Mixed reaction over potential closure of John Adams Elementary School

Parents are up in arms about the potential closing of John Adams Elementary School in La Quinta at the end of the year.

The district said the closing is part of a restructuring to include new curriculum and deal with declining enrollment.

When Adams closes, students will be reassigned to either Benjamin Franklin Elementary or Truman Elementary.

With an announcement this big, parents are worried.

The district said they understand and are prepared to work to make this transition as seamless as possible.

Jennifer Hunt started teaching at Adams in 2001.

When she heard this could be her last year, she couldn’t believe it.

“My first instinct was shock and surprised and a little bit of sadness,” Hunt said.

But, she said change can be good.

“You have to look at it as an opportunity. Maybe fate stepping in. Change is good. At some point of your career you need change,” Hunt said.

Some parents, like Jennifer Campbell, worry about overcrowding.

“Parents are worried about pulling their kids out of Adams and going into Truman or Franklin. The principals aren’t the same at every school,” Campbell said.

But the district said that overcrowding is not the problem.

There are too many schools and not enough students; even when Adams Elementary closes the other two schools won’t be full.

“The staffing at Adams is going to be distributed in correspondence to where those students will go. So we will be well staffed,” said Tony Signoret, the assistant superintendent of personnel services.

The district’s reason for closing Adams is because enrollment declined over the past ten years.

“I think the teachers will be taken care of appropriately. But most importantly it’s about the kids and having them placed at a school that works best for the family,” Hunt said.

None of the plans are set in stone yet.

The DSUSD School Board will take a final vote near the end of the year.

The district said one of the benefits of this change will be the addition of a K-8 pathway focused on science, technology, engineering and math.