Sweeping changes coming for 5 South Bend schools and their 1,200 students

Three buildings — Brown and Greene intermediate centers and the Eggleston Center — would be shuttered altogether.

Perley Fine Arts Academy and Marshall Intermediate Center would be combined with other schools, though officials hope to find new uses for the buildings.

The nearly 1,200 students at those schools would be relocated, and many more could change schools based on a new redistricting plan that re-emphasizes neighborhood schools.

The closures are part of a plan labeled “Focus 2018.” It is a successor to “Plan Z,” the 2002 organizational plan that used new district maps, magnet schools and the busing system to balance the racial makeup and attendance at schools across the corporation.

Altogether, the proposal amounted to the most aggressive strategic plan launched by the corporation in 15 years, though officials have previously tried to make smaller moves, such as attempts to close individual schools with low enrollment. Officials said the plan is meant to address underused buildings and save money while offering good academic options.