BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — A proposal by Buffalo Public Schools to close and merge up to eight city schools has left families across the district stunned.
“It would be so heartbreaking,” said Dr. Tim Monreal, a Buffalo school parent.
The district is targeting the following schools to close for the next school year, 2027-2028:
- 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
The district says the plan would save $24 million each year. Five of the eight schools would be repurposed rather than fully closed, including PS 33 Bilingual Center on Elk Street in South Buffalo.
The district's interim superintendent delivered the message on Friday, saying the decision was not made lightly.
"They were the result of three realities: declining enrollment, the rising cost of operating nearly 60 schools and ensuring that those schools have the staff they need," Superintendent Dr. Ebony Prophet-Bullock said in a recorded message.
Erik Bohen with the Buffalo Board of Education said the conversation around declining enrollment has been building for years.
"I have been to certain schools, and enrollment is very low at some of these schools. No one wants to see their school close. I wouldn't want my school to close, but we have to, as a district, look what makes sense," Bohen said.
PS 33 Bilingual Center on Elk Street is located in Bohen's South Buffalo district and is among the schools proposed for repurposing.
Monreal has three daughters who attend the bilingual school. He said the news came as a shock.
"Quite honestly, it was shocking, and I'm devastated. You know, I would have the opportunity really send my kids anywhere, but we've chosen this, this school not only for the bilingual component, but also because we live in South Buffalo." Monreal said. "I think the hardest thing for me was just to tell my girls, and you know, kind of, I was unprepared as a parent to deal with the tears, the shock, and really just the heartbreak.”
Monreal tells me his children love their school.
"My kids wake up every morning wanting to go to school, and let me tell you what, like I didn't want to go to school. To have a place where my kids want to go to school, I just can't put that into words," Monreal said.
Monreal's message to the district is to "listen to the community" and to be transparent.
Parent advocate Jessica Bauer-Walker said the closures are a harsh reality, noting disparities she has seen across the district.
"I move between different schools, and I can see some schools are bursting at the seams. Some schools seem half empty. Some schools seem like they're doing a really good job and being really consistent. Some schools not so much, and so that's really just not fair to our students," Bauer-Walker said. "We're bleeding out money and our academic outcomes are not good, and so we need to make some hard decisions and hopefully you know come together as families and communities in the district and talk about why this is happening and how it needs to happen and help people to be able to transition in the best way possible.”
Bauer-Walker is also demanding transparency from the district.
"We don't do a very good job at shared decision-making, and so that went into more of a closed process. We've been through a lot of chaos with Buffalo schools with this and many other things," Bauer-Walker said.
The final decision will be up to the school board. The school community will have a chance to voice their concerns at three scheduled public meetings:
- Thursday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. — virtual meeting
- Thursday, Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. — Renovation Church
- Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. — BPS #156 Frederick Law Olmsted
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