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Thursday, May 13, 2010

City argues appeal of closure suit before panel of skeptical judges | GothamSchools

City argues appeal of closure suit before panel of skeptical judges | GothamSchools

City argues appeal of closure suit before panel of skeptical judges

City lawyers asked a panel of appellate court judges today to overturn a lower court ruling that halted the Department of Education’s plans to shutter 19 schools.
But in oral arguments, the judges seemed warmer to the arguments of lawyers representing the city teachers union, who sued to stop the school closings.
If the appellate court overturns the initial ruling, the 19 schools could begin phasing out starting in the fall. If not, the city will have to wait to re-launch the school closing process until next year. Either way, the case will likely end up writing a sort of court-approved plan for how the city builds its case to shutter low-performing schools in the future.
The lower court ruling, handed down by Judge Joan Lobis in March, found that the city’s public process to close

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