School Closure Vote - Keep Glenwood Open
Shawn Handy
Dear Members of the CHCCS Board of Education,
As I understand it, the Board will vote on school closures during tonight's meeting.
I am struggling to understand why Glenwood is being considered for closure.
The district's challenge is declining enrollment, yet Glenwood is one of the schools families are actively choosing. It has strong enrollment, high utilization, and unique programs that attract and retain students. Closing one of the district's most successful schools does not solve the problem—it risks making it worse.
The Board has said this process will be guided by objective criteria. If that is true, schools with excess capacity, lower enrollment, and greater long-term costs should receive greater scrutiny than a school that is full and in high demand.
What frustrates many families is that this feels backward. When enrollment is declining, the response should be to learn from what is working. Glenwood is working. Families want to be there. Students are thriving there. Instead of treating Glenwood as a model, the district is considering closing it.
If this process is truly data-driven, Glenwood should not be a closure candidate.
Please follow the criteria you established and keep Glenwood open.
Thank you,
Shawn Handy
Shawn Handy
If this Board actually applies the criteria it has set up for itself in making this decision —utilization, enrollment strength, and cost efficiency— then Glenwood should not even be on this list. It is one of the most in-demand, fully utilized schools in the district, and closing it directly contradicts the purpose of this process. If those criteria don’t lead you away from closing Glenwood, then they aren’t really guiding this decision at all. Please follow the criteria you have outlined for this process. Keep Glenwood open.