Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Oregon's second-largest district, publicly recommended on October 9, 2026, the closure of six of its 42 elementary schools — Brush College, Candalaria, Cummings, Englewood, Liberty, and Richmond — effective for the 2027–28 school year. The recommendation cites a multi-year enrollment decline from a peak of 42,000 students to roughly 36,000 today, as well as a projected $46 million budget deficit for the coming school year. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the closures on December 8, 2026, with boundary adjustments to follow in February 2027.
Timeline and public input
The district collected public feedback on the recommendation between October 9 and December 8, 2026, including at the October 13 board meeting and seven Listening and Learning Sessions. The board must make a final decision at its December 8 meeting, with attendance boundary adjustments to be voted on in February 2027, according to the district's published timeline.
Enrollment and budget pressures
Superintendent Andrea Castañeda told OPB that the budget challenges are coincidental to but separate from the enrollment challenges, describing multiple pressures compounding on districts simultaneously. The district had already undergone budget reductions totaling about $71 million across two rounds in the 2024–25 school year, which it described as the largest reduction in over a decade.
Impact on students and staff
According to district estimates, about 95 percent of all district students would remain unaffected by school reassignments, while roughly 250 staff members would be impacted through the closure proposal. The closure plan would reduce underutilized elementary facility space by 332,000 square feet, avoid about $15 million in near-term deferred maintenance costs at the six sites, increase elementary facility utilization from 64 to 71 percent, and reduce the number of small elementary schools by half — from 28 to 14.
Selection criteria
The six schools were selected using eleven criteria established by the School Board under its EL-10 Facilities and Real Property Policy. These criteria include facilities quality, enrollment trends, equity factors, distribution of schools in a neighborhood, and transportation. The district has stated that there is no mathematical formula or score that determines closure decisions and that no single factor caused any school to be recommended.
Research on school closures
OPB, reporting on the closure recommendation, noted that research shows school closures do not tend to save districts money but can make operating schools more manageable and cost-efficient. The district's own FAQ on the closures acknowledges that savings are limited, stating that the largest expense in any school is staff and that most staff would continue working at another school. The FAQ also states that the closure process is separate from the district's broader budget reduction process.