Six Schools Removed from Closing List

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Feb 24, 2009 10:20PM

CPS CEO Ron Huber(super)man saved six schools from being closed, leaving 16 schools on the list of those that will be closed and/or consolidated.

The schools that were saved include:

• Las Casas Occupational High School on the South Side
• Global Visions High School on the South Side
• Peabody School in West Town
• Yale Elementary School on the South Side
• Hamilton Elementary, a Fine and Performing Arts Magnet School in West Lakeview
• Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School in Englewood

Huberman said that he was swayed by compelling arguments made by community members in those neighborhoods. Las Casas and Peabody were removed from the list in part because they work with a number of special needs students. Global Visions and Hamilton were to be phased out due to low enrollment, but they were saved by high test scores. Holmes and Yale were listed as "turn around" schools, meaning the current staff would need to reapply for their positions, but now they've been given more time to turn themselves around.

The CPS School Board will vote on the list on Wednesday at its monthly board meeting. The schools that remain on the list are included, after the jump, although even this may not be the very final list.

Closing (students will be reassigned to neighborhood schools)

• Nia.
• Foundations.
• Princeton.
• South Chicago.

Consolidating

• Abbott: Merged into Hendricks.
• Davis Developmental Center: Merged with Langston Hughes in a new building.
• Medill: Merged into Smyth.
• Schiller: Merged into Jenner.

Phasing Out

• Best Practice High School.
• Carpenter.
• Lathrop: Students will go to Johnson and Lawndale.
• Reed: Students will go to Banneker, Parker and Nicholson.

Turning Around (staff to be replaced)

• Bethune.
• Dulles.
• Fenger High School.
• Johnson.

Photo by katherine of chicago