GRAND BOULEVARD — Even CPS’ newest high school, Dyett High School for the Arts, wasn’t spared budget cuts Monday, taking one of the largest cuts of any school in the city.
CPS announced $46 million in cuts Monday after Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed $215 million schools officials had been counting on.
Dyett is among 10 schools that experienced the maximum cut, losing $100,474 from the school’s $2 million budget.
CPS capped the cuts at 5 percent per school, freezing up to half of schools’ discretionary funds that go to pay for textbooks, technology and after-school programs, but only 10 schools were hit with that large of a cut.
Activists who helped get the school reopened by going on a 34-day hunger strike said the news was difficult to hear.
“I didn’t know Dyett would get hit as a first-year school,” said Jitu Brown, one of the activists. “It doesn’t make sense.
He called the district-wide cuts “irresponsible.”
Dyett did not lose the most of any school, but with only 150 freshmen in the building, 555 E. 51st St., it is likely to more dramatically affect the students compared to other schools.
Brown said the news was frustrating to hear during Dyett’s first year with students in the hallways again.
“This is actually going well,” he said.
Brown suffered lasting health effects from the hunger strike to save the school and has been there at least every other week to work with the students since CPS and the activists reached a deal to reopen the school.
As CPS CEO Forrest Claypool blamed the governor for the cuts, the old antagonism flared again and Brown criticized CPS for not devoting more resources to neighborhood schools.
The cuts are not yet final, but the Chicago Board of Education is expected to approve them on Feb. 22.
