VERNALIS — Rising Sun Elementary School, the district’s smallest school, is in danger of being closed, the school’s principal told parents at a public meeting Wednesday.

With Patterson Joint Unified School District officials expecting state funding to be down almost $2.5 million next year, the district is seeking ways to cut costs, Rising Sun Principal Arturo Duran said.

“Whenever we had a crisis, (closing the school) has been brought up,” Duran said. “But this year, more than any other year, it looks like it is going to close.”

The district stands to save as much as $250,000 annually by closing the school, Duran said at the meeting. On Thursday, he scaled the number back to $185,000.

The school board is expected to decide at a meeting in March if the school will close. If the board closes the facility, 36 students will have to find a new school, not including any kindergartners expecting to start school next year.

The plan would be to place them at Grayson Charter School, Northmead Elementary School or in independent study if the parent prefers, Duran said.

Most of the dozen or so people who attended Wednesday’s meeting raised logistical concerns, such as how their children would get to Grayson or Patterson, though a few people voiced frustration that their unique school is on the chopping block.

“Too bad they don’t see the positive things they do here,” Zosima Garcia said through a Spanish-language translator.

Others worried about expanding class sizes.

“They won’t have the same attention,” said Vanesa Lopez, whose sister attends fourth grade.

One woman said the personal attention her child received at Rising Sun led to doctors diagnosing the child’s hearing problem.

Rising Sun is different than the district’s other schools in several ways. First, the number of students is significantly lower. Every other school has at least 100 students.

Rising Sun also has several grade levels within the same classroom. Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders all share one classroom, as do first- and second-graders. Kindergarten is the only classroom with just one grade level.

The school is also somewhat isolated from the rest of the district. Close to Vernalis, the school is about a 15-minute drive from Patterson and is farther north than any other district school.

Of late, the school primarily serves parents living in rural Stanislaus County who do not want their children to attend Grayson Charter School. The charter school offers dual-language immersion teaching in which different subjects are conducted in either English or Spanish. Teachers use no English in Spanish subjects and no Spanish in English subjects.

The school has two full-time teachers, a long-term substitute, an instructional aide and two part-time employees. Exactly what will happen to the staff if the school closes has not been decided, said Steve Menge, assistant superintendent for the district.

The staff might be able to find other positions with in the district, but it will be based on seniority, Menge said. If the district continues to employ the Rising Sun staff, there’s a good chance less senior people will have to be let go.

Duran, who is also the principal at Grayson Charter, said he would continue to lead that school if Rising Sun closes.

The closure of the school is just one cost-saving measure the district’s budget advisory committee is recommending. The committee has already notified at least three district employees that recommendations will be made to lay them off, and around 20 more recommended layoffs could be on the way.

The district’s budget advisory committee is a mix of district staff and community members. Board approval is required for any of its recommendations.