When a school shuts its doors without warning, it’s not just an inconvenience — it shakes a family’s foundation. That’s what thousands of parents and students faced this past year. As a daughter of Mexican immigrants and a proud Pickard Elementary and Benito Juárez High School graduate, I know what public education means to Chicago’s working-class families. For many of us, education is our inheritance. It’s what we were given — or what we strive to give — so our children can get ahead. It’s a legacy we must fight to protect.
Over the past year, I’ve witnessed the stress, heartache and uncertainty families in my district have endured. Much of it stemmed from two converging crises: the federal government’s renewed push to privatize education under Donald Trump and a local charter company’s abrupt announcement that it planned to shut down seven schools serving nearly 2,000 students.
The chaos caused by Acero Schools’ abrupt closure announcement was not just poor planning — it was a failure of responsibility. In neighborhoods like Gage Park, Brighton Park, Pilsen, Little Village, Rogers Park, Avondale and Humboldt Park, families were caught off guard — unsure where their kids would be going to school, or if they’d even have a place to go in the fall. What followed exposed glaring gaps in Chicago Public Schools’ relationship with charter operators: delayed answers, confusing processes and families thrown into limbo.
Parents stood up and demanded answers — and that pressure is what forced the school board to act. Five of the schools will stay open next year, and there’s a plan to bring them into the public school system by 2026.
This cannot happen again. “School choice” sounds good on paper, but when schools shut down overnight with no warning, it’s clear the real “choice” isn’t being made by those who aren’t impacted.
Charter operators that receive public funding should be held to the same standards as other public neighborhood schools. Any entity that seeks public funds must meet clear standards for transparency, accountability and working conditions.
District-wide policies requiring at least 12 months’ public notice before a charter school closure and full financial transparency for any school receiving public funds are sorely needed. Parents, students and staff deserve smoother transitions, not sudden chaos. And taxpayer money should go toward helping kids learn — not to silence staff trying to improve their schools or to enrich insiders, lawyers and charter bosses. A child’s education is a right, not a business model. Our children should never pay the price for bad business decisions.
In a moment where the federal government is openly hostile to public education, Chicago must lead by example. We need stronger local protections to make sure families, students and schools aren’t left vulnerable when big decisions get made behind closed doors.
As the saying goes, “El que no oye consejo, no llega a viejo” — Whoever doesn’t heed advice, doesn’t grow old.
We’ve seen the warning signs. Now, the future of public education in Chicago depends on bold, community-driven leadership that puts children, not profits, first.
Yesenia Lopez is an elected member of the Chicago Board of Education representing District 7 on the Southwest Side.
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