NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk City Council is tasking the Norfolk School Board with developing a plan to consolidate and close 10 schools.
This initiative aims to mitigate the financial strain caused by surplus school capacity and channel savings into critical capital improvement projects.
The resolution, passed unanimouslyby city council Tuesday night, asks the school board to come up with a plan by Aug. 1. The district would then close two schools a year staring before the 2026-2027 school year.
"About 15 years ago NPS has over well over 36,000 students and we're now less than 25,000 students so there's been steady decline in attendance," Carlos Clanton who represents Superward 7, said.
Some Norfolk parents like Rebecca Wilson say they've noticed how big their students classrooms are.
"Her school is freaking huge it's literally designed and looks like a high school," Wilson said.
The resolution highlights the significant financial contributions made by the city towards Norfolk Public Schools. In 2025, the city's contribution towards NPS's operating costs was $164.2 million, alongside taking full responsibility for the capital costs. Over the past five years, there have been substantial allocations to NPS, including $17,168,000 in 2021 and $20,284,000 in 2022, totaling over $71 million.
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Amidst these financial figures, the City Council has expressed its commitment to standing by the Norfolk School Board in the challenging task of closing and consolidating schools. This move is driven by a sense of urgency to reinvest the resultant savings into major school capital improvement and maintenance projects including Maury High School, Booker T. Washington High School, and the construction of three new elementary schools to replace aging structures.
"When the average age of our schools are 50-years-old in Norfolk we have to look at the potential consolidating, building new schools that can hold a safe and healthy work environment for our teachers and our staff," Clanton said
Furthermore, the resolution hints at possible punitive measures if the school board fails to provide and implement the plan in a timely manner. These measures might involve altering the fund allocation method for NPS to ensure adherence to the consolidation strategy.
As of right now there is no word on what school will be impacted.
Clanton said the community will have a say in the decision and the school board will make the final choice.
"Council can't close schools and that's now what they are trying to do," Clanton said. "We're saying on the other end tax dollars that we can better use other needs as well as the support of public education, we need to have that report."
