SAN JOSE, California. – East San Jose’s Alum Rock Union Elementary School District will have to close eight schools and consolidate two to avoid bankruptcy, according to a superintendent’s memorandum.

And the list of schools is expected to be published on Monday.

The district is holding town hall meetings, including at San Antonio Elementary, at 8:30 a.m. to answer questions and get community input before the final decision.

This was a months-long process.

Last week, a committee recommended closing 13 schools, though the superintendent scaled back that number.

The board will make the final decision on which schools to close on Dec. 2.

Based on this vote, starting in January, students and staff will begin transitioning to other locations.

There are currently 22 schools in the district, so closing or consolidating 10 of them will affect nearly half of the students and families here.

But the school district says it needs to strengthen the schools because they have seen a significant drop in enrollment and the COVID relief funds have now expired.

The district says it had 16,000 students in the early 2000s, and this year it has 7,300.

That’s because students are moving to charter schools, families leaving the area and lower birth rates, officials said.

The district is facing an estimated $20 million deficit and says if it doesn’t make significant changes, it will be bankrupt by the end of this school year.

School closings, consolidations and mergers are happening in the Bay Area.

Oakland and San Francisco there is also talk of closing schools, where these districts have too many schools and not enough students.