The closing of 167 public schools in Puerto Rico a year ago seemed drastic, a painful casualty of a deep and prolonged debt crisis. Then came Hurricane Maria, and now Puerto Rico plans to shutter another 265 schools, an even harsher measure following a calamitous natural disaster that exacerbated the island’s financial woes, the New York Times reported. As hurricane season officially began again on Friday, Puerto Rico was set to finish the school year with the doors permanently locked on more than a third of its schools. Driving the latest round of closings is a sharp drop in student enrollment that began during the economic recession and worsened after the hurricane, as thousands fled the island. Compounding the problem: Doing away with schools could prompt even more Puerto Ricans to leave. Read more.
Recent economic developments in Puerto Rico were the topic of a recent ABI Podcast. Click here to listen.
