SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The Elverta Joint Elementary School District has decided to close its only high school because of low enrollment numbers and a lack of funding.
However, a new push from parents and students are trying to save the Alpha Charter School in Sacramento County.
"This school is so unique and such a gem,” Latoya Bufford, a parent with a child at the school, said.
In a school made up of just 42 students, tucked away on the outskirts of Sacramento County, you'll find something different. Parents and students describe Alpha Charter as an independent study school made up of magnet programs for students to study what they’re actually interested in, from music to journalism and even baseball.
"We’re all so closely knitted, that we’re able to build relationships with more people,” Jaxon Byrd, a senior at Alpha Charter, said.
"This place has changed my life," Derrick Fisher, a junior at the school, said.
But back in January, everything changed.
"They decided to close the school because of low enrollment and budget constraints," Bufford said.
The district says while this decision to close Alpha Charter was not made lightly, it was the only responsible choice they had left, while operating at a $220,000 deficit.
“I understand there’s budget issues but you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, we’ve got a good program here," Ellen Sullivan, another parent with a child enrolled at Alpha Charter, said.
The decision has left Fisher feeling robbed of his senior year.
"It feels like they’re canceling us out basically, it feels like we’re getting put on the back shelf of a bookshelf that doesn’t ever get touched anymore, so it kinda hurts," Fisher said.
But Bufford hopes to change that.
"I’ve just been somewhat on a mission to save the school," Bufford said.
While her son is only a freshman right now, she wants to make sure he will still get to graduate from the same school he started with. That’s why she got together with a group of other parents, starting their own website and Gofundme page, even launching a video to help raise $250,000 to keep the charter school.
Right now, they say they’re going through the process of filing a 501c3 to become an independent charter school.
"Our goal is to take our plan back to the district and see if they’ll reverse their decision," Bufford said.
ABC10 reached out to the district to see if that $250,000 would be enough to reverse this decision.
"We understand that the closing of Alpha Charter is disappointing for the many it has served over the years. However, the decision has been made and final action has already been taken by the district's school board to close the school at the end of this school year," Melinda Lippincott, a spokesperson for the Elverta Joint Elementary School District said.
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