new schools and opening closed ones—if it was experiencing declining enrollment. The district projects a loss of 2,000 students within the next six years.

Iglesias said five years ago the district was under a court order to demonstrate that the schools were adequately integrated. This required additional space for children in neighborhood schools to implement desegregation mandates. He also reiterated why standardized test scores, like the Academic Performance Index, were not applied as part of the closure criteria. When looking at all the subgroups, there was not a huge disparity in the API among schools, he said. And he pointed out that schools in the southern portion of the district were not placed on the recommended closure list because they did not have declining enrollment. As for Hammer, Iglesias said, the magnet school was placed on the closure list because it is very expensive to operate.

"It is heavily funded and subsidized with desegregation money, and that money has a specific intent, which is to pull in an integrated population. It has not been successful at Hammer. The major priority is to make the school more integrated, and that is why it is moving to Galarza," Iglesias said.

But none of those answers appeared to sway the thinking of parents and teachers in the targeted schools, with various groups proposing alternative scenarios.

Three members of the district's 18-member consolidation task force got up to present an alternative plan to the governing board.

Spokesman John Mansperger suggested that the board consolidate Cory into Trace Elementary because the schools were in the same attendance boundaries. The group also suggested combining Grant with Horace Mann and Empire Gardens because the three have similar programs, but they accepted the inevitable that Hammer move into Galarza.

"We realize this creates greater consolidation into the northern schools, but the north has brand-new facilities," Mansperger said. "We ask the district to consider our alternative proposal and delay its decision for 30 days until they have time to review it."

The three members argued that this alternative approach would affect 1,600 fewer children and four fewer schools in the overall scheme of things.

Hammer group spokesman Ron Edwards came to the podium with an extensive list of suggestions on how to cut costs and save the three schools from closing.

"My family has been in this valley for 100 years and I'm embarrassed with what we are doing here," he said. "We have successful schools in an unsuccessful district, and closing these schools is the antithesis of a good education."

He offered the district a written "roadmap" to help keep schools open and his time to work with the district in making that happen.

Erikson Principal Nico Flores, who has been with the district for 32 years, spoke passionately to the governing board, reminding its members about the school's diversity—where 14 languages are spoken—and touting the school's exceptional staff.

"In all my years in education, this is the most professional and effective group I have ever encountered. These teachers are role models."

Even an endless stream of Hester children came to the podium asking the board to save their school, which has helped them learn English and build up their self-confidence to move into middle school.

But in the end, board president Gary Rummelhoff made it clear that three schools would have to close, it's just a matter of which ones.

"It has taken several years to reach this point of knowing we might close schools. It wasn't decided in months," he said.

Board members Robert Garcia and Veronica Lewis, who both have schools impacted by the recommendation—Garcia represents Hester, Lewis represents Erikson—said they hadn't made up their minds yet. Lewis also asked the board to consider listing the schools separately for closure and not as one item.

Board member Carol Myers, who has no schools closing in the Willow Glen area she represents, said she appreciated all the creative thinking but said there is an even much bigger picture on the horizon if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed $15 billion bond measure fails.

"If the bond measure doesn't pass," Myers said, "we will be looking at a whole ton of things and we will have to make even bigger cuts."

Rummelhoff added that delaying the decision may look like the wise thing to do, but the longer it takes the board to make a decision, the more money is spent.

"We need to take action soon; it is costing us every day," he said. "We have already delayed enrollment by two months."

The next meeting of the school board will take place on March 4. The public has one more opportunity to express opinions about school closures. At that meeting the closures will be an action item and the board will vote on the issue.

The March 4 meeting will be held at the San Jose Unified School District office, 825 Lenzen Ave. at 6:30 p.m. For more information about school consolidation, visit http://www.sjusd.k12.ca.us.