ROGERS PARK — A $748,000 budget cut at Sullivan High School will get worse.
By nearly double.
New Principal Chad Adams said Tuesday at a monthly Local School Council meeting that Chicago Public Schools officials incorrectly estimated the number of students that would enroll this year at the school.
Even with the budget calculated on a per-student basis for 858 students, the high school lost $748,000 earlier in the summer.
"That was not really a reality," Adams said.
Sullivan hadn't enrolled more than 800 students in three years, he said, and this year's total is 714 students — possibly 716, if two new students enroll as expected.
So CPS plans to cut another $800,000 from the budget.
"They haven't given me anything, other than that they're taking the money," he told members of the LSC. "This is another group of people that will lose their positions."
The new budget hole could mean Adams would need to cut eight positions, but he said he had anticipated the cut and hadn't filled three open positions. He also said the North Side school network had some money stowed away to help.
CPS implemented a new system this year that allocates money on a per-student basis, which has led to massive budget cuts at schools across the district.
"It's a grim situation," said Terry Moran, a member of the LSC. "But it's the hand we've been dealt."
