By Bob George and Betsy L. Angert | Published at EmpathyEducates.
Today, Chicago Public Schools again asserted that there was a way to “improve” community schools, cut budgets, $52 million dollars worth. The decision to eliminate administrative and operational expenses is touted as a means to help close an estimated $1 billion deficit, just as school closures were supposed to do.
The earlier claim proved itself untrue. Chicago Public Schools acknowledges that closing 50 schools will not reduce this year’s budget deficit – the savings, plus tens of millions of additional dollars (for a total of $233 million), will be put into receiving schools this year. $300 million in new bonds issued are expected to help pay for improvements. “The Chicago Public Schools bond rating is something of concern,” said Laurence Msall of the Civic Federation, “and it’s something that the bonding agencies have warned them
“We’ve assumed that we’ll have to spend in this first year an investment that we’ll make back over time with the savings that we’ll realize both in operating savings and cost avoidance of capital investment at these closing schools. So that’s the way we’re looking at it.”
Cawley’s long-view however was a bit shortsighted. Students and their schools were short-changed and once again, our youth and their communities are slighted.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have worked to reassure the community. “Chicago principals are given greater flexibility,” and also less money to finance programs in their schools. That is the greater concern, as is the pattern of obfuscation.
Chicago parents protest, saying this is the newest way to destabilize neighborhood schools. First the decision to close fifty schools was announced on the premise that this would save the District bundles of money. Since that proved untrue, now we have the more drastic measures. The per pupil funding of school budgets is slashed. The question is what next. The answer was on display this Monday, June 17, 2013.
Local School Council members call for Attorney General Lisa Madigan to audit CPS finances. Parents presented their papers and ask. It is important to note that the LSC members, help principals make financial decisions for schools, and thus have ample information about the working of the schools. With this knowledge representatives from a dozen Chicago Public Schools debunked the myths, offered a reality check, and stated that they would not sign-off on the school budgets.
After closing 50 schools less than a month ago the Chicago Public Schools instituted a per pupil funding formula which will force most schools to reduce the number of educators they hire. Ostensibly this change is directed at giving principals and Local School Councils more autonomy. In actuality the net effect is huge budget cuts. Creating another way to disinvest in vital neighborhood schools.
For several years CPS has repeatedly and loudly proclaimed large budget deficient. Yet each year when all was said and done surpluses were recorded. For this reason this morning Local School Council members called for AG Lisa Madigan to audit CPS finances.
We are asking for forensic audit of CPS declared Jeanette Taylor Smith a parent member of Jackie Robinson and Mollison LSCs. Cathy Dale, a grandparent member of the local Mollison LSC along with Local School Council Presidents called on Governor Quinn to issue an executive order to declare a moratorium on school closures and create an elected school board for Chicago parents.
The persistent attack on the viability of public schools in the black and brown communities of Chicago is at stake. Cuts will cause school councils and principals to consider turning away more experienced teachers in order to save money on salaries. The opposite of what is need to create a strong educational venue staffed by educators who understand the community and it’s children
A sampling of school based cuts as reported by Raise Your Hand parent members and LSCs appears below. CPS has not yet published the draft budgets and says they won’t until they are finalized sometime in July.
| School | Proposed $ Cut |
|---|---|
| Amundsen HS | $780,000 |
| Audubon | $400,000 |
| Beasley | $550,000 |
| Belding | $400,000 |
| Bell | $750,000 |
| Burr | $365,853 |
| Darwin | $723,700 |
| Gage Park HS | $1,000,000 |
| Gale | $1,300,000 |
| Goethe | $265,000 |
| Grimes Fleming | $458,000 |
| Foreman HS | $1,700,000 |
| Jamieson | $290,000 |
| Kennedy HS | $2,150,000 |
| Kozminsky | $250,000 |
| Lane Tech | $2, 000,000 |
| Lincoln Park HS | $1,060,000 |
| Mather | $1,200,000 |
| Mitchell | $788,000 |
| Murphy | $700,000 |
| Pritzker | $186,000 |
| Ray | $400,000 |
| Roosevelt HS | $1,100,000 |
| Suder | $750,000 |
| Sutherland | $253,000 |
While we wait for word from the Attorney General, Governor Quinn, or another re-worded statement from the Chicago Public Schools, please raise your hand and stand with the students and their parents. Together let is again proclaim, “Education is a Human Right!”
Local School Council Rejects CPS Budget. Calls For Investigation:
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