The board of the Vallejo City Unified School District has postponed until Dec. 16 a decision on which schools must be closed because of declining enrollment and loss of revenue from reduced state funding.

The announcement of the postponement came at the third community forum on the issue attended by several hundred people Thursday night at Hogan High School where a decision was expected.

Board members said they needed more time to examine the issue and wanted newly elected board member Adrienne Waterman, who will join the board Dec. 9, to be part of the decision, district spokesman Jason Hodge said this morning.

The schools slated for closure include Hogan High School, Springstowne Middle School, Cave Elementary School and Vallejo Middle School, Hodge said. That would affect some 3,200 students.

State Administrator Richard Damelio has recommended closing Hogan High School and relocating the students to Vallejo and Bethel high schools starting in the 2010-2011 school year and closing the Springstowne Middle School and Vallejo Middle School in 2011.

A school consolidation committee is recommending closing the Franklin and Vallejo middle schools and closing Hogan High School and sending students to Bethel and Vallejo high schools. Hogan High School would then become a K-8 school for Cave Elementary and Springstowne Middle School students.

The school district claims it has lost 4,000 students in nine years resulting in a total loss of about $20 million in annual revenue.