Chicago Board Race Centers On School Closures

Chicago school board candidates are debating whether to close underenrolled buildings for the first time since the district’s largest mass closure in 2013.

The Chicago Public Schools district has lost 76,000 students over the past decade. More than 140 of its roughly 500 schools operate at less than half capacity. Forty-three schools are filled to less than one-third of their enrollment, according to district utilization data.

About a dozen of the 45 candidates in this fall's election support some closures. They argue that low enrollment limits academic and social opportunities for students. Superintendent Macquline King tapped the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council and other groups in October to lead a "reimagining with community" effort to address the decline.

Pastor Michael Neal, a candidate in District 6b on the South Side, supports considering mergers. His district includes 25 district-run schools, 15 of which operate below half capacity. Neal said his grandson enrolled in prekindergarten this fall and needs access to challenging classes and sports. He challenged opponents who keep their own children in better-staffed schools to explain why other families should accept severe underenrollment.

Neal supports extending the current closure moratorium, which expires next summer. He also supports selling or repurpose vacant buildings left empty since 2013. His opponent, attorney Brittany Kimble, said she would back closures only as a "true last resort" after community engagement and transition planning.

Candidates backed by the Chicago Teachers Union generally oppose closures. They argue that closing schools destabilizes predominantly Black neighborhoods and increases gun violence. Hilario Dominguez, the union's favored candidate for school board president, called the focus on underenrolled schools a tactic to undermine the district. He said the district should invest more in Black and brown neighborhoods rather than punish them.

Ellen Rosenfeld, running unopposed in North Side District 4b, said the 2013 closures are a cautionary tale but cannot dominate the conversation. She called the current situation wasteful and said the district must move on. Shannon Bennett of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization rejected the idea that better engagement would smooth the process. He cited research linking the 2013 closures to academic disruption and rising gun violence near vacant buildings.