Baltimore’s Renaissance Academy, Dallas F. Nicholas are safe from closure — for now

Two of Baltimore’s smallest public schools have escaped closure again — at least for now.

Renaissance Academy, a high school, and Dallas F. Nicholas, Sr. Elementary School narrowly escaped the chopping block last year after former Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises recommended shuttering them. The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners delayed the decision for a year.

But at a Wednesday night school board meeting, new schools chief Jermaine Dawson said he wants to stop traumatizing communities with a handful of school closures every year and instead conduct a comprehensive study of city schools. He also promised not to let the schools live in limbo.

“This is not something that we’re going to sit on,” Dawson told school board members at a Wednesday meeting. “We have to make sure that we do this in a very well-thought-out, methodical way.”

Renaissance and Dallas F. Nicholas enroll fewer than 200 students each, according to the district. Families often say they prefer small schools for the individualized attention and quieter environments that kids can’t get in larger settings.

But school budgets are based on how many students they enroll. Small schools often can’t offer what large ones provide, such as extracurriculars and arts classes.

The board threw their support behind a districtwide school review. Some members said they may have to get creative with the budget to prop up undersized schools if they don’t close them.

“There is literally no way that we keep schools open that cannot survive off of the per-pupil allocation from the state,” said Board Vice Chair Ashiah Parker. “Five, 10, 15 years from now, we will be accountable for the decisions that we made. So we really have to make sure that we can afford and that it is very transparent how we’re supporting all of our schools to remain open.”

Dawson has rescinded his predecessor’s recommendations to close Renaissance and merge Dallas F. Nicholas with Margaret Brent/Elementary Middle School. The schools will remain open at least through next school year. Dawson said he’s going to engage the community as his administration evaluates the district’s entire portfolio to determine where schools make the most sense and at what size.

Other schools could still close. Two Baltimore charter schools, KIPP Harmony Academy and Baltimore International Academy West, are up for review this year. Dawson will tell the board whether he thinks their contracts should be renewed in November for a final board vote in January.

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