Closing The Primary School in East Palo Alto
- Ivan Temes
- May 1
- 4 min read
Updated: May 6
After the initial shock of hearing that the Chan-Zuckerberg Institute would be closing The Primary School in East Palo Alto next year, one parent, Darlene Ulukivaiola, might have spoken for many others when she said, “I wish someone in charge would tell us what is really happening.”
Ulukivaiola, who has three young boys at the school, shared her dismay at the news. “We are sad and don’t yet know what to do. There are many opinions and we need to hear from one of the Zuckerbergs,” she said.
Ulukivaiola was referring to billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his pediatrician wife, Priscilla Chan, who founded CZI. The two of them invested millions of dollars to found The Primary School in 2016.
At the time, the couple said that they were building a new school model that brings together all the adults in a child’s life—parents, educators and mental health professionals starting from an early age.
Their plan recognized that children and families might be experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, racism and other stressful conditions, like health barriers, and young children might be entering school behind in language or cognitive development.
For these reasons, one of the school’s goal was to work in partnership with families to overcome the challenges the children faced.
That is how it began with K-5 programs, which expanded to K-7 and an eighth grade that was slated to be added next year.
Now that the school is being closed, CZI has promised to invest $50 million in the next few years toward education in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and the East Bay.
Since its founding, The Primary School did work with other community nonprofits, like the Streetcode Academy which held its tech classes on the TPS site for the its 2023-24 school year.
Streetcode’s operations manager, Jesus Gonzalez, said that the school came in with great promises. “It’s too bad they are closing so quickly,” he said.
Maria Martinez, a parent echoed his sentiment. “Other schools have had issues like bullying. The promises from The Primary School made us hopeful. Now we are mad and confused as to what is happening.”
Carson Cook, who is the senior manager of Strategy and Advancement and a current spokesperson for TPS, could add little other than, “We are disappointed and plan to work with the parents, students and the Ravenswood School District and others to create transition programs for the students.”
East Palo Alto’s former mayor Antonio Lopez and the city’s current Mayor Martha Barragan offered differing perspectives.
“It’s a betrayal,” Lopez said. “It’s cruel to build up hopes in a community and then stop abruptly.”
Barragan, who is also a third-grade teacher, was more sympathetic. She said, “Given the direction of our current administration there has been a noticeable shift in the level of support for diversity and inclusion. This change has understandably impacted many in our community, especially those who have benefited from more inclusive educational policies.
“That said,” she continued, “I do want to acknowledge and sincerely appreciate the work that organizations like CZI have done to help bridge the gap. Their continued support for families transitioning back into the Ravenswood School District or helping students find schools that align with their values will be important.”
Jean Claude-Brizard, chairman of the TPS Board, offered his belief that the school has made a lasting impact. “Now, we will create a plan with our partners,” he said.“
Ravenswood School District Superintendent Gina Sudaria was excited to welcome students of The Primary School into the Ravenswood School District. We are proud of the progress our District has made and the momentum we have built through our commitment to the Ravenswood Promise—ensuring every child is known, loved, supported and thrives,” she said.
Sudaria posted on the district’s website: “We’re grateful for the longstanding relationship with TPS and recognize that school transitions bring both changes and opportunities. Today Ravenswood is directly addressing the challenges that TPS was founded to solve—and we have worked closely to learn from each other’s models and approaches. The support from CZI is critical to this transition.
“Over the next few months we will be working closely with TPS to ensure a thoughtful and seamless transition for every child and family joining our community.”
Several of East Palo Alto’s charter schools are also awaiting next steps.
Kate Hylie, the executive director of East Palo Alto Academy, said, “This is a surprise with challenges that could affect many of us.”
Ideally all the words about working together on a positive transition affect many others like Jonathan Castro, who said, “I’ve got a brother and sister at the school and we have no idea what to do next.”
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