LITTLE VILLAGE — Starting next year, Chicago Public Schools hopes to house John Spry high school students in the same building as elementary schoolers from Maria Saucedo and Telpochcalli.
CPS announced its "co-location" plan Tuesday as the school system rolled out six closure and consolidation proposals for the 2015-2016 school year.
If the Little Village proposal is approved at a February Chicago Board of Education meeting, the Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy building at 2850 W. 24th Blvd. — which already houses Telpochcalli Elementary School students — would be home to Spry high schoolers as early as next year.
"Spry’s High School campus is currently located in a leased facility near Saucedo," CPS said in a statement Tuesday. "Co-locating the school with Saucedo and Telpochcalli will allow Spry to end its lease and move into a nearby school building that has available capacity."
The plan is to move Spry's freshmen from the school at 2400 S. Marshall Blvd. to Saucedo by the start of the 2016-2017 school year.
The sophomore class would join the following year (2017-2018). And by the 2018-2019 school year, all of Spry's high school grades will be housed there.
CPS said the proposal would not impact students' enrollment status at any of the three schools.
Teachers at all three schools would maintain their employment status, CPS said in a statement, and each individual Local School Council would continue to operate.
Members of the public can voice their opinion at two community meetings or a public hearing in January:
Community meeting 1:
5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd.
Community meeting 2:
5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd.
Public hearing:
6-8 p.m. Jan. 27 at CPS Central Office, 42 W. Madison St.
“During the past few months, we have engaged LSCs, parents and principals throughout the city about how to best modify schools so that they align with the needs of families and communities,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a statement Tuesday.
“Community input has played an important role in informing these proposed actions, and we believe these modifications will allow us to better use our limited resources to meet students’ needs."
