No one wants to close schools. Not the communities that cherish their local school. Not the school boards that want to serve the needs of all their students. Not administrators and school district personnel who have to wade through the intricacies of state law on how to close schools. Unfortunately, declining enrollment and declining state funding are forcing school districts to make hard choices. As they wrestle with what to do, community leaders face the wrath of worried teachers and parents. Not to mention a thicket of complex laws and policies. Leaders of school districts in a financial crisis may feel they have to make quick decisions to stop the financial bleeding. Unfortunately, haste can lead to decisions that create inequitable outcomes. Schools that serve Black students tend to be more frequently closed, especially in California. Research by Policy Analysis for California (PACE) documented that “Even after controlling for a range of factors, the odds of school closure increase by nearly 25 percent for every 10-percentage-point increase in the share of Black students.” To head off hasty decisions about school closures, AB 1912, passed in 2021-22, requires school districts to slow down, get the facts, involve the community, and conduct an equity analysis. This process can help districts make equitable and cost effective decisions about school closures.