WICKER PARK — Positions for four classroom aides and a teacher in the Special Education Department at Wicker Park's LaSalle II Magnet School could be eliminated, according to CPS' "10th Day" budget adjustments released to principals on Friday.
But CPS originally offered little explanation of how they arrived at the data in the spreadsheet and no final decision has been made.
"This cut is huge; we are still looking for statistics and the impact on LaSalle, but from what we know it seems as if our school was hit disproportionately hard," said Grant Drutchas, LSC chairman at LaSalle II Magnet School, 1148 N Honore St., on Monday.
The news initially sparked an emergency Local School Council meeting set for Tuesday, but Drutchas said that gathering was canceled after CPS told principals that the deadline for accepting the budget adjustments and eliminating the jobs is Nov. 2 and not Oct 5. Instead, the school's 12-member volunteer council will discuss the matter at its monthly meeting on Oct. 6.
The number of diverse learning students who will be impacted by the loss of a teacher and four aides is not available, though LaSalle II Magnet School currently employs three Special Education teachers and 11 aides.
A CPS spokeswoman later said that “CPS will continue to make sure that every child who has an individualized education program receives the services in their plan. Because dollars follow students, the adjustments to our Diverse Learner programs reflect the actual enrollment and needs of our students, as documented in their IEPs. We also want to assure principals and school communities that if they have concerns or questions about staffing, we are extending the deadline to appeal staffing decisions to Nov. 2, so that they have time to fully evaluate their needs.”
In calculating the budget breakdown, CPS said that "diverse learner teacher positions are assumed to cost $105,000 and diverse learner aide positions are assumed to cost $50,000." Those numbers are not salaries and also incorporate health care coverage, pensions and other factors.
LaSalle II Magnet School, which opened in 2008, was projected to serve 530 students in grades K-8 for the 2015-16 School Year, according to CPS, though a "Day 10" enrollment count of 527 put the school at three students less than planned — a loss of $15,804 in funds.
Each CPS school is given a budget for the year over the summer based on the number of students expected to attend, with each student attracting a specific amount in school funds — known as student-based budgeting.
Ten days after school starts, CPS compares the expected amounts with actual counts and re-adjusts its budget per school.
LaSalle II is a magnet school offering world language instruction.
LaSalle II Magnet School also has $42,138 in unused funds held in a "contingency account" — a new practice that allows schools to hold about 1 percent of their annual budget aside "specifically for unexpected contingencies," CPS says on its website.
Another $72,037 sits in a fund for vacant and unused positions, too, according to CPS.
LaSalle II's Principal Lauren Albani was not available for comment.
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