Can small schools survive?

Cleveland's MC2STEM High School, considered an "island of excellence," may close to save money.

Lower birth rates, higher housing costs and more choices for parents have shrunk public-school enrollment in many cities. Now some of the immigrant students who filled half-empty schools are leaving too. The pandemic money is spent. It's time to balance budgets.

Cleveland's school board will vote today on a plan to close or merge dozens of schools, reports Franziska Wild for Signal Cleveland. The district, which has lost half its enrollment over the last 20 years, plans to "reduce the number of high schools from 27 to 14 and the number of K-8 schools from 61 to 45" to balance the budget.

Small schools are on the chopping block in Cleveland, reports Patrick O'Donnell on The 74. MC²STEM High School, with an enrollment of 218 students, was "the crown jewel of a failing and nearly bankrupt school district — an 'island of excellence,' as officials once crowed, in a system in danger of state takeover." It will become a program within a larger school in a very low-income neighborhood.

The district is changing its strategy "from highlighting a few star high schools to keep strong students from fleeing, instead shifting toward offering more opportunities at all high schools," he writes.

Cleveland adopted the "small schools" approach promoted and funded by Bill Gates' foundation in the early 2000's, creating a "portfolio" of small, specialized schools that offered students an array of choices.

The district has "many small high schools with fewer than 300 students, each with the costs of their own principals and other support staff, but not enough students to justify always having sports teams, Advanced Placement classes, foreign language options" and career pathways, O'Donnell writes.

But the benefits of small schools are uncertain and the costs tend to be high. The closure plan is expected to save $30 million.

District CEO Warren Morgan says it's not fair to cut programs for most students while funding "pockets of excellence."

Small schools with high costs are an issue in Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, New York City and elsewhere.