About 250 CPS Teachers and Staffers Laid Off as Strike Threat Looms

CHICAGO, IL — As the clock continues to tick down on a possible Oct. 11 teachers strike, Chicago Public Schools laid off around 250 educators and staffers Monday, blaming a decrease in enrollment of close to 14,000 students this fall, according to the Chicago Tribune.

CPS enrollment for 2016 — measured on the 10th day of the new school year — is 378,481 and marks the district's continual loss of students since it enrolled less than 400,000 in 2014, the report stated. That was the first time CPS reached that level in about 20 years, the report added.

The layoffs Monday are in addition to the more than 1,000 teachers and staffers that were cut in August, the report stated. The dip in enrollment also means around 300 schools would lose about $45 million funding they receive thanks to the district's student-based budgeting system, the report added.

Because that loss of funding could leave some schools unable to meet the minimum requirements of a basic education for students, CPS will split $5.7 million among 55 schools to make maintain standards, the report stated. That would be in addition to $8 million that already has been given to struggling schools, the report added.

CPS has acknowledged some of the latest budget cuts would leave schools without enough money to provide basic education. Because of that, 55 schools will split $5.7 million if enrollment declines were "significantly deeper than expected" or "would prevent them from offering critical academic Buprogramming." The district said it already has distributed $8 million to schools struggling with enrollment declines.

The school district's announcement comes as CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union continue to negotiate a new contract to avoid an Oct. 11 walkout. Teachers have been upset by budget cuts CPS has made and are asking the city for more money in order to aovid more layoffs, according to the report.

There was some cautiously optimistic news Monday for Chicago schools. While the enrollment drop would cause some schools to lose money, fewer than 200 schools would be gaining $20 million in funding, the report stated. Also, CPS officials said that employees who were let go in August and this month could apply for school district openings that become available, according to the report. So far, about 57 percent of the teachers who lost their jobs in August have returned to CPS in new positions, the report added.

More via the Chicago Tribune

image via Chicago Public Schools

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