School Closure Vote May Come Today

We've been here before. It was only about six months ago that the CCS school Board held a much-anticipated meeting where they were expected to vote on closing schools as recommended by the district's task force. But in the midst of the fallout from the leaked documents proposing ways to limit public engagement and involvement in the board's decision-making, the vote on what to do was delayed, with community input said to be at the forefront of that decision.

"We have to really put in the time and energy to ensure authentic engagement — when we say that it can't just be a tagline," Board President Christina Vera said at the time. The list of schools potentially on the chopping block was narrowed from 20 to nine, and board members toured them this fall. At the most recent meeting, they announced they felt ready to move forward with a vote. That's likely to come at the meeting tonight.

There is a "Realignment Discussion" scheduled ahead of the vote that is likely to be heated, with stakeholders expressing strong feelings on both sides of the issue. While a member of the Task Force wrote an op ed in support of building closures, CCS parents have also come out on the opinion pages with the message that there is still insufficient community engagement and that kids and neighborhoods will suffer if schools close.

So, after two other research/recommendation processes that the board has gone through in the past decade around this issue, only to kick the can down the road, will today be the day the board decides?

Find out at the meeting tonight at 6 p.m., at 3700 S. High St. You can also tune in online through Facebook.

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