Schools
Local Schools Safe From CPS Closures
Out of 129 schools named to a preliminary school closing list, none are in the 19th Ward. However, one Morgan Park school in the 34th Ward did make the list.
More than 100 schools have been identified for possible closure for the 2013-2014 school year, according to a list released by Chicago Public Schools Wednesday evening.
Of the 129 schools listed, many are on the South Side, but none are in Beverly, Mt. Greenwood or the 19th Ward section of Morgan Park. However, Shoop Academy, 11140 S Bishop St., was shortlisted.
Local parents and teachers might be able to take a breath, but tough times are still ahead for Chicago Public Schools.
Find out what's happening in Beverly-MtGreenwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
While schools not listed will remain open, it doesn’t mean they won’t be impacted by more students or co-location, CPS officials said.
“We are going to take these 129 and continue to sift through these schools,” said CPS schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett told the Chicago Tribune.
Find out what's happening in Beverly-MtGreenwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Esmond School, 1865 W. Montvale, was a possible candidate for closure back in December when talk of mass closings first began to circulate. They were recently removed from probation as scores showed improvement.
"We are going to continue to work with the administration at Esmond to make progress in improving the school," said Ald. Matt O'Shea.
Many of the schools targeted for closure are on the South, West and Southwest sides of the city.
In December, CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett gathered a commission to develop a method of choosing schools for closure. The Commission on School Utilization has been hosting meetings to get feedback from parents and teachers.
The community meetings got rowdy.
The first hearing at Truman College brought parents shouting ‘Save Our Schools,’ preventing officials from showing a presentation. Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) was booed offstage by parents at one of the meetings in Logan Square.
Chicago parents gathered on Tuesday to protest the way CPS choose the schools for closure, the Huffington Post reports. The parents—part of the group Parents 4 Teachers—filed a complaint with CPS Inspector General James M. Sullivan accusing the commission of having conflicts of interest.
The school closures stem from a $1 billion budget deficit expected in 2013-2014, according to CPS.
After this year, no more schools will close until 2020, Byrd-Bennett said.
See full list of proposed school closings:
Austin-North Lawndale
ARMSTRONG, L
CHALMERS
CROWN
DE PRIEST
EMMET
HENSON
HERZL
HUGHES, C
KEY
LAWNDALE
LEWIS
MASON
MAY
MCNAIR
PENN
POPE
Burnham Park
ATTUCKS
BURKE
CANTER
CARTER
DRAKE
DUMAS TECH ACAD
FERMI
FISKE
FULLER
KOZMINSKI
MAYO
MOLLISON
OVERTON
PERSHING MIDDLE
REAVIS
ROBINSON
ROSS
SEXTON
TILL
WADSWORTH
WELLS, I
WILIAMS MIDDLE
WILLIAMS ES
WOODSON
Englewood-Gresham
ALTGELD
BANNEKER
BONTEMPS
COOK
DAVIS, M
EARLE
GOODLOW
GRESHAM
HENDERSON
HINTON
HOLMES
JACKSON, M
LANGFORD
MAYS
MORGAN
O'TOOLE
RYDER
STAGG
WOODS
Fullerton
BRENTANO
JENNER
MANIERRE
Fulton
BROWN, W
DETT
DUPREY
HERBERT
KING
LAFAYETTE
LOZANO
MONTEFIORE
NEAR NORTH
PEABODY
SMYTH
VON HUMBOLDT
Garfield-Humboldt
BEIDLER
BETHUNE
CALHOUN
DELANO
ERICSON
GARFIELD PARK
GOLDBLATT
MARCONI
MELODY
PICCOLO
RYERSON
TILTON
WARD, L
WEBSTER
Lake Calumet
ALDRIDGE
CARVER , G
GOMPERS
LAWRENCE
METCALFE
OWENS
PULLMAN
SONGHAI
WEST PULLMAN
WHISTLER
Midway
CLAREMONT
Pershing
DEWEY
GRAHAM
HENDRICKS
LIBBY
MCCLELLAN
PARKMAN
SHERMAN
Pilsen-Little Village
JUNGMAN
PADEREWSKI
PILSEN
Ravenswood-Ridge
BRENNEMANN
STEWART
STOCKTON
TRUMBULL
Rock Island
FERNWOOD
GARVEY
GREEN
HUGHES, L
KOHN
SHOOP
Skyway
ASHE
BUCKINGHAM
MADISON
NEW SULLIVAN
O'KEEFFE
PARKSIDE
POWELL
REVERE
WARREN
YALE
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