BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Public Schools still plans to close two schools, just not as soon as originally proposed.
BPS Chief Financial Officer James Barnes confirmed the district intends to close two schools in the 2027-2028 school year.
The announcement comes after the district scrapped plans in January to close two elementary schools - PS 3 and PS 90 - in the 2026-2027 school year following public pressure. You can find our story from January below.
WATCH: Buffalo Public School District changes course, will no longer close PS 3 and PS 90
Barnes made the disclosure during a Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority meeting Monday, saying the closures are needed to stabilize the district's finances.
BPS has been running at a $60 million annual deficit for the last two years, and the district projects the same deficit for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
Barnes said the district is currently relying on money already saved in its accounts to function, but warned that it cannot continue indefinitely.
He said to close the deficit, they "have to" close schools.
WATCH: 'We have to': Buffalo Public Schools plans to close 2 schools in 2027-2028
"At the end of next year, even with the $60 million deficit, we will be okay, but then it's over. The honeymoon period is over at the end of next year. Then we have to close schools in 2027-2028," Barnes said.
Buffalo Public Schools declined our request for an interview, instead pointing to a joint statement previously released on January 7 in which they hinted at "potential school closures in future school years."
"We have decided not to close any Buffalo Public Schools after reviewing the recommendations of the school closure committee to close PS 3 and PS 90 and after feedback from staff, families, students, and community members. As part of the regular budget process, the superintendent will instead present the Board of Education with an alternative plan to address the anticipated financial challenges facing the district in the 2026–2027 school year. We will also work to retain a professional management consultant to review and make recommendations about potential school closures in future school years. We have also informed the Buffalo Board of Education members of our decision. We also thank the members of the school closure committee for their time, efforts and recommendations."
Barnes told the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority that the school closures will come with significant teacher layoffs, expected to save around $7 million to $8 million per school.
It is not yet known which schools will be slated for closure, but Barnes spoke candidly in the meeting about those that could be eliminated.
"We have 10 or 15 schools that have been in a failing state in terms of how the state measures them for over 10 years that have 200 kids or less," Barnes said. "You don’t need a math degree to pick the schools."
Despite his assessment, he shared the district plans to hire an outside consultant to lead the closure process at a cost of between $500,000 to $1 million to taxpayers.
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