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TUSD began public discussions Wednesday night on the revived issues of potential elementary-school closures, and parents' and teachers' frustrations were clear from the outset.

Though the public forum was orderly, in contrast to demonstrations last week outside district headquarters, those involved at the affected schools raised concerns with Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer's proposal to shutter Corbett, Ochoa, Rogers and Wrightstown elementary schools.

Wednesday's meeting was announced late last week as a state-of-the-district public forum in which Pfeuffer would discuss the Tucson Unified School District's financial situation and his recommendation to the governing board to close the four schools and relocate two alternative education programs.

TUSD officials, facing a projected deficit of at least $15 million for the 2008-09 school year, hope to save up to $4 million by closing the schools.

Nearly 250 parents, teachers, students and staff members attended the forum at Catalina Magnet High School. More than 60 people requested to speak to Pfeuffer, who began the meeting with a presentation on the district's finances and the rationale for his closure recommendations.

Many of the comments, mainly from parents and staff members of the Rogers and Corbett schools, began as pleas to keep open the schools and ended by questioning the decision-making process.

Parents said they were frustrated with the lack of specific details for programs at schools facing closure.

Nicole Silvas, the mother of a fourth-grade Rogers student with autism, asked Pfeuffer how the quality of her daughter's education will be maintained.

Pfeuffer began his response by saying her concerns were details that needed to be researched.

But Silvas interrupted him.

"No, these are the questions parents have now," she said. "We want answers."

Pfeuffer responded:

"I need to underscore this is the beginning of the public process, not the end. I don't have all the answers."

Though the meeting lasted more than two hours, only one student spoke: Lorenzo Guzman, 10, a fifth-grader at Ochoa. He asked Pfeuffer why the district wanted to close his school and what it planned to do with the money.

Outside the meeting, Lorenzo said he didn't believe the adults would listen to him, but he re- iterated his concerns. "I don't want our school to close down. I've been there since kindergarten. They teach really good there."

Throughout the night, Pfeuffer pledged to maintain the quality of education for students affected by the closures and maintain access to programs currently available at the affected schools. But he warned parents that this may not be the final list of closures.

The meeting was the latest in a whirlwind of events that began when Pfeuffer announced Jan. 28 his recommendation to close the four schools. The following evening, at a special governing board meeting attended by hundreds of outraged parents, students, teachers and staffers, the governing board voted 3-2 against beginning the closure process.

However, on Jan. 31, board member Joel Ireland, who is up for re-election in November, asked for the issue to be placed on the agenda for the board's Feb. 12 meeting. Though Ireland cast the deciding vote against the school closure process, he initially proposed discussing the closure of not only the four elementary schools, but also Naylor Middle School and Rincon High School.

After Ireland's request last Thursday, Pfeuffer said TUSD officials would revisit the issue and make an announcement this week.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Pfeuffer announced the recommended closure of the four elementary schools already proposed, as well as the relocation of Downtown Alternative High School, 39 N. Sixth Ave, and PACE Alternative High School, 594 S. Campbell Ave.

Along with looking at the aforementioned schools for closures, TUSD officials also looked at the possibility of closing Santa Rita High School, as well as Carrillo, Erickson, Manzo, Menlo Park and Van Horne elementary schools. Ultimately, because of transportation and relocation concerns, Pfeuffer said they decided to recommend closing only the four elementary schools.

The four schools were selected based on enrollment, academic performance and each campus's capacity for growth, TUSD officials said.

If closed, students from Ochoa would be sent to Safford Elementary, Pfeuffer said. Students from Rogers would go to Sewell and Wheeler elementary schools. Corbett students would be sent to Erickson, Kellond and Reynolds elementary schools, and Wrightstown students would go to Bloom and Henry elementary schools.

On Feb. 12, TUSD's governing board will, for the second time, vote whether to begin the school- closure process. If the board votes to do so, TUSD officials must gather public comment for at least 30 days. Then another 30-day period must pass before the governing board may vote to close a school.

However, until TUSD is released from its decades-old federal desegregation case, school closures must be approved by a federal judge. TUSD officials remain optimistic that they have satisfied the requirements of the desegregation order.

When Wednesday night's meeting came to a close, Alex Rodriguez, governing board president, watched from the rear of the auditorium.

He said frustration from the community was clear, but that he remained determined to keep communication open with all those involved. "There are still a lot of questions to be answered. That's why this is the beginning of the process," he said.