Buffalo Schools Revise Proposed Eight-School Closure Plan

Buffalo Public Schools is revising its proposed restructuring plan, which would close eight schools beginning in 2027-28 and eliminate jobs, after community members raised concerns. One change would place the proposed Leonardo da Vinci and Research Laboratory high school merger at East Community High School rather than Riverside Academy; the district has also added PS 64 and PS 156 as possible transfer sites for PS 33 students and proposed other program-placement changes. At a student-focused public forum, Da Vinci students objected to merging a selective, criteria-based school with a lottery school, and Interim Superintendent Ebony Prophet-Bullock said Da Vinci’s admissions criteria would remain in place. Parents and educators have urged district leaders to keep listening and hold meetings with students and families at schools directly affected. The revisions remain proposals pending further review, while the district says closures could save $24 million annually amid a projected budget deficit.