Number of half-empty Chicago public schools doubles, yet lawmakers want to extend school closing moratorium – Wirepoints
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
First things first. Whatever laws were broken they need to be held accountable. No excuses. After that it’s worth wondering why no one else would compete for these properties. The inference is that they made a lot of money by doing this. ie they were generating income well beyond the taxes. Probably not. It’s likely these properties are and were absurdly taxed as is most of the real estate in the southern cook county suburbs. Illegal and unacceptable yes. Logical, also yes.