EDGEWATER — Of the 416 schools in Chicago to see cuts amid a $106 million state budget crisis, three Edgewater schools will lose $412,752 in funding for the coming school year, according to data from Chicago Public Schools.
However, unlike neighboring Rogers Park and West Ridge, where neighborhood schools suffered massive cutbacks, Edgewater area schools gained nearly double the amount of funding they are expected to lose — $780,590 to be exact.
Ted Cox breaks down CPS' cuts and how the CTU is responding:
While Goudy, Peirce and Hayt elementary schools all suffered losses, Senn and Rickover Military high schools, Swift Elementary and Passages Charter School can all expect to have a bigger budget than the previous school year.
Schools that lost money are:
- Goudy Technology Elementary School: Of the three schools, Goudy's cut was the biggest. Suffering a $254,774 blow, or 5.43 percent of its budget, Goudy is expected to have a 33-student drop in enrollment — a contributing factor in budgeting decreases.
- Peirce Elementary International Studies School: Peirce will open its doors next year with $141,888 less than last year, a 2.41 percent loss, despite an expected slight uptick in the number of students at the school.
- Hayt Elementary School: With eight students fewer than last year, Hayt will have a $16,090 slash to its 2015-16 budget.
Schools receiving funding:
- Passages Charter School: A charter school operated by Asian Human Services, Passages in Edgewater got a $214,390 boost (or 5.8 percent) and expects nine additional students to enroll this year.
- Rickover Military Academy: The military academy high school located next to Senn is expected to enjoy a 6.03 percent budget increase, or $263,365 in funding. The academy will see 27 extra students enroll in the coming year, bringing its student body total to 582.
- Senn High School: Senn also expects an uptick in enrollment, hoping to bring its total to 1,337, a 40-student increase. That will bring in $302,835 in funding from CPS, a 3.06 percent increase.
- Swift Elementary School: Swift Elementary will see only two new students in the fall, but will still get an additional $102,908 in funding.
“No one would argue that these are the budgets that we would like to be presenting, but they reflect the reality of where we are today; a budget deficit of more than $1 billion; the demands of a broken pension system; and a state education funding that is near last in the country,” said Interim CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz. “We have tried to limit the impact on our classrooms, but we sympathize with teachers, parents and principals whose schools will be seeing fewer resources than last year.”
Since 2010, Illinois has taken a 13 percent cut from the state's budget, according to CPS.
Chicago Public Schools announced Monday that neighborhood schools will see almost $60 million in cuts district wide, while charter schools and other charter programs for at-risk students would see a combined $30 million in gains.
In a media conference call on student-based budgeting Monday, CPS Chief Financial Officer Ginger Ostro said 238 schools would see increased funding, at a total of $68.5 million, while 416 see budgets cut, at a total of $99.5 million.
"Money follows the students," Ostro said, adding that projected CPS enrollment for the coming school year is 372,275, down about 1 percent from last year.
According to the district, so-called neighborhood schools are expected to enroll about 4,000 fewer students in the fall, while charters increase enrollment by about 3,000 students.
Basic student-based budgeting would remain level at $4,390 a student for grades 4-8, with $4,697 for students in kindergarten through third grade and $5,444 a pupil in high schools.
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