In many ways, these are strange days for the students at Oakland's Santa Fe Elementary School where they are spending their last year before the school closes in 2012.

As Oakland Unified School District board of directors consider the request of two of its elementary schools to turn into charter schools, many within the district are hoping that the trickle of schools not turn into a flood of sites looking to switch.

Now that the Oakland Unified School District board of directors has approved a controversial plan to close five elementary schools, and implement  a complex restructuring strategy, the transition process for students begins.

However, it's unclear how much this transition will cost the district in the end.

In a meeting that went well into the night, Oakland Unified School District board members - in a 5 to 2 vote - approved a new restructuring package Wednesday that includes the closing of five elementary schools.