Dive Summary:

• Chicago announced Thursday that 61 public schools will be closed and that staff would be replaced entirely at six low-performing schools.
• The closure of 13% of the city's public schools--one of the largest ever nationwide--comes as the city faces declining enrollment, changing demographics and a $1 billion deficit, and some parents and community leaders say the closures will hit African Americans in the city hardest.
• The move is estimated to help save $560 million over the next decade, but will cost the city $233 million in the short run due to additional security and upgrades necessary at schools receiving new students, and groups like the Chicago Teachers' Union are planning rallies to protest the closings.

From the article:

... Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, pushed for the move, one of the largest-ever mothballings nationwide. As the list was released, he was on a family ski vacation in Utah, the Chicago Tribune noted.

The closures and cutbacks will help save $560 million over the next decade, the Tribune said. But the move will cost the city money in the short run, because school officials estimated it would cost $233 million to upgrade schools receiving new students and for more security. ...