Parents furious after San Jose Unified board votes to close 5 elementary schools

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The San Jose Unified School District board voted Thursday night to approve a plan that would close several elementary schools.

"They're disgusting. This has been an absolutely disgusting process," said Travis Curran, a SJUSD parent.

Emotions were high Thursday following the decision to close several schools in the San Jose Unified School District.

Parents packed the school board meeting. The overwhelming majority of them fiercely opposed to the board's decision and feeling like their voices have been ignored.

RELATED: San Jose parents push back as SJUSD committee advances plan to close 5 schools

"They just don't care. They just keep going. This whole thing has been about let's move this train towards the end and nothing about what are the other options," said Curran.

Lowell, Canoas, Terrell, Empire Gardens and Gardner elementary schools will now close while the Hammer Montessori magnet program will relocate.

Some 16,000 students will be impacted.

SJUSD attributes the need for closures to a sustained drop in students in recent years.

But parents tell us the district gets its funding from local property taxes and not directly from the state - meaning a drop in enrollment shouldn't mean a drop in funding.

RELATED:San Jose parents upset by district's proposal to close or relocate 10 schools

Some, like Sri Key-sara, say they feel like the district has lacked transparency throughout the entire months-long process.

"I hear that we have a waiting list. And on the other side we are being told they're low on the enrollment side," said Sri Keesara, a SJUSD parent.

And as for what they plan to do next - some parents tell us this.

"Now they're saying they want focus groups and they want the community to be involved but after the school closures happen. So, no," said Brittany Curran, a parent.

The school closures are set to take effect in the fall.