Chicago School Board Votes To Save 5 Of 7 Acero Charter Schools Slated For Closure
Parents And Staff Speak Out Against Closures
In sometimes tearful testimony, more than a dozen parents, staff, and union leaders asked the board to keep the schools open, with several saying they felt their trust was broken. Parent Lucy Salgado, described the combined pain of school closures and immigration concerns, citing a Wednesday incident in which federal immigration agents detained a father who was dropping off his children at an Acero school in Gage Park.
Acero families and teachers speak out against planned school closures on Thurs., Feb. 27, 2025 at the Chicago Public Schools board meeting. Credit: Reema Amin/Chalkbeat
CPS Directed to Convert Schools into District-Run Programs
Ultimately, the board voted to keep five, assuming the potential risk of covering expenses — including accounting for possible enrollment loss and other expenses — at those campuses.
Background
The decision came after a confusing week for families and staff, who learned two days ago that the original plan from December could change. Parents received an email Tuesday morning from Carmona, who said the board would vote on a plan to save just four of the Acero schools — not all of them — for next year, and allow another three to close.
On Wednesday, dozens of staffers and parents attended an evening vigil alongside the Chicago Teachers Union, which represents Acero teachers, to call for board members to vote against the proposed changes to the plan. Board members Anusha Thotakura, Norma Rios Sierra, Yesenia Lopez, Ed Bannon, and Michilia Blaise attended the vigil and committed to voting against the amended resolution.
The Vote
The school board’s 16-3 decision — its first major one since becoming a hybrid elected board — caps an intense months-long back-and-forth between the charter operator, school district officials, the teachers union, and the school board, which changed more than once since news of the planned charter closures first emerged.
Conclusion
The board’s decision moves away from a December plan that called for covering the costs of running all seven campuses for next school year. It does stick with a plan to make five of the campuses district schools by the 2026-27 school year. CPS had presented an amended resolution to the board Thursday, which would have saved just four of those schools for next year, but board members moved to change that language in order to save five.
FAQs
* What is the current plan for the five saved schools?
+ The board is expected to work with Acero to finalize a formal agreement to keep the five schools open.
* What about the two closing schools, Paz and Cruz?
+ The district will need to develop a transition plan for the students and staff impacted by the closures.
* What about the financial implications of the decision?
+ The district will need to absorb the costs of keeping the five schools open, which could be a financial risk, according to district officials.
