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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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Catalyst Notebook

Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 8:33am

In the News: What comes next after closings vote

By: Cassandra West
Tags: school closings

While CTU President Karen Lewis said redemption for Wednesday’s vote could come only at the ballot box, the district is about to undertake a massive effort to get displaced students to enroll in a new school before May 31.

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - 5:35pm

50 school closings approved at raucous board meeting

By: Sarah Karp
Tags: school closings

Now that CPS board members have approved the closing of 50 elementary schools, 11 co-locations and five turnarounds, the district is about to undertake a massive effort to get displaced students to enroll in a new school before May 31.

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - 8:10am

In the News: Byrd-Bennett expected to spare 4 schools

By: Cassandra West
Tags: school closings

Today is the day when the Chicago School Board is supposed to decide the fate of 54 schools that have been proposed for closure, but the Sun-Times has learned that four Chicago Public Schools are no longer up for closing this year, a fifth wouldn’t close until next year and a sixth school would be spared from the staff reboot known as a turnaround.

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 9:01am

In the News: CPS may spare 'a few' schools

By: Cassandra West
Tags: school closings

Pressured for months by teachers, community leaders and aldermen, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's hand-picked school board is nonetheless expected on Wednesday to approve closing all but a few of the 53 elementary schools the administration wants to shut down. One source said the six-member school board is likely to vote for saving fewer than five of the schools on the closings list, according to the Tribune.

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Monday, May 20, 2013 - 4:25pm

As school closings vote nears, questions remain on money, academics, safety

By: Sarah Karp
Tags: facilities, finance and budgets, parent and community engagement, school closings, turnarounds

When Margarita Miranda moved to Old Town in 2000, the area looked much different. The Cabrini Green public housing projects cast a long shadow, and neighborhood elementary schools were located on every few blocks.

Today, the high-rise public housing has been wiped away, leaving the area with a smattering of row houses, townhouses and some stretches of still-empty lots.

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Monday, May 20, 2013 - 8:20am

In the News: 3-day marchers make way to City Hall

By: Cassandra West
Tags: school closings

A three-day series of marches through neighborhoods with schools on the closure list was part of a final push organized by the Chicago Teachers Union and community groups before the Chicago Board of Education votes Wednesday on the closure plan. The marches will culminate Monday afternoon with a rally outside City Hall.

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