CPS To Lay Off 950 Employees, Including More Than 350 Teachers

CHICAGO, IL — More than 350 teachers are among around 950 Chicago Public Schools employees who will be laid off for the upcoming school year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 365 teachers — along with about 600 school support staffers — were told Monday of the decision by the financially struggling school district, which also was delaying the release of its operating budget for the 2017-18 school year that was originally scheduled for Monday, the report added.

CPS high schools will see 116 teachers laid off, while district elementary schools face 240 teacher layoffs, the report stated. School system spokesman Michael Passman told the Sun-Times that these moves are part of the annual budgeting process and reflect school staffing changes brought on by drops in enrollment or program changes. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

In the past, CPS has hired back just more than half of the teachers it lays off to full-time jobs, with about 23 percent finding work as substitute teachers, the report stated. Four job fairs for teachers, as well as support staffers, will be held by the school system in the coming days, the report added. The Chicago Teachers Union hasn't responded yet to Monday's employment announcement by CPS.

More layoffs, however, might be on the horizon after CPS calculates student enrollment Oct. 2, the report stated. Schools receive CPS funds based on the number of students they have enrolled, and those schools that see actual enrollment fall short of their projections could see more employees let go, the report added.

As for the school system's opertating budget, CPS officials decided to delay its unveiling to give Illinois lawmakers more time to find a solution for the funding problems that threaten Chicago schools and schools throughout the state, Passman told the Sun-Times. On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Gov. Bruce Rauner used his amendatory veto power to cut a $250 million block grant to CPS from a state education funding bill.

Legislators must now decided whether to accept or override the veto, which leaves Illinois schools without a funding plan in the meantime. That hold up could stop some state schools from opening, while further delays in adopting a revenue plan could force other districts to close school doors shortly after the year begins, CBS 2 Chicago reports. Under state law, the board of education must approve the CPS operating budget no later than Sept. 1, but the board's Sept. 23 meeting has been postponed, the Sun-Times reports.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Image via Chicago Public Schools

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