The Baltimore City school board approved Tuesday night a recommendation to close one high school that failed to improve its graduation and test scores, and reorganize four other schools whose students have been underperforming on state assessments.
Under the new plan, announced by schools CEO Andres Alonso in November, the Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship High School will close in 2012, allowing only seniors to stay through the end of next school year in order to graduate.
Patterson High School, Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove and Moravia Park Elementary/Middle School will undergo internal overhauls, which could include having the schools' staff reapply for their jobs and changing curriculums. Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School will be taken over by an outside operator.
The recommendations were made under the school system's "Expanding Great Options" plan, which in the past two years has seen the closure of 12 failing schools, and the relocation and merger of several others. A number of factors, including enrollment, achievement on state standardized tests and school climates, contribute to Alonso's recommendations. Meetings with school communities and public hearings were held in December.