Frustrations boiled over at Wednesday night’s South Bay Union School District meeting. Parents and teachers are upset that the district is going to shut down Central Elementary and possibly two others at a later time. At one point in the meeting, teachers got so upset that they walked out. It c ame after the school board voted unanimously to approve an interim superintendent’s pay package for nearly $18,500 a month. That payday comes at time when teachers rallied outside the meeting because they might strike since they’ve  been in contract negotiations for more than a year. The board also voted unanimously to close Central Elementary at the end of this school year. Berry and Sunnyslope Elementary schools could close as well, at a later time. But that’ll be based on a review of enrollment and financial data going forward. The district says declining enrollment and declining revenues are major problems and factors in its decision. It says keeping under enrolled schools open would increase maintenance costs, stretch limited resources and hamper the ability to deliver equitable services across all schools. But teachers and parents say paying the interim superintendent that amount of money shows it’s a matter of allocation and priorities. Hinting that district leaders are being scrooges, a group of teachers took a page out of “A Christmas Carol” and dressed as ghosts. “By closing these doors, you destroyed the heart of community. Families see no future, pack their cars and  leave behind empty houses and desolate streets,” one teacher said. While only Central is closing this year, Sunnyslope could close at the end of the 2028-2029 school year. Berry could close at the end of the 2031-2032 school year. ...read more read less