Buffalo Public Schools announced late Friday afternoon that eight schools have been identified for proposed closures to take effect in academic year 2027-2028.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Ebony Prophet-Bullock, informed the Board of Education about the proposal, which is part of the district’s four-year fiscal stability plan.
The schools are:
· PS 59 Dr. Charles R. Drew Science,
· PS 131 Academy School @ 86
· PS 366 Research Laboratory High School
· PS 33 Bilingual Center
· PS 82 Ronald Peoples School of Scholars
· PS 208 Riverside Academy
· PS 309 East High School
· PS 90 Early Childhood Center
Five of the buildings will be repurposed, while PS 59, PS 131, and Research Laboratory High School PS 366 will close permanently.
The changes are expected to impact 108 full-time jobs, including up to 73 teaching positions. Retirements or currently unfilled positions if identified could lessen the layoffs. It will also impact an estimated 2,300 students in the district.
Prophet-Bullock explains the plan in a video message. The school board must review and approve the proposed closings.
Prophet-Bullock and members of her cabinet will hold three public meetings to discuss the plan:
· Thursday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m. a virtual meeting
· Thursday, October 15, 5:30 p.m. at the Renovation Church
· Tuesday. October 20, at 5:30 p.m. at PS 156 Frederick Law Olmsted
· The closings are estimated to save the district about $24 million each year.
The closings are estimated to save the district about $24 million each year.
A Buffalo Public Schools spokesperson notes in a written message that school closures are not exclusive to Buffalo and that other districts, including Rochester, have also recently closed schools in restructurings.