A Philly council member has legitimate concerns about what happens to school buildings once #schools are closed … and a concern that some of the closings are because of the buildings’ value to real estate developers. But rezone all schools so they can never be used for #housing? That may not serve #neighborhoods well. https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-school-closures-city-council-rezoning-plan/ #BOEs
Philadelphia City Council member moves to rezone closing schools to curb developer interest in valuable land

Jamie Gauthier wants to rezone schools to limit redevelopment of school buildings, arguing their land value is driving decisions instead of students’ needs.

WHYY
What are the greatest problems with charter #schools? On average, they do not educate students better than public schools. They drain students and money from neighborhood schools. And some are terribly mismanaged. Two charter high schools in Chicago were recently shut down for financial reasons. They aren’t the first. https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/19/cps-revokes-aspiras-ability-to-operate-charter-schools-in-chicago-in-rare-move-board-of-education #BOEs
CPS revokes Aspira’s ability to operate charter schools in Chicago in rare move

Following Aspira’s financial problems, the Chicago Board of Education on Thursday revoked the operator’s charter, a dramatic step the board hasn’t taken since 2019.

WBEZ
Three-quarters of public #schools in the U.S. divide students by age into elementary, middle and high schools. Will the coming wave of school closures, due to declining birth rates, cause some systems to change these age groupings? A suburban Atlanta district is considering this as it faces the possibility of closing 27 of its schools. https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/03/the-grade-debate-dekalb-schools-could-change-elementary-middle-high-split/ #BOEs
The grade debate: DeKalb schools could change elementary, middle, high split

DeKalb could implement pre-K through eighth grade or sixth through 12th grade schools.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are many things school boards should focus on, from student learning and safe facilities to prudent finances and good leadership. Then there are the things that Chicago’s school board must deal with: a political battle between a powerful labor union and a group of billionaires with an interest in charter schools. In this environment, education is beside the point. https://www.wbez.org/education/chicago-school-board/2026/02/19/big-money-expected-to-flow-in-novembers-historic-chicago-school-board-race #BOEs
Big money expected in November’s historic Chicago school board race

PACs, billionaires and labor unions are gearing up for a Chicago school board race where contributions are expected to top the $13 million spent on the 2024 elections.

WBEZ
In an op-ed, a school district official explains how his district will go about closing #schools and reassigning students. First, establish guidelines: age and condition of schools, distances for student travel, etc. Collect and interpret data. Engage the public on the process. Get feedback, revise guidelines. OK, and then what? Time to decide … and face the fury. https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/02/empty-seats-are-not-neutral-they-cost-our-students/ #BOEs
Empty Seats Are Not Neutral. They Cost Our Students.

The DeKalb County School District is built to educate about 110,000 students but serves just under 92,000 today. When buildings are underused, resources are spread thin.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes problems and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Here’s a big problem: a decline in school-age children means many #schools are below capacity and some will be closed. Opportunity: What we could do with this public property. Housing? Mixed-use developments? Community centers? Let’s be bold in our thinking. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2026/02/11/nearly-half-of-san-diego-unified-schools-may-be-underutilized/ #BOEs
Nearly Half of San Diego Unified Schools May Be ‘Underutilized’

A 2023 report shows that about half of San Diego Unified schools are operating at under 70 percent of the schools’ capacity. With enrollment decline likely to continue in coming years, that’s a dangerous figure. 

Voice of San Diego
For years, we’ll be on the emotional and political rollercoaster that comes with closing public schools, the result of fewer children of school age. But don’t forget that what happens to the buildings when a school closes is also important. Turns out, #BOEs are not good at disposing of property in ways that build thriving #neighborhoods. Just look at the abandoned, crumbling schools of St Louis. https://nextstl.com/2024/11/an-inventory-of-70-former-public-school-buildings-in-stl/
An Inventory of 70 Former Public School Buildings in STL - NextSTL

A look at the status and condition of 70 former public school buildings still standing in St. Louis.

NextSTL

@LadyDragonfly Our work to advance LGBTQIA+ rights on a municipal level for the first time in the history of the second most bigoted county in NJ of the USA is now codified into #law. #juneteenth #prideflag

Now I am helping parents and activists against the #BOEs in NJ. They are pushing corporal punishment and LGBTQIA+ book bans along with book bans concerning #racism.

It looks like you are powerful and we could use any help we can get, including shares as I will be posting about our efforts on this page.

We're up against a well-funded machine. We need #numbers #talent #intelligence to win the battles ahead.

Wenn die vier Super-Präsidenten dem diesjährigen Motto entsprechend "Deine Sitzung - Deine Helden" zur Landung ansetzen, wackelt ganz Köln. Es geht um nicht weniger als die Rettung der Domstadt. Dass Mirja Boes, Carolin Kebekus, Ebasa der Meister und Olaf Bürger vor nichts zurückschrecken, ist mittlerweile bekannt. Und gerade das 15. Jubiläum von "Deine Sitzung" wird mit der ein oder anderen Überraschung gefeiert! Jeck, unberechenbar und frecher als je zuvor präsentiert das Ensemble um die vier Präsidenten/innen eine kreative Mischung aus Karneval, Comedy und brillanter Livemusik zum Mitfeiern. https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/sendungen/karneval/video-deine-sitzung----deine-helden-102.html #Carolin #Kebekus #Mirja #Boes #Karneval #Beer #Bitsches
DEINE SITZUNG 2018 - Deine Helden

Wenn die vier Super-Präsidenten dem diesjährigen Motto entsprechend "Deine Sitzung - Deine Helden" zur Landung ansetzen, wackelt ganz Köln. Es geht um nicht weniger als die Rettung der Domstadt. Dass Mirja Boes, Carolin Kebekus, Ebasa der Meister und Olaf Bürger vor nichts zurückschrecken, ist mittlerweile bekannt. Und gerade das 15. Jubiläum von "Deine Sitzung" wird mit der ein oder anderen Überraschung gefeiert! Jeck, unberechenbar und frecher als je zuvor präsentiert das Ensemble um die vier Präsidenten/innen eine kreative Mischung aus Karneval, Comedy und brillanter Livemusik zum Mitfeiern.