Chicago School Board Votes to Keep Four Acero Charter Schools Open Through 2025-26

The decision comes after months of emotional pleas from families, financial warnings, and ongoing negotiations, leaving the future of the schools uncertain beyond next year.

• The Chicago Board of Education voted 16-3, with one abstention, to keep four Acero charter schools open through the 2025-26 school year, reversing earlier plans to close three of the schools this spring.
• The board's amended resolution excludes Paz, Cruz, and Cisneros campuses, which are now set to close at the end of this school year, despite previous plans to save Cisneros.
• Board members cited financial and legal challenges, including state funding laws and costly facility upgrades, as reasons for limiting the number of schools to remain open.
• Parents, students, and teachers delivered emotional testimonies during the meeting, expressing frustration at Acero leadership and the uncertainty surrounding their schools' futures.
• The future of the four schools beyond 2025-26 remains unclear, as the board replaced a directive to transition the schools into district-run operations with an evaluation of their viability.

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