Hearings on 8 Closed Schools Canceled

Two public hearings on the future of eight West San Fernando Valley schools that were closed because of low enrollments have been canceled because there were fears that a meeting this week would conflict with Public School Week activities, according to a school district spokesman.

The Tuesday meeting had been scheduled to be held at Northridge Junior High School. The fate of Garden Grove Avenue Elementary School in Reseda, Parthenia Street Elementary School in Sepulveda and Prairie Street Elementary School in Northridge were to be discussed at that meeting.

The second public hearing was scheduled for April 23 at Parkman Junior High School in Woodland Hills to discuss the fate of the following schools: Collins Street and Collier Street elementary schools, and Hughes Junior High School, all in Woodland Hills; and Enadia Way and Highlander Avenue elementary schools, both in Canoga Park.

According to the Los Angeles Unified School District spokesman, no new meeting dates have been set.

The eight closed schools are among 19 West Valley schools that have been closed in the past three years because of dwindling enrollments. There are no recommendations for additional school closures because of district projections that 70,000 new students will enroll in Los Angeles city schools in the next five years.

Interest in using one of the closed West Valley schools has been expressed by the MacLaren Children’s Center, the county’s only emergency housing facility for abused and neglected children, by California State University, Northridge, and by several private schools.