Overview
- The Board of Education, which voted 6-3 on Thursday after protesters twice halted the meeting, approved the facilities plan in a virtual vote.
- The 10-year blueprint would close 17 schools, co-locate six programs, and upgrade 169 buildings to tackle aging facilities and about 70,000 empty seats.
- No school would shut before the 2027–28 year, and the plan would reroute more than 4,000 students after state-required hearings.
- The district will borrow $1 billion, and it is seeking about $2 billion from state and philanthropic sources that are not yet secured.
- City Council members vowed lawsuits, pledged to block board reappointments, and threatened to hold up a proposed $1-per-ride tax meant to aid the district.