During the fall of 2000, the District's Administration presented numerous alternatives for addressing the budget deficit, two of which were the proposed closings of Johnson and Grant elementary buildings. These were the District's oldest buildings and had the smallest enrollments in the District. None of the Board's published agendas mentioned building closings. Appellants' concerns were voiced during the fall of 2000. The Administration's preliminary study on the closings was presented to the Board on December 1, 2000. The Board did not vote to close the buildings at this time.

The District continued to incur significant budget problems. In September 2001, the District's enrollment had decreased again. In a meeting of all elementary building principals on January 20, 2002, Administration stated that the District planned to close the two buildings. On January 28, 2002, a public hearing was held. The Board then voted to close the schools effective for the 2002-2003 school year.

Appellants argue that the District has inaccurately cited "budget crisis" to justify its decision to close the buildings. The District argues that it's facing the worst financial crisis in its history. The Department of Education records show that the District ended fiscal year 1996-1997 with an unspent balance of $2.6 million. If the District continues to spend as it has in the past several years, it will have a negative balance at the end of the current fiscal year.

Whether the Board exercised its authority to determine the number of attendance centers it has in a reasonable manner is the question raised by this appeal. That reasonableness is measured by the Barker Guidelines. The focus of this appeal is an examination of the process followed.

Evidence showed that the District did not comply with guidelines 1 through 5 and the January 28, 2002, decision was reversed. However, the Board established a clear and concise timeline on March 11, 2002 and followed the Barker Guidelines. Therefore, the April 22, 2002, decision was affirmed.