Dear Council Chair Mendelson and Members of the Committee of the Whole,

We request that you hold a hearing quickly to fully understand all of the circumstances that led to the LEA Eagle Academy’s decision to close two public schools in late August, on the cusp of the 2024-2025 school year.  As a result of this decision, the parents of 350 children were given just a few days to find new schools for their children, and dozens of educators were suddenly left without positions. As one Ward 8 school employee noted: “Instead of putting the money into the schools that are already there and really need it, money is poured into new school developments... And then we must pick up pieces when things don’t work out.”  School takeovers, as indicated by the PCSB in their deliberations are not necessarily an answer, and the deeper underlying issues need to be investigated.