Closing a school changes a child’s bus ride, classroom, support services and daily routine. Before voting to close a school, boards should show families what comes next and tell taxpayers how much the move will actually save.
In February, the Memphis-Shelby County school board voted to close five schools before the 2026–27 school year. The district’s facilities plan contemplated as many as 15 closures by 2028, including those five. According to Chalkbeat Tennessee, about one in four district schools was using less than 60 percent of its available seats, while the district faced more than $1 billion in building repairs over the next decade.
We expect other districts are facing this issue as well. In fact, 159 schools have closed across Tennessee in recent years. Currently, in Knox County, district leaders have discussed closing elementary schools or changing school start times to reduce bus costs as they weigh how to address an estimated $8 million budget gap. Here in Nashville, the board approved four closures in 2020, which resulted in only $3.4 million in savings, though those savings likely never materialized.
When enrollment falls, an underused building still needs heat, a sound roof and regular maintenance. Money spent keeping it open is money the district could spend on instruction and student services. Closing a school can save money, but the transition has costs of its own. Districts may face higher transportation costs, upgrades at receiving schools, staffing expenses and security costs for vacant buildings. The public deserves to see both sides of the ledger.
The pressure is national. Stanford’s Big Local News counted 1,156 school closures in 2025–26, the most since the pandemic. A growing community may need more classrooms while another district is trying to maintain aging buildings for fewer students. Even within one district, a neighborhood may be gaining families while another loses them. The right decision depends on local facts.
Before a vote, boards should publish enrollment trends, repair estimates and the alternatives considered for each school. Families should know where students are expected to go, how transportation will work and what programs will be available. They also need enough time to flag problems before the decision becomes final. A bus route can look reasonable on a map and still mean a child leaves home before daylight. A school may have enough seats on paper and still need more staff or space to serve students well.
The same planning should cover educators and support staff. Principals need staffing assignments early enough to build schedules and prepare classrooms. Teachers and paraprofessionals need time to share what they know about students who are moving, especially those who rely on familiar routines and consistent support. That work should begin while the people who know those students are still together.
In Vallejo, California, the Associated Press reported that on the first day of school, a parent asked why her son’s disability records had not followed him to his new school. Before the first day, districts should confirm that records have transferred, staff know what each student needs, and services are ready.
Taxpayers deserve a plain-English accounting. Put projected savings on utilities and maintenance alongside the expenses of changing bus routes, upgrading receiving schools and securing the empty building. Separate one-time costs from ongoing expenses. Explain when the district expects the move to break even and what the savings are supposed to protect or improve. If the goal is to preserve classroom services or close a budget gap, say so directly.
Then the district should come back a year later and report what happened. Did the savings match the projections? How long are students spending on buses? How did attendance change for students who had to move? How many of those students stayed in the district? Are children receiving the services they were promised? A public report gives families a way to judge whether the decision worked and gives board members better information before the next vote.
A school can be a neighborhood anchor, a place where generations of families learned and teachers built their careers. A board can respect that history and still conclude that consolidation is necessary. Families and educators who know the school can help the board see what a closure would mean for the people who use it every day.
School leaders have a duty to use public dollars wisely and give every child a school where they can learn. When a closure is on the table, they should explain how they will do both before they vote.
Show families the plan for their children. Show taxpayers the math.
