Children no longer play on the jungle gym at 49-year-old Billy Mitchell Elementary School in North Sacramento, but inside its stark white halls teenagers are taking classes in math, computer science and French.

The San Juan Unified School District campus has found new life as Choices Charter School.

The district has shuttered 10 schools in the past five years and is considering closing two more, as are the Sacramento City Unified and Folsom Cordova Unified school districts. Tight budgets and decreasing enrollments are forcing districts to consider school closures, despite their unpopularity.

Districts are repurposing many of the campuses so they don't stand vacant and to bring in money.

The old Orangevale Open building in San Juan Unified is being leased to Pacific Technology Charter School. Littlejohn Elementary, closed in 2004, is leased to California Montessori Charter School. And Creekside Elementary, closed in 2005, is leased to Keystone Education, a school for special needs students.

The balance of San Juan's closed schools house district programs, including regional occupational programs, early childhood education and preschool.

"I think we feel confident that our closed facilities are being used appropriately and that we're generating revenue from many of those sites," said Richard Launey, board member.

He said the district also has saved money by moving programs that had been using leased space to empty schools.

San Juan Unified officials are holding onto the properties to ensure that the district has enough space when enrollment starts to grow again, Launey said.

"We prefer to lease our facilities," he said. "If they aren't occupied, they are more of a target of vandalism."

Some districts blame new charter schools for declining enrollments, but they're also charging charters to use surplus campuses.

Natomas Unified lost 400 students to Natomas Pacific Pathways Preparatory Charter Middle School, housed at the former campus of Natomas Middle School. Natomas Middle School moved to the H. Allen Hight Elementary campus.

Four Sacramento City Unified campuses that closed last year still are vacant or are being used part time; the district is proposing the closure of six to eight more schools over three years.

"Our priority is to get them leased out," Patrick Kennedy, school board member and chairman of the facilities committee, said Tuesday.

Residents in the College Glen neighborhood lobbied Sacramento City Unified in vain to stop the closure of Thomas Jefferson Elementary, which is empty except for a preschool program serving 60 students and evening gatherings of community groups.

Neighbor Alice Spizanelli said she saw people she thought were transients hanging around the campus in the evening. But the problem seemed to go away once neighborhood groups such as Weight Watchers began using the building.

"I don't want them moving in – with friends," Spizanelli said.

The district has been vigilant about maintaining the site, said Annette Deglow, president of the College Glen Neighborhood Association.

The California Montessori Project Capitol Campus Community, which has rented space from the district at Marshall Adult School, may move to Thomas Jefferson. Sacramento City Unified officials have said there are structural problems at the adult school.

Deglow said the association would rather have a middle school or community center at the Thomas Jefferson site.

"Public schools should not be displaced by charter schools," Deglow said. "You need to provide for public education."

Whatever the function, most districts make filling empty schools a priority.

A fact sheet published by Folsom Cordova Unified School District says that it plans to lease Riverview and Cordova Lane elementary schools to either the city of Rancho Cordova, a parks district or a preschool program, or will use it for other district programs.

San Juan Unified School District plans to use the Garfield site to expand San Juan Central, which offers enrollment services, immunizations, parent classes and community resources, and houses a parent volunteer program. It also would be used for teacher training and larger district meetings, said district spokesman Trent Allen.

Sacramento City Unified will focus on using its facilities for educational purposes, Kennedy said.

Call The Bee's Diana Lambert, (916) 321-1090.