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- Last week we discussed for the first time the potential for building closures in Akron City Schools, which, like most other urban districts, has been losing students steadily for decades. We noted two particular aspects of the debate then: The potential “emotional toll” of seeing any school close and the fact that fact that the district had continued such a robust building program that all of their underutilized facilities were less than 20 years old, i.e.—a district full of brand-new white elephants. In this follow up piece, we get some clarity on that building program that leads us to a whole new, particularly-Akron-branded, wrinkle in the school closure discussion. As you may have guessed, going on a years-long building spree for brand new schools while simultaneously hemorrhaging student enrollment would not typically compute. But the district partnered with the City of Akron to pass a levy in the early aughts to a) start the building program, b) construct the buildings as “Community Learning Centers” with ready access to the public, and c) co-own them with the city. All this means that even though the district is on the hook for all of the expensive operation costs for the schools, the buildings are for all legal purposes not schools. And despite some hiccups in the district/city partnership over the years, this piece indicates that neither emotion nor student enrollment numbers (nor even financial distress, I think) will ultimately matter in terms of closure determinations. There appears to be no obvious way to close these underutilized community amenities without a protracted legal fight, especially as the 30-year legal framework/levy that created them continues in force. I suppose that’s a surefire way to keep them out of the hands of charter and private school operators, but it feels like a very expensive victory to me. (Akron Signal, 6/15/26)
- Meanwhile, in Cleveland, a city known for having a bit more collegial relationship between its district and local charter schools, I perceive that there are cracks forming in the partnership in the wake of district school closures. Two supporters of the Breakthrough Schools charter network published an op-ed over the weekend reminding folks about the Cleveland Plan and the longstanding connection between high-performing charter schools and Cleveland Metropolitan School District that plan forged. They also opine in favor of its unbroken continuation: “When we stay grounded in our values, aligned to a clear strategy, and relentlessly focused on outcomes for scholars and families,” they write, “we move closer to the Cleveland we all believe in, a city where every child, regardless of ZIP code, has access to a first-class education.” (Cleveland.com, 6/14/26)
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