The challenge of reopening US public schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has high-lighted the significant role that local teachers unions play in setting policy. The politics of school reopening during the pandemic has brought to the national spotlight the outsized role that teachers unions play in managing big cities. Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveal the big city concentration and the increasing frequency of teachers unions flexing their market power. This strategy's success demonstrates that the relationship between local government and teachers unions is fundamentally imbalanced, suggesting changes in governance structure are necessary. This report presents a policy proposal of reverse school consolidation--breaking up big city districts into a cluster of smaller districts so city school districts would more closely resemble their suburban counterparts. Reimagining urban public schools could create a more constructive relationship between labor and local government in America's cities while inspiring a new era of philanthropic community support.