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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
CST Editorial Board

Repurposing vacant schools is a no-brainer

West Pullman Elementary School, 11941 S. Parnell Ave., closed in 2013, has since been redeveloped as senior housing. Many of the dozens of schools closed that year remain empty. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

Almost a decade has gone by since dozens of schools, all but a few in impoverished communities of color, were shuttered all at once by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

It was — still is — the largest mass school closing in the nation’s history. Thousands of students were forced to switch schools, and they usually fared no better educationally afterward.

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