A Chicago Public Schools-appointed commission on school closures last week offered a preliminary recommendation that no high schools face shuttering.
CPS chief executive officer Barbara Byrd-Bennett appointed the commission last year to lead a review of potential school closings as the district grapples with empty seats in some schools and a $1 billion deficit looming in its next budget.
The Commission on School Utilization issued early recommendations late last week suggesting that the district take off the table any closures of high schools, schools that are high-performing, those in the process of adding grades, or those having more than 600 students.
"Children should not have to travel through dangerous territory simply to get to and from school," the report reads. "Threats to student safety by intermixing students from different neighborhoods are greatest for high school students."
A final report with recommendations will be submitted to the district in early March. The district faces a March 31 deadline to submit any plans to close schools to the state.
