Chicago public schools brace for budget cuts as enrollment continues to decline
Parents and community members say the reduction in resources will hurt students already struggling with the effects of the pandemic.
Sarah Karp
Reporter, Education
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Chicago Public Schools is flush with federal COVID-19 relief cash but is spending little of it
A WBEZ analysis shows that 69% of the $536 million in federal COVID relief money CPS budgeted this year is unspent.
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Forty percent of CPS schools to see budget cuts amid enrollment declines
CPS says it’s giving low enrollment schools extra money and taking over $50 million in costs so principals can spend that money as they wish.
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CPS wants to change its admissions process for selective schools to try to enroll more low-income students
CPS is considering dropping part of its admissions process that benefits students who live in affluent Chicago neighborhoods.
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Chicago Public Schools will go mask optional on March 14
Facing a lawsuit, CPS announced plans to lift its mask mandate. CPS is one of the few remaining districts in Illinois to require masks.
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The majority of students at most Chicago schools are unvaccinated as CPS plans to lift mask mandate
CPS will go mask optional on March 14. Vax rates are climbing, but only a quarter of schools have more than half of all students vaccinated.
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CPS attendance is heading back up, with a group of Little Village students leading the way
Attendance has rebounded after plummeting last year, but hasn’t fully recovered. An early-college program is helping to keep students on track.
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College scholarships will be awarded to all students at five Chicago public high schools
Hope Chicago is raising $1 billion over 10 years to provide scholarships for college or work programs to 24,000 students and 6,000 parents.
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CPS is still playing catch up on public health two years into the pandemic
CPS had little to no public health infrastructure when COVID-19 hit. When it turned to the city, it found a similarly strained setup.
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Lightfoot ally is behind a campaign that is supporting challengers to the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union
A former top adviser to the mayor, who is constantly at odds with the CTU, is involved with boosting a group opposing the CTU’s current leaders.
