More Protests Over Englewood School Plan
(CBS) – Continued debate over a controversial plan to close four under-enrolled high schools in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
Hundreds showed up to a community meeting Wednesday night at Hamilton Park's field house. An overwhelming number of speakers opposed the school closings, CBS 2's Audrina Bigos reports.
Students, parents and residents begged Chicago Board of Education members to spare their Englewood schools.
Miracle Boyd was among them. She is a sophomore at John Hope High School, one of the schools on the line. Harper, Robeson, and Team Englewood also face closure.
Over the last 10 years, Chicago Public Schools says enrollment at the four schools has dropped 70 percent to 85 percent.
CPS proposes building the new, $85 million high school in Englewood to keep neighborhood students in the community.
The new school would open to a freshman-only class in the fall of 2019. That is a concern for hundreds of non-freshman students who will not be able to attend.
Next up is a public hearing on Jan. 30.
The board could vote on the closings at a February board meeting.