Chicago Board votes to keep five Acero campuses open, directs staff to negotiate memorandum of understanding

The Chicago Board of Education on Feb. 27 voted to adopt an amended resolution directing district staff to plan for the transition of five Acero-run campuses into district operations for the 2026–27 school year and to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Acero that would address funding gaps and capital needs.

The board’s vote to adopt the amended resolution — which names Cisneros, Casas, Fuentes, Tamayo and Santiago as the campuses to be kept open for planning — passed with 16 ayes, 3 nays and 1 abstention. The meeting followed extensive public comment from parents, students and teachers, repeated calls from union leaders and a detailed presentation from district portfolio and finance staff outlining the legal and financial limits on any deal.

Why it matters: Hundreds of families, educators and neighborhood leaders said schools slated for closure would leave students without stable schools and uproot communities. District staff told the board they lack legal authority to force a charter operator to stay open and that any agreement to keep campuses running will require district funds within a narrow statutory funding band for charter reimbursement. The board’s action sets staff to finalize terms with Acero while flagging potential capital liabilities the district would assume if it moves forward.

Board and staff presentation

Chief Portfolio Officer Alfonso Carmona told the board that the December 20 resolution directed staff to begin negotiating an MOU with Acero and to draft a transition plan for certain campuses for 2026–27. Carmona said those tasks are linked: the district cannot complete a transition plan until Acero and the district agree to terms, notably who covers projected deficits and capital work.

Chief Budget Officer Mike Zikowski laid out finance scenarios the district and Acero discussed. He said state law limits district funding of charter schools to between 97% and 103% of the district’s per-capita tuition calculation (the projected PCTC next year is approximately $18,127.91; 103% of…