GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - The Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education held a special meeting Monday night to begin discussions on school closures and restructuring ahead.

The closures will take effect at the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year. There is no word yet on which schools will be closing, but it could be upwards of ten.

At the meeting, the board discussed the most important factors that will go into deciding which schools will close. Chief among them: Academic achievement. They also discussed righting past wrongs by making sure the public is fully aware and involved in the process over the next year.

GRPS has been battling a steep drop in enrollment, losing 8,000 students in the last ten years.

Meanwhile, Michigan has suffered the most school losses according to a report by our partner USA Today. 2,100 schools in the midwest have shut down in the past five years, with 677 school closures in our state.

Studies show the trend is directly related to the economy. Other states that suffered the most school closings are Ohio and Minnesota.

States that gained schools are California, Texas, and Arizona.