Chicago's Population Decline Fallout: Nearly 150 Public Schools Half Empty

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The number of Chicago public schools that are about half-vacant has risen sharply since 2000, with nearly 150 elementary schools now fitting that description, school officials said Tuesday.

After a long battle with overcrowded schools in some areas, the newest challenge for the Chicago Public Schools is underused grammar schools that face possible closure, consolidation, relocation or conversion to high schools, Chicago Public Schools officials said.

Under a tentative five-year plan to be released next month, as many as 50 underused elementary schools could be merged into 50 or more other schools, Chicago Public Schools demographics chief James Dispensa said.

New data indicates that 147 of 417 neighborhood grade schools are anywhere from one-half to more than two-thirds empty. That compares with 30 or 40 underused schools in 2000.

In the past seven years, as the children of baby boomers left elementary school for high school and beyond, the Chicago Public Schools lost about 40,000 elementary students - enough to fill 65 elementary schools, Dispensa said.

Most of the underused schools are on the city's South and West sides in areas serving mostly black students and along the lakefront - including the Lincoln Park, North Center, Lake View and Uptown communities, Dispensa said.

Chicago Public Schools officials are expected to outline the problem of underused schools at today's school board meeting. Another 20 schools could face shakeups because of persistent academic problems, officials said.

No word yet from the urban lovers who say people are moving back to the city.Just think,Mayor Daley wants higher taxes to run a public school system that's losing population.Also,no word yet from Barack Obama who could put his kids in the Chicago Public School system but chooses not to.I guess Obama really doesn't believe in public education.