Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee today announced that they will hold a community meeting concerning the schools recently proposed for closure on Wednesday, February 27th, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at McKinley Technical Senior High School, 151 T Street NE.

Earlier this year, Fenty and Rhee were criticized by a few squeaky wheels for their selection of schools to be “rightsized” due to low enrollment, and a revised list of schools was released following input from community members, parents and faculty. According to a statement from the chancellor’s office, the purpose of this week’s meeting is to “solicit public input” regarding the revised closure list, but also receive feedback about broader schools issues, specifically, “the current and prospective educational needs of pupils in the District of Columbia public schools, educational programs that can address these needs, and support systems needed for safety and efficiency.”

The most recent round of school closure hearings, held last month, sparked several hours of testimony and debate, as well as walk-outs and demonstrations led mostly by activists looking to take a stand against the Fenty administration. The initial fuss around the closure proposals has since died down, so Wednesday’s meeting should prove less eventful.

Photo by Amber Wiley