For Chicago school board candidates, school closures are no longer off-limits
Data analysis by Thomas Wilburn Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Pastor Michael Neal was leading a church service at Price Elementary in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood in late 2011 when word spread among his congregation that…
Chicago school board candidates are once again discussing the possibility of school closures as enrollment has dropped by 76,000 students over the past decade. Some candidates believe closures could help address the issue, arguing that schools with very low enrollment cannot provide the same level of academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities as more populated schools.
However, other candidates strongly oppose closures, citing potential negative impacts on predominantly Black neighborhoods, student learning, and increased gun violence. They propose alternative solutions, such as converting vacant school buildings into health clinics, food pantries, or grocery stores. Candidates running in districts with few or no schools that could face closure, like Ellen Rosenfeld in district 4b, argue that the issue has been discussed extensively and that it's time to move forward with better solutions.
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