A new law in Wisconsin is forcing the Milwaukee school system to put all its vacant and surplus buildings on the market this October. Charter and private school operators will be able to purchase the properties.

Corey Mitchell writes that “Milwaukee school leaders deny claims that they’ve been hoarding unused properties to stifle potential competitors.” However, in an article for Education Next, Nelson Smith writes that “distressingly often,” charter schools are denied access to school buildings that a school district no longer uses.

In the article, “Whose School Buildings Are They Anyway?“, Smith explores “the sources and consequences of the iron grip school districts typically enjoy over the financing, development, ownership, and deployment of public school facilities—and some promising strategies for breaking it.”

—Education Next