CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Schools will lay off some of its central office staff this week as it deals with its precarious financial state, the head of the district said Thursday.
The announcement by district CEO Forrest Claypool came a day after top Illinois Republicans called for a state takeover of the financially troubled school district, which has a nearly $1 billion budget deficit that could lead to thousands of teacher layoffs and a strike.
Claypool did not say how many people, including administrative staff, would be laid off Friday, but teachers are not expected to be among them.
"We do not take these actions lightly, but as we ask others to do their part, we are doing everything in our power to put our fiscal house in order," Claypool said. "Every department at CPS will have to do more with less, as we streamline administrative functions in an effort to prevent cuts from reaching our classroom doors."
Claypool says district officials will continue to work with the Chicago Teachers Union and the state to find a solution to the budget crisis.
Union vice president Jesse Sharkey spoke to FOX 32 on Thursday regarding the layoffs.
"We're extremely worried about these layoffs. We think it's the tip of a much larger iceburg of school cuts to come and it's a step in the wrong direction," Sharkey said.
Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said Wednesday they'll introduce legislation that would give the Illinois State Board of Education control over the nation's third-largest school district.
Chicago's Catholic schools do so much more with so much less. Pass out the vouchers.
ReplyDeleteShame on the teachers
ReplyDeleteTeachers are big supporters of the Democratic Party . ENJOY
ReplyDeleteChicago Public Schools began laying off central office staffers Friday morning in what’s expected to be hundreds of job losses for district workers — but not for teachers.
ReplyDeleteCPS held a morning meeting for everyone who works for its headquarters and then issued individual notices to meetings where employees were to be told they were no longer needed, sources told the Sun-Times.
A GOOD START
ReplyDeleteChicago Public Schools laid off 227 staffers Friday and closed another 180 central and administrative positions, “painful” cuts the school district says will save $32 million this year.
CPS would not specify which jobs were cut or closed, saying that employees were still being notified throughout the day. Those details won’t be made available until after the end of the business day, but IT, special education, payroll, procurement and law were affected.
symbolic cuts only
DeleteThose cuts are not painful to the taxpayers
ReplyDeleteThese cuts are to be blamed on the elected officials who didn't properly fund the pension system, who can not pass a state budget, who keep making back doors deals for themselves and who are doubling dipping in multiple pensions, which by the way are fully funded.
ReplyDelete