Chicago School System’s $1 Billion Deficit Forces Layoffs for 850 Teachers, Staff

Posted on | June 14, 2013 | 24 Comments

The worst fears of Chicago Public School teachers and staffers were confirmed Friday when district officials announced it was laying off some 850 employees.
“Given the historic financial crisis facing our District, next year’s budget will not come without painful decisions, which is why we are making tough choices at central office in order to minimize impacts to our classrooms,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett in a statement Friday. “We will continue this work over the next several weeks to further identify reductions to central office spending to help close the District’s $1 billion deficit and make sure that every dollar helps protect precious classroom funding.”
Affected employees are those in the 55 schools closing at the end of the current school year as well as those slated for “turnaround”, WBEZ reports. CPS said a portion of those losing their jobs were either probationary teachers or teachers with unsatisfactory performance reviews.

(Insert “recovery summer” joke here.)

Category: Budget, Chicago, Education

Comments

24 Responses to “Chicago School System’s $1 Billion Deficit Forces Layoffs for 850 Teachers, Staff”

DaveO
June 14th, 2013 @ 8:24 pm

I wonder how much money Chicago loses in lawsuits each year? Considering Rahmbo’s War Against African Americans, I’m surprised Chicago only has a $1bn deficit.
Kevin Trainor Jr.
June 14th, 2013 @ 8:24 pm

It’s a good start.
Kevin Trainor Jr.
June 14th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm

Kevin Trainor Jr. liked this on Facebook.
Barbara Espinosa
June 14th, 2013 @ 8:41 pm

Emanuel unveils $1.1 billion DePaul Navy pierarena,.Laying off 850 teachers but can afford a billion dollar arena.http://shar.es/xHj0I
Ray Stickler
June 14th, 2013 @ 9:32 pm

Since 95% of Chicago teachers are rated excellent or above, how are they going to find 850 teachers with unsatisfactory performance reviews?
ajpwriter
June 14th, 2013 @ 9:41 pm

Leviathan is getting awfully damn unreliable of late.
Adjoran
June 14th, 2013 @ 10:28 pm

Ah, yes, the cycle can only go around a limited number of times, can it? Government schools turn out uneducated kids by inept teachers and administrators, the district slides, economy goes down, those who can leave, property values decline, school raises taxes, more leave, schools get worse, etc.

Bills are beginning to come due in Chicago and elsewhere. We would be fools to mortgage the future throwing good money after bad. Force school districts and Democratic municipalities into bankruptcy. Start over.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
June 14th, 2013 @ 10:31 pm

As goes Chicago, so goes the Nation… The only cure according to our GOP elites are fertile creative immigrants (so what if they came here illegally).
alfred
June 14th, 2013 @ 10:42 pm

Didn’t the teachers strike last year for a raise, how did that work out for them?
rmnixondeceased
June 14th, 2013 @ 10:55 pm

Bread and Circuses …
Richard McEnroe
June 14th, 2013 @ 11:18 pm

Hey! Here’s a plan! Let’s fire a buncha teachers , close s shitload of schools AND THEN STUFF THE KIDS OF 11,000,000 IMMIGRANTS INTO WHAT’S LEFT! WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

Democrats are not only incapable of governing, they’re apparently indifferent to it.
ChandlersGhost
June 15th, 2013 @ 12:12 am

Having a job is nothing compared to endless self-esteem.
rmnixondeceased
June 15th, 2013 @ 2:11 am

These numbers are as reliable as the monthly jobs reports … and as costly. The fired teachers and staff are most likely all unionistas with a hefty severance package and pension plans … playing a shell game financially, kicking the can further down the road.
Quartermaster
June 15th, 2013 @ 10:28 am

The Jebster© thinks it mainly the fertility. The illegals are entrepreneurial and we need the taxes to secure the border.

A lot of us have said it before – NO MORE BUSHES!
Evi L. Bloggerlady
June 15th, 2013 @ 11:25 am

Jeb Bush is an idiot.
Bob Belvedere
June 15th, 2013 @ 1:20 pm

Bingo!
Bob Belvedere
June 15th, 2013 @ 1:20 pm

Meet the New Detroit, [soon to be] same as the Old Detroit,
Bob Belvedere
June 15th, 2013 @ 1:22 pm

Yes, but starting over will do no good if the people running the show are still the same.
Adjoran
June 15th, 2013 @ 2:17 pm

At some point, voters either have to wise up or live with their bad choices. Bankruptcies at least clear off the crushing burdens on future generations of unrealistic retirement benefits given union thugs.
Adjoran
June 15th, 2013 @ 2:19 pm

With new state-imposed leadership, I expect New Detroit will be smarter, and get the heck out of town!
Bob Belvedere
June 15th, 2013 @ 4:31 pm

Good point. But we shouldn’t go into this thinking it’s a curative.
From Around the Blogroll « THE FIRST STREET JOURNAL.
June 15th, 2013 @ 5:03 pm

[…] Robert Stacey Stacy McCain wrote briefly — an amazing thing for him! — about the $1 billion “shortfall” in the Chicago Public Schools. Of course, we noted the financial plight of the Philadelphia public schools. Your Editor wonders: since our big cities are the places in which higher incomes are generated and (non-dilapidated) property values are the highest, shouldn’t the big cities be the places in which the public schools have the most money, not the least? […]
Proof
June 16th, 2013 @ 4:24 am

Well, they can at least take comfort in the fact that Obama still has enough cash for a pricey African vacation. Maybe he could send them all a post card with his picture on it?
Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup » Pirate's Cove
June 16th, 2013 @ 9:18 am

[…] The Other McCain features hopenchange at Chicago schools […]