Posted October 03, 2018 03:16:07 The Illinois legislature is poised to close two state schools this fall.
Illinois School Boards Association president Kevin Fitzgerald said in a statement that the two schools that will close are both in the Chicago Public Schools System.
The first, The School of the Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will close on March 15, 2018.
The second, The University of Notre Dame, will be closed in October.
Fitzgerald said the two campuses have not been able to make a financial commitment to either school.
“In order to avoid any disruption to our students, we will not be able to provide additional services during this time,” Fitzgerald said.
State Superintendent Tom O’Donnell said the Illinois State Board of Education voted to approve the closures because of a budget shortfall.
“I’m grateful to the Illinois Board of Regents for their commitment to keeping the state open,” O’Neill said in the statement.
“It is clear that we must address the ongoing fiscal crisis that is impacting our students and the students of Illinois.”
O’Donnell also said he believes the closures are necessary because the state will not receive any federal funding from the federal government.
A spokesman for the state’s Department of Education said the school boards association is disappointed that the state board voted to close the schools.
The announcement comes after several school closers in recent years.
In September, the state of New York announced plans to close four public high schools, including the city of Buffalo.
After a court order to reopen those schools was lifted in June, a judge ordered the state to make up for the losses by closing four schools, the Buffalo News reported.