We lived in Whittier, about thrirty years ago. It was a terrible school district then, I can't imagine that it has gotten any better. Closing some of the schools might be an improvement. There used to be a first grade teacher that had more tenure than anyone in the district and had built up so much sick leave that she would take off the entire second marking period and go on a cruise. The school district could get rid of her, so they transferred her to a different school every two years.
Yeah, I hear you. I've had fair luck with my kids' and grandson's schools thus far, but they're really nothing to get excited about. East Whittier is the best of the bunch...I think the city has about 5 different school districts. (Huge.)