When the economy tanked, our schools were hit hard. Nine schools in T.U.S.D. are now closed.
We wanted to know what's happening to those abandoned playgrounds and vacant buildings so Kristi's Kids investigated.
You might be surprised to hear how much the district is still spending each year to keep these empty schools.
"But I see a lot of damage to a lot of windows. Windows are broken out. Doors are unlockable because locks have been broken."
John Mattos's family owns a home a few feet from Reynolds elementary where he raised three daughters. All of his girls went to Reynolds but his youngest didn't get to finish.
"I was sad because I got to go there for 5 years and then it closed the last year I was going to be there," says Lahala Mattos.
John now worries about the empty building and the problems it attracts.
"A lot of graffiti. A lot of vagrants have been going through the school and in the play ground," he explains.