The Chicago School Board has agreed to keep five of seven Acero charter campuses open — overriding the charter network's plans to shutter the schools.
Chalkbeat Chicago reports that the decision means two Acero charter schools — Paz and Cruz — would still close in June. Paz is an elementary school, and Cruz is a K-12 school. The school district will cover the costs of operating the five other campuses; it must still hash out a formal agreement with Acero.
The five campuses that will continue operating are Casas, Cisneros, Fuentes, Santiago and Tamayo elementary schools.
The school board’s 16-3 decision is its first major one since it transitioned from a mayor-appointed seven-member panel to partly appointed, party elected 21-member board.
The vote came after district officials warned that helping Acero keep all seven campuses open could violate state law and be financially risky for the district.
Families and teachers, who have blasted Acero for moving to close the schools in the first place, celebrated the board’s decision and loudly cheered after their vote. District leaders said risks still exist with keeping even five schools open.
The board's decision came four months after Acero announced that it would close seven schools because of a $40 million deficit.
Since then, families and the teachers union have held rallies and attended multiple board meetings to push the district to intervene and save the schools.
