Plans call for closing or merging 5 South Bend schools

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Newly released plans call for closing or merging five South Bend schools as the district faces continued declines in enrollment.

The South Bend Tribune reports that under the plan at least 1,200 students would be relocated, fifth-graders would go back to elementary school, start times would change and a new magnet school would emerge. Three buildings would be shuttered.

Superintendent Ken Spells says officials didn't want to have a "piecemeal" plan. A public hearing is Nov. 27 and a vote on the plan is scheduled Dec. 18.

The closures are part of a plan labeled "Focus 2018." It's a successor to "Plan Z," a 2002 organizational plan that used new maps, magnet schools and the busing system to balance racial makeup and attendance at the South Bend Community School Corp.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com