Jackson Elementary School Principal Tom Ettel talks with parent-teacher organization president Tracee Turner after school Friday afternoon. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell)

At the end of every school day, Teresa Tavares walks from her home in west Medford to fetch her son, George, from Jackson Elementary School.

The proximity of the school to her home allows Tavares, who doesn't have a vehicle, to visit George's teacher and stay informed with what's happening at the school.

If Jackson closes, as a Medford School District facilities planning committee is expected to propose tonight as part of a possible bond referendum, George will have to attend a school farther from home, and Tavares fears she won't be able to be as involved in her son's education.

"I don't want Jackson to close because it's close to the house, and the teachers understand the kids better," Tavares said through a translator.

Some teachers and parents wonder why the committee targeted Jackson for closure.

"Why Jackson?" asked parent Marci Fredrickson. "Why not another school?"

Based on feedback at 19 public forums in March and April, committee members said there is support for opening a third middle school in Medford on the condition that the district shutter an elementary school, said Bob Hartwig, student services coordinator and district liaison to the committee.

Under the plan, sixth-graders, who now go to elementary schools, would attend middle schools.

Committee members said they will recommend closing Jackson because of the structure's poor condition, relatively low enrollment and its location abutting the enrollment areas of five other elementary schools where students could attend.

The committee plans to unveil the entirety of its $189 million bond recommendation at 7 tonight at the Medford School Board meeting.

If the proposal moves forward, students from Jackson would attend Jefferson, Oak Grove, Roosevelt, Washington and Wilson elementary schools.

Members of the school's parent-teacher organization said they plan a concerted effort to speak out against the proposal at the school board's May 16 meeting.

"Some parents will go to the board meeting tonight to show we plan to fight closing the school," said Tracee Turner, Jackson PTO president. "We don't want to have our kids halfway across town."

Some community leaders said they fear the interests of Jackson students are not represented in the committee's proposal because their parents are less vocal than those at other schools in the district.

Nearly 90 percent of pupils at Jackson come from families at or below the poverty level, and about 30 percent are homeless.

"Who is speaking for these kids?" said Jamie Kaufman, academic program coordinator for Kids Unlimited, which operates an after-school program at Jackson. "Most of the parents are not."

She said she worries that closing the school will hinder students' ability to participate in after-school activities.

Many students who attend the program at Jackson walk home because they have no other means of transportation. If they have to move to another school, they won't be able to walk home, and may miss out on after-school programs, Kaufman said.

For some students, the programs are their only chance for an evening meal and help with homework, Kaufman said.

"Jackson was not targeted for any other reason than the physical condition, the location of it and being able to put students in other schools," Hartwig said.

The committee had to select a cost-effective bond package that would appeal to voters, he said. That involves closing Jackson.

"It doesn't make sense to keep a school with an enrollment of 330 when you have schools of 575," he said.

Hartwig said students will receive the same services they received at Jackson and will attend classes in upgraded buildings.

"Jackson kids are going to benefit because every school will be in good condition if the bond package passes," Hartwig said. "There won't be the same inequities in the buildings."

The school board is tentatively slated to decide in June on a bond package for voters to consider in November's general election. The bond would be used to repair or replace schools districtwide.

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.