My approach to keeping neighborhood schools open starts outside the school building.
Chicago needs more homes, more families, and more children living in our neighborhoods.
When neighborhoods lose families, schools can lose students. Instead of treating school closures as the first answer to declining enrollment, the city should focus on rebuilding neighborhoods and increasing the number of families who can live there.
More Homes, More Families
Housing policy and school policy are connected.
If Chicago makes it easier to build housing, more families can have opportunities to live in neighborhoods throughout the city.
Stronger residential neighborhoods can support stronger school enrollment.
That means our long-term strategy should include housing development, neighborhood investment, and keeping communities attractive to families.
Neighborhood Schools Matter
A neighborhood school is more than a building. It can serve as an important part of the surrounding community.
I oppose treating school closures as a substitute for addressing population loss.
Chicago should focus on creating neighborhoods where families want to stay, new families can move in, and neighborhood schools have the enrollment needed to remain an important part of the community.